Mom's Yum Yum Baked Beans

We’ve been invited to Chef Gabriel and Chef Jeneca Glasier’s Super Bowl XLIV party next Sunday.

If you had the opportunity to taste Gabe’s ribs, you’d know that watching the Saints vs. Colts game is secondary to the chance to enjoy his savory ribs.

So my side dish to the Super Bowl food frenzy is my Mom’s Yum Yum Baked Beans. Whenever I serve them I get a lot of Oohs! and Aahs! Anything with a pound of bacon in it can’t be without merits. Enjoy!

Mom’s Yum Yum Baked Beans

6 -15 ½ oz cans precooked beans. Select from a combination of butter, great northern, kidney, lima, or red beans. (I use 2 cans each of butter, great northern and red beans)
1 # bacon
2 cups brown sugar

1 cup dark Karo syrup
Dash of pepper
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup ketchup
1 cup reserved bean liquid

Drain beans (reserve 1 cup liquid for later). Put beans in large kettle. Dice bacon and mix with beans. Put rest of ingredients (including reserved bean liquid) in medium-size saucepan. Boil 10 minutes. Pour over beans and bacon. Stir. Cook 3-4 hours at 250°-300° stirring every ½ hour.

I have cooked this recipe in a crock pot but haven’t achieved as much carmelization as when cooked slowly in the oven.