Rootin’ TOOTIN’ Good Baked Beans

Back on Memorial Day, I made baked beans (along with the blueberry crisp) for a picnic I was hosting.  I didn’t take any pictures of the baked beans as I was making them, because I had plans to show you the blueberry crisp recipe instead.  Which I did. 

And honestly, I’m not a huge fan of baked beans, although I will admit that this recipe is very good.  A few years ago, my mom asked me to make these for a picnic she was hosting, and she gave me the recipe.  Somehow I misunderstood one of her ingredients, and used Brer Rabbit Molasses instead of what she had listed (and I don’t remember what that was), and since then I have had to make these darn beans for almost every picnic for that side of the family.  They are almost like a fiber-rich, gas-inducing dessert instead of a side dish.

So I served them at my picnic, and everyone told me how much they liked them and asked if I would be blogging it so I faked them all out and said, “Oh sure, definitely, I totally planned to do that,” and quickly grabbed my camera and took one photo of the beans.  One not so great photo.  You will have to use your imagination and trust me that they really are yummy.

Here is that photo:

That’s a big ol’piece of bacon hanging onto the edge of the spoon along with the beans.  Can you see how dark and sticky the beans are?  That’s the Brer Rabbit Molasses, my friends.

And then everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they climbed into their cars to go home, and could release the building gas that had been induced as a result of these delicious beans. 

Everyone except for me, because I do not do that.  Ahem.

Mostly Mom’s Baked Beans

14 oz. bottle ketchup

1 -1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1- 1/2 c. Brer Rabbit Molasses (I use the light—light meaning color, not calories, unfortunately)

1 pkg. microwave bacon, microwaved and cut into small pieces

1 squirt prepared mustard

40 oz. can Great Northern Beans, drained—(you can add in a few smaller cans if you want w/o needing to increase other ingredients)

Grease a lidded casserole dish. Mix all of the ingredients together and place in casserole dish.  Place in 400 degree oven uncovered for 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.  After 1 hour, place the lid onto the casserole dish, tilted slightly to allow steam to escape.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 1-2 more hours. 

You can serve those beans right now if you want.  But I usually do that first step the night before the picnic, allow them to cool, refrigerate them, and stick them in my crockpot on low the next day.  If you are doing it this way, only cook them the one additional hour with the lid on, not two.

If you don’t have Brer Rabbit Molasses, use any other molasses, they just might not be as dark and gooey.  They’ll be more like my mom’s second rate beans. (Shh, don’t tell her I said that.  I’m still mad about the whoopie pies.)

I am linking this recipe with Foodie Friday!