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bowl of baked beans with bacon on a red and white gingham tablecloth

Grandma Joyner’s Southern Baked Beans

This southern baked beans recipe is a family favorite, perfect for cookouts, potlucks and other gatherings where you need to feed a crowd. The combination of bacon, sauteed onions, brown sugar, condiments and beans results in a sweet and tangy side dish that everybody loves.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 180 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 14.5 oz. cans pork and beans
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 8 slices bacon diced
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300℉ degrees.
  • In a Dutch oven over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels.
  • Simmer onions in bacon drippings, over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, until translucent. 
  • Once the onions are cooked, you can drain off some of the excess bacon grease, but it's not necessary.
  • Add the canned beans, brown sugar, ketchup and yellow mustard to the pan with the sauteed onions.
  • Crumble bacon slices into the bean mixture and stir everything to combine.
  • Bake in the Dutch oven, uncovered, at 300℉ for 60 minutes.

Video

Notes

Recipe can easily be halved, doubled or tripled, depending on how many people you need to feed.

 

Storage

  • Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop, in the microwave or in the oven at 300℉.
  • To freeze, allow beans to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container or freezer-safe bags. Seal and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop.

 

Variations & Subsitutions

  • Use more or less bacon depending on your taste preference. You can also add full strips of fried bacon to the top of the beans before cooking.
  • Substitute spicy mustard for the regular yellow mustard.
  • Use dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar for a richer, more intense molasses flavor.
  • Add slice smoked sausage to make the baked beans meatier.
  • For BBQ baked beans, substitute barbecue sauce for half the ketchup in the recipe.
  • If you like the flavor of molasses, you can add 1 or 2 Tablespoons to the baked beans.
  • Add a chopped bell pepper and saute with the onions.

 

Slow Cooker Method

  1. If your slow cooker has a saute feature, saute the diced bacon over medium heat until crisp. Otherwise, use a frying pan.
  2. When crisp, remove the bacon from the slow cooker or pan, reserving the drippings, and drain on paper towels.
  3. Saute the onions in the bacon grease until translucent, about 5 minutes. If necessary, transfer the cooked onions to the slow cooker.
  4. Add the canned beans, brown sugar, ketchup and yellow mustard to the slow cooker with the sauteed onions.
  5. Add the cooked, diced bacon to the bean mixture and stir to combine.
  6. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or on low for 6 to 7 hours.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 430mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 163IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 0.3mg
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