Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

mama's bbq baked beans

Recipe by
Carrie James-Keaton

My mama says that the bacon, bell pepper, & onions add wonderful, full-bodied flavor to these beans. These are the best tasting baked beans I have ever eaten to date. Mama always used the thick, peppered bacon but I have used regular bacon and it still cooks up very tasty. You won’t believe how delicious these beans are. :-)

yield 15 serving(s)
prep time 30 Min
cook time 2 Hr
method Bake

Ingredients For mama's bbq baked beans

  • 8 slice
    peppered bacon (or regular bacon)
  • 1 md
    onion (diced)
  • 1/2 md
    bell pepper (can use the whole pepper if you love it as i do)
  • 3 lg
    pork and beans (28 ounce size)
  • 3/4 c
    barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 c
    brown sugar
  • 1/4 c
    distilled or apple cider vinegar (i like the apple cider)
  • 2 tsp
    dry mustard (i choose to use 2 tbsp dijon mustard)

How To Make mama's bbq baked beans

  • 1
    Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
  • 2
    Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • 3
    Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
  • 4
    Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. (If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients).
  • 5
    Pour the flavored beans into a greased 13x 9-inch (or similar size) ovenproof pan.
  • 6
    Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.
  • 7
    COOK'S NOTES: Cut the bacon slices in half, and then fry them on medium-low heat. You don’t want to brown or crisp the bacon at all; the point is only to render the fat and get the bacon pieces ready to bake up and turn brown in the oven. Remove the bacon pieces once the fat is rendered, and in the name of all that is good and right, do NOT pour out the grease and clean the skillet! If you do, you’ll regret it for the rest of your days. :-)
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