Root Beer Baked Beans

I know I should be making Baked Beans from scratch by now. But I'm lazy. Okay, maybe not lazy, but when I make baked beans it's usually for a BBQ and I have so many other dishes to make (deviled eggs, mac or potato salad, etc.), that I take the easy way out and make baked beans with canned beans. And pre-done beans at that.

And you might see a lot of other Root Beer Baked Beans recipes on blogs right now because the July issue of Bon Appetit had a recipe. And that recipe used canned beans too, though it required canned cannellini beans.

But this recipe? This was good. This was really good. I have no qualms serving this at BBQ's and I do not feel guilty at all that I didn't make it from scratch. It has a nice complex flavor, was easy to whip up and stick in the oven and to me at least, didn't taste like canned beans at all.

The first time I was supposed to serve this was on the 4th of July. But it never made it out of the oven. It was forgotten. Mind you it was even forgotten though Mr. L had opened the oven to stash food away from the cat and had to push the beans aside. No matter. We heated it up the next day and it tasted great so I know this reheats well (it does get thicker once you refrigerate it but that really isn't a problem taste wise). I've actually made this several times since then to wonderful reviews. 

I got this recipe from the "My Recipes" site which houses recipes from Cooking Light, Southern Living, Sunset, Coastal Living, All You, Real Simple, and Health. The actual recipe came from an October 2004 issue of Southern Living.

For those non root beer fans, the beans don't taste like root beer (as the Root Beer Short Ribs I made didn't). The root beer just imparts a wonderful smokey/rich flavor. I did use an artisanal (read, not cheap) root beer which I think greatly added to the taste.

ROOT BEER BAKED BEANS

3  bacon slices
1  small onion, diced
2  (16-ounce) cans pork and beans
1/2  cup  root beer (not diet)
1/4  cup  hickory-smoked barbecue sauce
1/2  teaspoon  dry mustard
1/8  teaspoon  hot sauce

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

Sauté diced onion in hot bacon drippings in skillet over high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Stir together onion, crumbled bacon, beans, and remaining ingredients in a lightly greased 1-quart baking dish.

Bake beans, uncovered, at 400° for 55 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Serves 4 (fairly large servings for four).

Note: I used Van de Kamps Pork and Beans (15 oz size), I used Virgil's Root Beer (really good, Mr. L loves the stuff so he was happy to finish off what was left in the bottle).

Note: I added six slices of bacon to this instead of the three called for. Like that's a surprise. 

Note: Next time I might just add some strips of bacon to the top for a nicer presentation. Or just because there is never anything wrong with adding more bacon.

Comments

[MOM]

This was so delicious. I loved all that bacon. Give me more next time please. Keep it coming.

[foodhoe]

Sounds great, I love baked beans/pork and bean but have only eaten canned. This looks way better, and sounds not too hard. And the addition of bacon can only be a good thing!

[Chris]

I think I'll give this a whirl tomorrow. I'm smoking 3 racks of ribs for the guys doing my deck and needed an easy side dish.

[Chris]

Ooooooh superb! We made this today with a few changes (nothing major, just adapting for cooking on the smoker) and it was in the top 3 bbq beans I've made.

[Livin Local]

Root beer in BBQ and sides is simply divine!!!

[peabody]

Scratch or not, those sound pretty darn good.