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New Recipe: Bama Baked Beans
Boston is famous for their Baked Beans and though they are good they hardly stand up to my hug-worthy Bama Baked Beans. These beans will make a ridiculous side dish for your next BBQ or pool party but they are hearty (and meaty) enough to stand alone as an entree. They feature crispy bacon lardons, ground beef and strips of bacon as garnish. You know if bacon is used as a garnish it’s gotta be good.
Recipe: Bama Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. bacon, diced (lardons)
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 (28 ounce) can baked beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can baked beans
- 2 TBL Dijon mustard
- 6 TBL packed brown sugar
- 4 – 6 slices bacon
- 1 tsp BBQ rub or Cajun seasoning or to taste
- Cinnamon to taste
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees (American).
- Render bacon lardons in a large skillet over medium-low heat until very crispy adding the onion for the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the bacon mix and reserve.
- In the same pan (wiped free of excess grease) cook the ground beef, seasoned to taste with BBQ rub and a dash of cinnamon, until done. Drain most of the liquid and add 2 TBL brown sugar then stir until dissolved. Add the bacon mix and stir to mix. Fold in the baked beans, mustard, 3 TBL brown sugar and another dash of cinnamon.
- In a 9 inch square baking dish spread the last TBL of brown sugar. Pour in the bean mixture. Lightly season the top of the bean mix with BBQ rub then top with slices of bacon.
- Bake uncovered for 45 minutes in the preheated oven or until the bacon is crisp and the beans are bubbling hot. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Variations
Try substituting maple syrup for some of the brown sugar. Finely diced bell pepper will add a fresh flavor punch and a burst of color.
This recipe is worthy of inclusion on Denny’s new Baconalia menu which features all kinds of bacon-centric grub like Bacon Flapjacks, Bacon Meatloaf or the Maple Bacon Sundae. In fact this entire post was created as part of the Denny’s/Foodbuzz BACONALIA challenge and is an entry for a chance to win some Denny’s swag. So there.
