Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

If you're looking for a good "homemade baked beans recipe" recipe - this is the place! Everyone loves some good baked beans, but most recipes call for them to be in a crockpot. Mine doesn't, instead I use can beans and cook them on the stove top. It's true, you could just buy a fancy can of Bush's baked beans, but it's just not the same as making your own homemade baked beans and letting them simmer of the stove as the flavors meld together! These are equally as good in the summer with a BBQ as they are in the winter on a cold blistery day!

3 cans great northern or navy beans, or 1 - 48oz jar or Randall's mixed beans (drained)
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
1 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
3-4 strips of chopped cooked bacon (if you like)

Drain each can of beans and pour into a sauce pan. Add all other ingredients and cook on medium high heat until it boils, then cover and reduce to low heat and simmer for one hour. If you're in a real hurry, you can cook on high for 10 minutes and serve (it just won't taste as good!).

In the winter time you can cook this on the stove and let it simmer while making the main dish, but in the summer I like to just put the pot on the grill and let the beans simmer while I grill my meat. By the time the meat is done, the beans are usually done shortly after. There are all kinds of beans you can experiment with on this recipe as well, I usually end up using what I have on hand at the time. So I may use Pinto beans, Chili Beans, Mexican Beans - and even though you're making "homemade beans" it doesn't mean that you can't utilize any leftovers that you may have around. For instance, if I grill out and have left over burgers and beans, the next day I may chop up the leftover cooked burgers and thrown them in the beans and simmer for 20-30 minutes and eat! I've used thrown in leftover taco meat, sloppy joe, and even chicken. Technically that makes the "homemade baked beans" more like a chili - but it's ok to change it up a bit! Another thing that's fun with this recipe is to add some cubed cheese of any kind just minutes before it's done. That melted cheese can make it a big hit with everyone in the house!