Best Baked Beans

Baked beans are a staple of the "cookout" in my family. Burgers? Baked beans. Barbecue? Baked beans. They're a family tradition that we've all had to learn. I though it high time to pass along to you. They're simple....

Best Baked Beans
(I'm not going to list quantities here. You'll have to eyeball it just like we do. How much you need will depend on how many folks you're serving and how big your baking dish is. Don't worry, it's not rocket science.)

Open several cans of pork and beans. (We've always used Campbells.) Dump into your baking dish. (I usually drain just a little of the "juice" off first.)

In a small bowl, mix together equal parts brown sugar and ketchup. You're looking to create a sauce that is about 1/3 of the volume of the beans. So if you have 6 cups of beans, you want 2 cups of sauce. Therefore, 1 cup of ketchup and 1 cup of brown sugar. With me so far?

Pour this sauce into the baking dish and stir gently until incorporated fully into the beans. Now come the crowning touch. Lay slices of uncooked bacon on top of the beans in a single layer.

Place the baking dish in a preheated 350° oven and bake until the beans are bubbling and the bacon is browned. (You can broil for a few minutes at the very end to get the bacon nice and crusty if you'd like.)

Dig in. It's like candy. (And excellent...even cold...the next day too.)