After several summers experimenting in the kitchen and comparing baked beans from every barbecue joint that i came to, I am pleased to say that these are probably an improvement on most baked beans you've tried. They are flavorful, spicy, and go great with whatever is on the grill. They also have much better texture than the syrupy, paste-like baked beans from a can. While some of the steps take a little extra work--pulling aside the bacon and pureeing the tomatoes in the blender--these steps seem to matter. Other variations I've tried--like substituting real maple syrup or actually baking the beans--make little meaningful difference.
Judson Baked Beans
1/2 lb Thick peppered bacon, diced
2 Medium onions, diced
4 cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans Red Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cans crushed or diced tomatoes, pureed in blender
2/3 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 T Tabasco hot sauce (or to taste)
Fresh black pepper
Cayenne powder
Salt
Step-by-step:
Dice raw bacon and cook in a big pot sized for the full batch of beans. Scrape well-done bacon into a small bowl. Use the bacon grease remaining in the pot to saute the diced onions; you may want to drain some of the excess grease. To the cooked onions, add all the rinsed beans, pureed tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco. Simmer covered on low for an hour or so, adding bacon near the end of the cooking period. If the beans start to get too soft, turn them off--they'll reheat just fine. If you have in mind either thicker or saucier beans, you may want to monitor the moisture level and remove the lid or add more tomato puree to achieve your target consistency. You may want to add more Worcestershire, Tabasco, or brown sugar to increase the flavor intensity. Obviously, if they need more bacon, take action. Add salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. Salt in moderation to avoid bringing out the savory flavors of the tomatoes.
These are a great item to prepare in advance and can be reheated on the grill.