Classic Baked Beans
ingredients:
- 1 large onion, fine dice
- 1 ham steak (1 lb), fine dice
- 29 oz. tomato sauce
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- ½ cup honey
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- 4 lbs canned beans (black, pink, navy, etc.)
The sauce should be made ahead of time.
- Saute the onion in several tbsp. olive oil until browned
- Add ham and brown
- Add tomato sauce, brown sugar, molasses, and honey; reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour
- Cool the sauce and hold until ready to use
When ready to make the beans, add the sauce, beans, and liquid smoke to a crock pot and simmer on low for 6+ hours before serving.
If you'll be smoking some meat, you can leave out the liquid smoke and instead put the beans in an open aluminum pan in your smoker. I love putting that pan on the rack under the meat to catch the drippings. Stir the beans every 30 minutes to distribute the smoke flavor and prevent burning.