Baked Beans

I've never made baked beans before, but I did know that I didn't want to use some random recipe I found on the back of a can. I wanted to impress people, so I scrolled through at least two dozen recipes online and picked and chose which ingredients I wanted to add to mine. Again, this was used to create a LOT of beans for a class reunion, so unless you're planning on using this at a potluck, I'd cut this recipe in half.

1 #10 can (large, bulk sized cans) of pork and beans, drained
½ lb bacon, fried & crumbled with the drippings
1 full onion, diced
½ c barbecue sauce
¼ c beer of your choice (stale beer is fine to use)
1 c brown sugar (separate into ¾ c and ¼ c)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper (separate into two ½ tsp)
2-3 dashes cinnamon
1 T "All Purpose Seasoning" (typically a salt/pepper/garlic/onion mix)
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp seat salt, coarsely ground

Chop bacon into bite sized pieces and put in hot skillet over medium heat. Add ¼ c brown sugar, ½ tsp black pepper and cook until crispy. Don't drain the drippings.

Put beans in a large baking dish (aluminum pans work best because there's no clean-up afterward) and add bacon, its drippings and the remaining ingredients & seasonings. Mix well, cover with foil and bake for 35-45 mins at 350°. (You can also skip the baking part and put them in a crockpot instead. 6-8 hours on low, 3-4 hours on high. This saves you from heating up your kitchen in the blazing summer sun.)

If you're feeling particularly adventurous, skip the canned beans and make them from scratch using navy beans (you can find the instructions on how to cook those on the bag). I haven't felt that adventurous yet, thought I'm sure it's coming.