Root Beer Baked Beans

I always doctor my baked beans before serving and this recipe calling for a favorite soda pop is a favorite. You must try these Root Beer Baked Beans; they are amazing!

Memorial Day was pretty low key here; I wanted more than anything to get in some gardening time after meeting a friend for coffee in the morning. Still, I thought I would wheel out the smoker and make this recipe for Smoked Chicken with Chipotle, Peach and Bourbon Barbecue Sauce and see who on the street was game for gathering for a meal.

As it turns out, one family had already started dinner so it would just be my neighbors across the street. When Amy asked what she could bring, I told her I had it covered; I was also making these baked beans and a fresh veggie. She laughed and asked, ‘What do you do with beans other than open the can and heat them?’ Well, not a lot really but enough to make all the difference in the world!

I saw these beans shared by Fake Ginger in a Facebook group I’m in. As it turns out there are myriad variations but all have one important ingredient in common and that’s the use of Root Beer. I had to chuckle when I saw a version from Bon Appetit. It called for Artisanal Root Beer. What? No. No way.

Years of curb service and driv- thrus and nothing has changed my love for A&W Root Beer; not even the fact that it is now married to KFC. Much like cocktail making I also felt that nuances of the super pricey stuff would just get lost when mixing with a lot of ingredients so can any notion of artisanal and instead grab a couple of bottles of A&W. One for cooking, another for drinking!

I stayed pretty close to the original recipe but a few ingredients were calling my name that I had to add. Some garlic is sauteed with the onions; how could that be bad right? I also added a bit of whole grain mustard just because I love the stuff and I thought we were good to go.

After all was said and done and the beans were cooked, I could not help myself, I missed molasses so there’s a touch of it in there too. Still, the root beer plays a big part; while sweet it also has that bit of a bite and the end result were some pretty perfect baked beans.

So perfect that my neighbor Amy of the ‘just open a can’ camp couldn’t get enough. Now that is a successful barbecue, wouldn’t you agree?

Food Network’s #SummerSoiree

After a short break the Food Network group is back and has now switched to summer dishes and this one is my contribution for the first of our #SummerSoiree offerings. Today’s theme is anything portable. These beans are that…even though they have some meat in them, it’s cured and cooked bacon so no worries about spoiling so they would make a great addition to a picnic in the park. I like them hot and I like them room temp but cold? Not so much. So warm them and take them in a covered casserole wrapped in a towel and they should be a great temp to serve wherever you are!

• Bacon and Soufflé: Classic Tomato and Garlic Bruschetta
• Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Fruit Sandwich
• Napa Farmhouse 1885: White & Dark Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
• Red or Green: Corn & Sweet Red Pepper Casserole
• Taste with the Eyes: Rice Noodles with Miso Butter and Ramen-Style Toppings
• Virtually Homemade: Virtually Homemade Gluten Free Blueberry Crumble Bars
• Dishin & Dishes: Iron Skillet Upside Down Mulberry (or Blackberry or Raspberry) Cake
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Strawberries and Skinny Yogurt Cheesecake Dip
• Healthy Eats: How to Pack a Healthy Picnic — Summer Soiree
• The Mom 100: Creamy Corn and Potato Salad with Bacon
• FN Dish: A Menu of Make-and-Take Recipes for Picnic Season

Want more? Check out our group’s Pinterest board; each week we’ll be making something special for summer eating and drinking!

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Root Beer Baked Beans

Barb

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 8

Calories

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 6 bacon slices
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 4 16-ounce cans pork and beans
• 1 cup root beer not diet
• ½ cup hickory-smoked barbecue sauce I didn't have hickory smoked sauce so just added about a half teaspoon of liquid smoke to the dish
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp whole grain mustard
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce

Instructions

 

• Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; remove and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.
• Sauté diced onion in hot bacon drippings in skillet over high heat 5 minutes or until tender; add minced garlic and cook for another minute. Stir together onion, garlic, crumbled bacon, beans, and remaining ingredients.
• Cook on low heat on stovetop for 50 minutes until thickened (or bake in oven at 400% for same amount of time).

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