Baked beans are a weekly meat substitute in this household. The children love them and even after the beans have been eaten, the broth makes a wonderful sop for biscuits. I stumbled upon this recipe a year ago and loved it. I can’t say it is exactly Bush’s, but it’s pretty close if not better in flavor. Times I want to alter the flavor a bit for variety, I will add a cup of barbeque sauce or some liquid smoke but never steer away from the basic recipe base.
I often make a large roaster pan or two full. Then freeze (family size servings), or can.
Copycat Bush’s Baked Beans
* 1 package great northern bean
* 4 chicken bouillon cubes or beef bouillon cubes
* 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup molasses
* 1/4 cup cornstarch
* 1/4 cup onion
* 1/4 cup garlic powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder
* 4 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
* 1/2 package hickory smoked thick cut bacon, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips
* 5 cups water, plus 5 cups for second bake
Directions
In a very large sauce pan cover the beans and bouillon cubes in 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and let sit for 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain and pour beans into a 9’x11′ pan.
Combine the remaining ingredients, pour over beans, stir, and bake until all the water has evaporated, about 3 hours. Remove from oven, cover, and let sit overnight.
Next day, Add the next 5 cups of water to the beans, place in oven at 350F and bake until all the water has evaporated, about 3 hours.
A Little Slice.... 