Southern-Style Baked Beans with Bacon (2024)

FAQs

Should you cook bacon before adding to beans? ›

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until much of the grease has been released, but bacon is still flexible. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Stir together baked beans, onion, apple, brown sugar, ketchup, and mustard in a 9-inch square baking dish until well combined.

Bacon: sliced bacon covers the top of the beans and permeates each bite with flavor as they bake. Surprisingly, the baked beans don't taste extremely bacon-y — it just adds to the overall flavor of the dish. Use regular vs thick-cut bacon for the best results.

Add baked beans, cooked bacon, chopped vidalia onion, yellow mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, and Worcestershire sauce to a large oven-safe dish. Stir & combine well. Season to taste with kosher salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder.

Caramelized Onion + Bacon + Espresso Powder

Slowly caramelize a chopped onion in a bit of oil, then add bacon and cook until crispy. Add the can of beans and stir, making sure to scrape up any tasty bits that have stuck to the pan. To finish, toss in a pinch of espresso powder for an extra hit of earthy flavor.

The addition of water keeps the initial cooking temperature low and gentle, so the meat retains its moisture and stays tender as the fat renders. Plus, since the water helps render the fat, there will be significantly less splatter as your bacon finishes in the pan.

The only smell you should detect from bacon is a faint smokiness. Slime: If your bacon is slimy, it's a sure sign that bacteria are present and spreading on the meat. Toss it out! Discoloration: Green, grey, or brown discoloration means that the bacon is no longer safe to eat.

Extra protein: Add diced ham, cooked ground beef, or shredded chicken to the baked beans for an extra boost of protein. Additional vegetables: Include diced green bell pepper, onions, or mushrooms to the recipe for added texture and flavor. Tangy: Replace yellow mustard with Dijon, whole-grain mustard, or dry mustard.

The beans that are met with smiles at any gathering. Bush's® Original Baked Beans are a Secret Family Recipe of navy beans slow-cooked with specially cured bacon, fine brown sugar and our signature blend of spices.

Beans are a good source of protein, fiber, and various vitamins and minerals. However, bacon is high in saturated fat and sodium, which can negatively impact heart health if consumed in excess. Additionally, if the toast is made with white bread, it may lack the nutritional benefits of whole grain bread.

And as our resident scientist food blogger, Clark Cassarella explains, when you boil bacon, you get perfect results every time. Why? The addition of water keeps the initial cooking temperature low and gentle, so the meat retains its moisture and stays tender.

Should you cook bacon before adding to soup? ›

For a four-serving batch of soup, chop up two to four strips of bacon into one-inch pieces. Fry them until crisp, then remove the bacon from the grease and let drain on paper towels. Cook your vegetables and aromatics in the bacon fat like you usually would, the proceed with your soup recipe.

difficult to cook evenly? Chop the bacon FIRST, then. cook!

I think this method works best when the bacon is cut before being cooked. First, remove the raw bacon from packaging and lay it on a large cutting board, keeping it stacked as it was in the package. With a sharp knife, cut the strips up and down, then side to side.