I published the recipe for making my "secret recipe" BBQ Ribs. Now it ain¹t
a BBQ without great "sides," so here is the secret recipe for Rick¹s Ragin¹
Baked Beans. This recipe serves 15, so it¹s great to take these to a party
or family gathering. You can cut all the amounts in half to make a "family
sized" batch. Now the first secret to my beans is to wash off all the
"goop" that they came in and replace it with my "good stuff!" I use BOTH
hickory smoked bacon and ground beef in my beans, so they are rich and
meaty. The spices give the beans their Southern flavor.
Ingredients:
1 #5 can (or four 1 quart cans) of Bush¹s Pork and Beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/4 cups Vidalia Onion, chopped
6 strips thick-cut hickory smoked bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 lb ground beef (chuck)
1/2 lb dark brown sugar
3/4 cup "Rick¹s BBQ and Broilin¹ Baste", or other BBQ
sauce )
1 Tbs Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tbs Rick¹s BBQ Rub , or use the rub from my rib recipe)
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp yellow prepared mustard
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add just enough vegetable oil to coat
the bottom of the pan. Fry the bacon pieces until they render out some fat
and become translucent, but do NOT brown them. Add the chopped onion and
cook, stirring constantly, until they are also translucent. Remove the
cooked mixture to a large bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the excess
fat. Wait several minutes and remove the saturated paper towel and discard.
Clean the pan and place over high heat again. Add 1 Tbs vegetable oil and
swirl to coat the pan. Add the ground beef and cook until it is well
browned. Turn off the heat and push the beef to one side. Tip the pan
slightly toward the empty side so the fat collects there. Place a crumpled
paper towel in the pan to absorb the excess fat and discard the saturated
paper towel. Mix the beef with the bacon and onions cooked previously.
Wash and drain the beans to remove the liquidy goop they come into into a
"doubled" disposable aluminum roasting pan (nest 2 aluminum pans so they are
strong enough to hold the heavy ingredients). Place the beans into the
roasting pan and stir all the remaining ingredients together. Bake
uncovered in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 2 hours, stirring gently
once every half hour. The beans are done when the BBQ sauces caramelizes,
but the beans near the center are still slightly loose when the pan is
shaken.