Maple Bacon Baked Beans

This recipe is perfect for a big holiday BBQ or picnic with friends and family. Ditch the old canned beans that have been sitting in your pantry all winter and get everyone asking “who brought these BEANS?!"

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

2 hours 20 minutes

Servings

12

294 Maple Baked Beans 2 2 295 Maple Baked Beans 8

Ingredients

  • 1 bag each: Pinto HamBeens® and Great Northern HamBeens®

  • 4 cups chopped onion

  • 2 cups chopped green pepper

  • 3 cloves garlic (smashed)

  • 2 ham shanks or hocks

  • 1 cup ketchup

  • 1 cup yellow mustard

  • 1 cup pure maple syrup

  • 1/2 cup full flavor molasses

  • 2 cups crumbled bacon (nice and crispy!)

  • 2 cups peeled and diced granny smith apple (about 2 apples)

  • 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped

  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme, finely chopped

  • 1/2 tbsp. crushed red pepper

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • 1 tbsp. olive/vegetable oil

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°. Rinse and sort through both packages of beans. Check for any unwanted debris or stones and discard. Pour the beans into a large bowl and cover with at least 2” of water. Allow the beans to soak for at least 4 hours (or even overnight). Drain the excess water and set the beans aside.

  2. In a large dutch oven or oven safe pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onion and green pepper in 1 tbsp. oil. When the onions become translucent, add the garlic. Cook for 4-5 more minutes, then add the ham shanks, soaked beans, and 9 cups of water. Turn heat to high and bring mixture to a rolling boil.

  3. Once boiling, remove from the heat, cover the pot, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 90 minutes, checking every 30 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid to cover the beans. Add more water if necessary.

  4. After 90 minutes, check the beans for done-ness. If completely tender, remove the ham shanks (you can trim off the meat and add back to pot if desired). Then stir in all the remaining ingredients, including the HamBeens flavor packet. Re-cover the pot and place back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes. At that point, the pot can be left in a warm oven until ready to serve.