I am not a huge baked beans fan and definitely don’t like it straight out of a can. If I had to I could eat a little bit but never ever have a second helping. Last year we went to stay with some very dear friends out in Wilmington, NC. We had such a great time and our hostess Connie fed us well. One of the things she made was these baked beans. For the first time in my life I went for another helping! These beans are so delicious that you can’t have just one scoop. With being smack in the middle of grilling season these will make a perfect side dish to whatever you are grilling.

If you want to lesson the amount of fat that will come out of the bacon, fry it for a few minutes in a pan to release some of that fat. (But why would you?) Then proceed to topping the beans with the bacon.

BBQ Baked Beans

Serves 6-8

• 2 16oz cans pork and beans, drained of liquid
• ¾ cup BBQ Sauce
• 1 oz golden raisins
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ½ cup brown sugar (splenda brown sugar does work)
• 1 tart apple, peeled, cored and chopped (Granny Smith works well)
• 3 strips uncooked bacon, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all but the bacon in a 2 quart casserole. Top mixture with bacon and bake uncovered 1 hour until nice and bubbly.