Best Darn Beans for a Crowd

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté the bacon pieces until slightly crisped.
2. Remove bacon from pan. Reserve 3 Tablespoons of the grease and discard the rest.
3. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and scrape up all brown bits until water has evaporated.
4. Add the 3 Tablespoons of grease back into the pan along with the green onions, sautéing until softened.
5. Begin adding the brown sugar, about a 1/4 cup at a time, stirring into the onions. I know this seems like a lot of sugar, and well frankly it is, but it adds so much to the flavor.
6. Continue to stir until sugar has been incorporated and the sugar begins to caramelize (approximately 5 minutes).
7. Add chili sauce and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Add the can of pork and beans (including the tomato sauce), drained kidney beans and lima beans stirring until well coated in the sauce.
9. Add bacon back into the pan stirring to combine all ingredients.
10. Cover and turn heat down to a simmer for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours stirring occasionally. It is important to stir occasionally so as not to burn the beans.

These beans always get rave reviews. The scraping of the brown bits and caramelizing the brown sugar is the secret to this fabulous recipe.

I hope you enjoy these as much as my family does.