Kathi Long's Stupendous Baked Beans

We think baked beans are so perfect for a cookout, we've included two completely different styles, starting with the one that's the most familiar, the easiest, and perhaps the best as an all-purpose dish. Like many home versions, it starts with store-bought baked beans in a can, but ends up priceless. We owe the recipe to cookbook author Kathi Long, who created it by adding Southwestern panache to her mother's Midwestern beans. Kathi generally writes about light foods, but as you can see, she also knows what deserves a splurge.

 

SERVES 8 TO 10

 

1	pound uncooked bacon, well chilled, cut crosswise into thirds and then into ¼-inch vertical strips
2	medium onions, chopped fine
2	plump garlic cloves, minced
3	28-ounce cans B&M Original Baked Beans, or other canned baked beans
1½	cups chili sauce (the ketchup-style sauce)
⅓	cup Super Wooster Sauce ([>]) or other Worcestershire sauce
¼	cup yellow ballpark mustard
3	tablespoons crumbled dried basil or oregano
2	tablespoons crushed dried medium-hot or hot red chile
2	teaspoons ground cumin seeds
½ to ½	cup packed dark brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large skillet, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until beginning to brown though still limp. Stir in the onions and continue cooking the mixture until the onions are translucent, about 4 to 5 additional minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Scrape the bacon-onion mixture into a large baking dish and add the rest of the ingredients, including the smaller amount of brown sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more brown sugar if you prefer sweeter beans. Bake uncovered until bubbly throughout with a bit of browned crust at the edges, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Serve hot. If you have leftovers, the beans reheat splendidly.