Root Beer. Carbonated. Sweet. Sometimes made with vanilla, cherry, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, anise, molasses, clove, honey...and always foamy and frothy...what's not to love? I'm a long-time fan of Root Beer, it was the only thing I drank as a kid, aside from the occasional 7-Up. And I still drink it today, except that now I drink diet Root Beer...it's not quite the same but it beats NOT drinking it! Lately I've seen quite a few bean recipes that include Root Beer - each one similar in ingredients. And they all sounded good. I loved the recipe I saw on Nibble Me This - everything I've made from this website has been incredibly good GREAT! Also, whenever I need any help with the grill, Nibble Me This is where I go, it's easy to read, easy to understand and the photographs make me drool.
However, with humble apologies to Nibble Me This and my Aunt Tillie, I dare say I've found a new favorite bean recipe! You see, I've only ever made Aunt Tillie's Baked Beans, every Memorial Day, 4th of July, every Labor Day, and every other weekend in between! They are truly delicious...but these beans...well, suffice to say, they are everything Aunt Tillie's are and then some! Because not only did I use Nibble Me This' recipe, I used Aunt Tillie's as well - combining them into a flavor explosion!
Also, as you can see, I like to use different beans...I like the "calico" effect...they taste better. One more thing...along with Root Beer, and artisanal is better than say, A&W, I also used Root Beer Concentrate (extract). I've made these beans three times now...the first time I followed Nibble Me This' recipe exactly, it was excellent but after baking I could not taste the Root Beer at all. The next time I made them I doubled up the Root Beer, but still, after baking, the Root Beer flavor had been absorbed but could not be tasted. Then the light bulb went off...I added Root Beer Concentrate (found in the extract aisle of the grocery store, Safeway did not carry it but QFC does) and it changed really, really good beans made with Root Beer into Root Beer Beans...you can taste the Root Beer flavor before baking AND after. Please, hold your applause. Here's the recipe, now you can applaud!
Baked Root Beer Beans - Pots and Pins, with help from Nibble Me This and Aunt Till
1 lb. bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked until crisp
1 large white onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 can (28 oz.) Bush's Original Baked Beans, drained, but not rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) white beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (12 oz.) bottle of Root Beer (I used Thomas Kemper brand)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons Root Beer Concentrate (depending on how strong you want the Root Beer flavor to be)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp, remove to paper toweling to drain. Pour off bacon grease, keeping 1 tablespoon in skillet. Add onion, green and red pepper to the bacon grease in skillet and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. In a 9x13-inch baking dish, combine all of the beans, onion and pepper mixture and bacon. Set aside. In a medium-size bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, mustard, Root Beer and Root Beer Concentrate; mix well, allowing for foam to subside. Pour mixture over bean mixture and stir until combined. Cover beans with foil, bake in 300 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove and serve. Serves 8.
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