Many of you who are familiar with the summer afternoon cookouts at the Nueske’s Company Store in Wittenberg, Wisconsin have asked us for the recipe for our famously smoky, loaded-with-bacon baked beans that we serve out of “Bob’s Fancy Camper”. For those of you who haven’t had the chance to enjoy our smoked brats and baked beans right at the source, you can create our Campfire Baked Beans at home, using this recipe.
The recipe comes from our long-time Company Store Manager, Kent Olson. Kent uses plenty of both our Applewood Smoked Bacon and our Applewood Smoked Pepper-Coated Bacon, plus dark molasses, brown sugar, and a variety of beans. When he’s making his Campfire Baked Beans for serving at the Company Store, he makes a big Nesco roaster oven full, so we have enough for everyone. If you only want enough to fill a Crock Pot, reduce the amounts shown below to ¼ of what the recipe calls for.
These beans are the perfect side dish for a backyard BBQ, graduation party, or any summer potluck gathering. This is true Midwestern summer potluck food.
Kent Olson’s Campfire Baked Beans Recipe – Enough To Fill A Nesco Roaster Oven!
Ingredients:
2 – #10 cans Bush’s Baked Beans, drained
4 – 16 oz. cans Butter Beans, drained
4 – 16 oz. cans Kidney Beans, drained
9 – Large White Onions, coarsely chopped, divided
3 lbs. Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Sliced Bacon, cut into 1” pieces
3 lbs. Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Pepper-Coated Sliced Bacon, cut into 1” pieces
1 lb. Dark Brown Sugar
16 oz. Dark Molasses
16 oz. Balsamic Vinegar
Preparation:
In a Nesco roaster oven pre-warmed to 300°F, cook half of the chopped onions and all of the bacon, along with the Balsamic vinegar, dark molasses, and brown sugar, until the onions are clear and the bacon is lightly browned.
Add all of the drained beans to the mixture and stir well. Cook until beans are hot and the mixture thickens, stirring occasionally. This takes about two hours.
One half hour before serving, add the other half of the chopped onions. Adding this portion of the onions at this later step gives more texture to the dish.
Serve hot, with your favorite brats or BBQ and some fresh, buttery corn on the cob.