Gary's Famous Baked Beans

This recipe has been a picnic staple in our family since 1990.  My dad asked our neighbor for the recipe after tasting them at a going-away party; Deb, the gracious host, quickly handed it over.  My dad modified the recipe to suit our tastes over the years.  My dad usually doubles or even triples this recipe and gives some of his biggest fans some to freeze.  My family enjoys them so much that they make appearances at ALL major holidays.  As a cover for a surprise birthday party, we even made him make these beans; he was carrying the crock pot as everyone yelled "Surprise!".

My favorite thing about this recipe is that my dad only uses one pot!


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 28 ounce cans of vegetarian baked beans
• 20 ounces Heinz ketchup 
• 1 roll of Jimmy Dean Hot Country sausage
• 1/2 pound dark brown sugar
• 2 t apple cider vinegar
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 T butter
• 1/4 cup instant mashed potatoes (a thickening agent in this recipe)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, heat butter and onion until soft, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pot and set aside.
2. Throw the roll sausage in the pot; break up and cook.
3. Add beans and lower heat.
4. Add ketchup and brown sugar while constantly stirring.
5. Add onion. Cook on low 30 minutes. Stirring often.
6. Add vinegar.  Cook 10 minutes. (You may want to taste here to add either more sugar or vinegar to match your taste)
7. Add mashed potatoes to thicken (we like them thick enough to not slide around on the plate)

Difficulty: Medium

Time: about an hour start to finish

Source: my dad