Baked Beans

This is the most requested recipe in my book. I get the most compliments from men when I make my Baked Beans.

2 lb. dried lima beans
1/2 lb. bacon, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1 large onion, diced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1 lb. light brown sugar*
1/2 cup dark corn syrup

Soak dried lima beans covered in water, over-night.
Drain water and rinse lima beans.
In a 5-quart Dutch oven add lima beans and new water to cover.
Cook until boiling and simmer 1/2 hour on medium heat. There is a lot of starch in beans and a watched pot is worth the mess.
Brown bacon in 2-quart sauce pan.
Remove bacon onto paper towel to drain; set aside.
Pour 1/2 of the fat away and to the rest of the fat add the onion, ketchup, ground pepper, red pepper, brown sugar and dark corn syrup.
Put lima beans with water into a large roasting pan and add the rest of the ingredients.
Bake 6 hours at 275 degrees.
Beans can be baked in oven over-night by pre-setting oven to 250 degrees for 5 hours and let beans cool in oven.
Water can be added if beans get dry and beans can be baked longer if too watery.

Yield: 16 to 20 servings.

NOTE: This recipe is very large and can be cut in half. You can bake the beans in a bean pot or two smaller roasting pans. The baked beans can be frozen and re-warmed at a later date.
My favorite corn syrup is the Schlorer's Turkey Golden Table Syrup. Hard to find in the west.
Use the popular Karo dark corn syrup if you can not find the Turkey Syrup.
*2 cups of packed brown sugar = 1 lb. brown sugar

JACQUELINE'S COOKBOOK