Recipe: Baked Beans with Ground Beef Topping

Baked Beans With Ground Beef Topping
Yield: 24 Servings

1 lb ground beef
1/3 lb smoked bacon
3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup onions, chopped
8 oz tomato sauce
1/8 cup mustard
4 tbsp liquid hickory smoke
1 cup water
4 tb vinegar
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp thyme
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 lbs or to taste pork 'n beans
salt to taste
pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, cook ground beef in its' own fat. Add green pepper and onion. Saute until beef is brown and vegetables are limp.

With the exception of 4 strips of bacon, cut bacon into 2-inch strips and add to ground beef mixture. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, vinegar, garlic, mustard, thyme, brown sugar, liquid hickory smoke, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer together 5 minutes.

Turn pork 'n beans into a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish. Spoon meat mixture over top. Place long strips of bacon over top of ground beef.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.