OK, here's an idea for you Gary's Beans lovers.
I didn't have time for the smoker, but I really wanted some beans to eat with some hand-made sausages that I'd previously smoked and then vacuum packed to store for eating another day. Dinner was just the wife and me.
So, I asked myself, could I take my
smaller version of Gary's recipe that I posted earlier in this thread, cut that down even more, so it is just one can of beans, microwave it to get it almost boiling, and then cook it at 325 in the oven for half an hour?
But what about the smoke?
Well, I don't know if I'm allowed to say this in these forums, but
I decided to use a tiny bit (1/4 teaspoon) of liquid smoke.
The results?
Pretty darned good !!
I also slightly reduced the amount of Sweet Baby Ray's and didn't put in as much brown sugar because, with only 1/2 hour of cooking instead of 3-4 hours, too much liquid would make the result "soupy," and too much sugar, when starting with Bush baked beans, would be too sweet (someone else already mentioned that).
So if you are addicted to this recipe like I am, this is a way to feed your habit when you need a quick fix.
I'd say these are least 80% as good as the authentic product.
