Baked Beans

I have never made baked beans before and I was assigned to bring some to the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet.  This recipe came from a trusted source so I knew they would be good.  And I have to say that they were the best baked beans I have ever had!  I changed the beans a little from the original recipe according to what I could find in the grocery store, and now that I've had them I would never make them another way. 

Baked Beans
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1 lb. bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 (15 oz.) cans cannallini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
27 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
52 oz. can + 28 oz. can pork and beans
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup liquid smoke
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
Tobasco sauce to taste

Cook bacon, drain and chop.  Brown hamburger and onion, drain.  Mix all ingredients together in a 5 quart ovenproof pot with a tight fitting lid.  Cook for 2 hours in oven at 300 degrees with the lid on.  Remove lid and cook 3 more hours at 250 degrees.  If the beans are too thick you can add water to get the right consistency.

notes:

• I used my Le Creuset enameled dutch oven for this, my favorite pot in the whole wide world!
• I cut my bacon into 1/2-1 inch pieces and cooked them on the stovetop until crisp.  I drained the grease but left the little brown pieces in my pot while I browned my hamburger and onion to give it a little more flavor. 
• next time I will try to use even less white sugar--maybe 3/4 cup
• I used 6 or 7 dashes of tobasco sauce (because sometimes I am afraid of Tobasco sauce), next time I will use way more