So you've decided to have a BBQ and told your entire guests not to bring anything (pot luck may have been the way to go).  You have your menu planed which includes meat on the grill (needs your attention), a few appetizers (need to go out before the meal) and a multitude of side dishes (some you're making while juggling the BBQ).  You need that one dish that's a crowd pleaser, requires little babysitting and takes minimal prep time.  I recommend easy crock pot baked beans.

       I am going to say it, I might prefer sweet pickled pork cottage roll over ham.  It has the same kind of ham flavour but with just a little something more.  It is essentially a boneless pork shoulder butt roast but its cured in a sweet and salty brine.  It's cheaper than a bone in ham and not a formed ham (made from many different cuts of pork).  It is simple to make and would be very hard to screw up.  You cook it in liquid so it should never come out dry or over done like a messed up ham could.  

       There is nothing like working all day, slipping your key in the front door, walking in and getting smacked in the face with the smell of grandmas Sunday roast beef dinner.  Best thing it's Thursday, you didn't have to drive all the way to grandmas and when your done eating you can veg out on the couch and let the beef digest.  Second best thing is while you were working the crock pot was doing it's thing for 10 hours and you barely lifted a finger.  The hardest thing is tearing apart the tender roast, scooping out the carrots and whipping up a batch of gravy to smother over the beef.

       Now Jay Eatz recommends purchasing a cheap cut of beef.  There is no sense of buying a prime rib roast, a top sirloin roast or a tenderloin roast and boiling it all day on low in that magical device called the crock pot.  These roast are great in the oven and do not require a 10 hour cook to make them tender.  A cross rib roast or a blade roast is the ideal choice.  Look for some good Canadian AAA beef and hunt for a deal.  I picked up a $15 roast on special for half price.