As far as I’m concerned, baked beans should be right up there with baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet— a true American classic. And as demonstrated by my relatives at every Fourth of July gathering during my childhood, there are many, many ways to prepare them. You can make them sweet, bacon-y, onion-y, molasses-y or pretty much whatever you want. I happen to want them all, and I’m on a mission to keep pushing the flavor boundaries until I run out of ideas.

For this version, I went rogue with both sweet and spicy additions to a can of prepared baked beans that my husband’s son, Alex, had left behind following his visit here from Hungary back in March. There are only so many things one can pack in a checked bag before you reach the weight limit imposed by the airline, and Alex had to choose between the bottle of Wild Turkey 101 or this can of beans. You guessed it, he took the bourbon back to Europe! Seriously, anyone could have called that one.

Alex’s choice left me with the enviable task of elevating the canned beans, which had a label touting “extra brown sugar.” I wanted something a little different, but not too crazy, so I started with onions and bacon— the two ingredients that always push baked beans into the savory zone. The canned beans had enough sweetness already, so I set my sights on texture and contrast. I tossed in some roasted corn (I used frozen from Trader Joe’s, but fresh would have been awesome) and about half a can of hot Rotel tomatoes, left over from a batch of Les’s amazing pimento cheese from a recent gathering of friends. For a huge kick of heat, I added a fat handful of sweet pickled jalapeño slices— also from Trader Joe’s— and I didn’t bother to drain or chop them. The only other seasoning I added was salt and pepper. Sooo easy!

I mixed them up in the same cast-iron skillet I used to cook the bacon and onions, and then slid the skillet into a 350 F oven for about half an hour. The beans emerged hot and bubbly, but could have benefitted from a bit more oven time, so I would recommend 45 to 50 minutes if you like the sticky, candy-like sauce around the edges as much as I do.

Wow, this was one addictive batch of baked beans! There was more than enough kick, thanks to the Rotel and the jalapeños, and interesting texture from the corn and pickled jalapeños. Every bite was sweet at the start, and then the slow burn kicked in, making you desperate for another sweet bite, and so on. The leftovers were also delicious cold from the fridge. For sure, Alex would approve of what I did to his left-behind can of beans. 

Good thing I wrote it down for his next visit. 🙂

Heat & Sweet Baked Beans

• Servings: 6 to 8
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Difficulty: Average
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These baked beans are hot, sticky and sweet, with plenty of savory flavor and interesting texture. My latest homage to the Fourth of July gatherings of my childhood.

Ingredients

• 1 large can Bush’s baked beans with extra brown sugar
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, cut into slivers from top to bottom
• 3 slices uncured bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup fire roasted corn (frozen is fine, or fresh if you have it)
• 1/2 can Rotel tomatoes (habanero variety)
• 1/4 cup hot and sweet pickled jalapeños
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F, with rack in center position.
2. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add bacon pieces and cook until some of the fat renders and bacon begins to curl. Add onions and cook until bacon is slightly crispy. Season with a little bit of salt and as much black pepper as you’d like.
3. Add the entire can of baked beans. Swirl the can with a couple of tablespoons of water to rinse out every drop of sauce into the skillet.
4. Add corn, tomatoes and jalapeños and stir until evenly blended.
5. Transfer skillet to preheated oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until beans are bubbling around all the edges of the skillet. Allow the beans to cool about 10 minutes before serving.