Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 4 strips bacon, diced
- 6 oz smoked sausage (like kielbasa), sliced into rounds
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 (28 oz) cans baked beans (I like Bush’s classic)
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup vinegar-based hot sauce (like Frank’s)
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, divided
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Get Your Oven to 400F and Cook the Bacon
Preheat your oven to 400F.
In a large cast iron skillet over low heat, slowly cook the diced bacon while stirring occasionally until crispy.
This takes ~8-10 minutes but don’t rush it – you want all that fat rendered out.
Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the skillet but leave all the rendered bacon fat behind.
Brown the Sausage and Cook the Onion
Add the sausage to the same skillet with the bacon fat and increase heat to medium.
Cook until the sausage is browned on both sides – ~3-4 minutes total.
Add the diced onion and sauté for ~2-3 minutes until it starts to soften and picks up some of that bacon flavor.
Combine Everything and Simmer
Add the canned beans, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, Dijon, Worcestershire, and the crispy bacon back to the skillet.
Bring to a simmer and let it bubble for ~5 minutes to let the flavors combine.
Remove from heat and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar evenly across the top – this creates a caramelized crust in the oven.
Bake Until the Top is Caramelized
Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for ~40 minutes.
You’ll know they’re done when the top is caramelized and browned – the sugar creates this perfect crust while the beans stay saucy underneath.
Remove from oven and serve warm.
Doctored Up Baked Beans
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 4 strips bacon diced
- 6 oz smoked sausage like kielbasa, sliced into rounds
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 cans baked beans (I like Bush’s classic) 28 oz
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup vinegar-based hot sauce like Frank’s
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar divided
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cook diced bacon in a large cast iron skillet over low heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving rendered fat in skillet.
- Increase heat to medium, add sausage to skillet, and cook until browned on both sides, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add diced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- Add canned beans, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and cooked bacon back to skillet.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle remaining brown sugar evenly over the top.
- Transfer skillet to oven and bake for 40 minutes until top is caramelized and browned.
- Remove from oven and serve warm.
