Recipe developed and contributed by Maureen Gualtieri
Baked beans are a traditional barbecue side, but our version cheekily steals the grill’s smoky flavours for itself! Instead of fussing with various amounts of ketchup, molasses, tomato paste, mustard, etc., DFC’s Original Spicy BBQ sauce makes your work a cinch. All the flavour is in one package, and, complemented by fresh onion and jalapeño, makes an easy dish with a subtle kick. Add a handful or two of cooked crumbled bacon, diced sweet pepper, or minced shallots as your heart (and tastebuds) desire.
BBQ Baked Beans
(Yield: 8 side servings )
5 c. cooked navy beans
1 /2 medium white onion, diced small
1 large jalapeño pepper, de-seeded to taste and diced small
1 c. lager-style beer
3 /4 c. DFC’s Original BBQ Sauce
Freshly cracked black pepper
If using dried navy beans for this recipe, prepare by soaking them overnight, then replacing the water, bringing to a boil, and simmering until tender, at least 1.5 hours. (Add a bay leaf if you’ve got one, for extra oomph!) Then drain. If using canned beans, drain, rinse, and set aside.
Either way, once the beans are ready, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl (or the pot you boiled your beans in) combine beans, diced onion and jalapeño, beer, DFC’s Original BBQ sauce, and a few good cranks of fresh black pepper. Stir well to make sure everything gets evenly mixed.
Pour bean mixture into a greased casserole, spread out evenly, and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for 3 hours, stirring about once an hour, and add a bit more beer if things start looking dry.
Once baked, beans can be served right out of the casserole, or scooped into a dish and topped with green onion or extra slices of jalapeño. Double down on BBQ flavour and enjoy with ribs or brisket, or piled on (extravagantly!) buttered sourdough toast.
