Bourbon Baked Beans with Brown Sugar and Bacon from The Oven Light

We loved the Rum Cask Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake from The Oven Light so much that we sent them a bottle of Breck Bourbon to bake with next. And, what they came up with is, well, delicious! Amazing ingredients like red onion, ketchup, mustard, garlic and a generous splash of Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey makes these Bourbon Baked Beans a truly crave-worthy BBQ side dish. Small pieces of bacon baked right on top puts these beans over the top. Great for taking camping or for a backyard BBQ.

ABOUT THIS BAKED BEANS RECIPE

Flavor – So. Much. Flavor. Seriously delicious and surprisingly complex, these beans are sweet, spicy and smooth. The bourbon leaves such a pleasant aftertaste, and the red onion adds the perfect amount of spice. Plus, the brown sugar doesn’t hurt either.
Texture – Soft beans and crunchy bacon make this summer side dish a great combination of textures.
Time – Under one hour from start to finish. Everything comes together right in the baking dish, and I serve it right out of it, so there’s basically no clean up. Score!
Difficulty – It doesn’t get any easier than this. It’s just measure, mix and bake.

RECIPE CREATION

From The Oven Light

I grew up with homemade baked beans. And when I say homemade, I mean the beans started out dry and then were cooked all day long with moisture and sugar and all the delicious seasonings to make your mouth water. Then we’d barbecue hamburgers and boil corn on the cob (yes, boil), and grandpa would make malts. Ugh, I’d give anything for one of grandpa’s malts again.

Anyhow, the part of this meal I looked forward to the most was the beans. My grandma would serve me a sensible portion (for a gangly 8 year old), but I’d go back for second and thirds and the rest of my meal would go cold while I literally gobbled beans for an hour.

So when I wanted something akin to grandma’s beans, I decided to take a short cut and start with a can of Bush’s Original Baked Beans and then add all my favorite flavors. And now that I’m an adult, I obviously realized quickly how much better these would be with some Bourbon and bacon.

And clearly I was right. You’ll see.

SIMPLE INGREDIENTS TO MAKE AMAZING BOURBON BAKED BEANS

Beans – I like to use Bush’s Original Baked Beans for this recipe.
Red Onion – The onion really adds a lot of flavor to these beans, but if you don’t love onion, cut it in half.
Garlic – You might be thinking there’s too much garlic, but you’re wrong. The garlic adds tons of flavor and complexity. I recommend the pre-chopped garlic for this one to make life easy (and your fingers stink-free).
Ketchup and Mustard – Ketchup adds sweetness and the mustard adds that umami flavor. Feel free to mix it up and use spicy mustard.
Breckenridge Bourbon – Bourbon might seem like an odd addition to baked beans, but trust me, once you make it this way, you’ll never go back. This amazing Breckenridge Bourbon tastes great IN your beans AND on the side.

About Breckenridge Bourbon

Straight from the mouths of these talented makers: “Our award-winning, high-rye Bourbon Whiskey is aged for a minimum of three years, in charred, new American oak barrels, and blended to reveal the unique qualities of the Bourbon Whiskey. Deep, honey-amber hue with pronounced aromas of butterscotch, candied orange and apple; dry cacao and brown sugar envelop the tongue as the spirit lingers with notes of vanilla and white pepper.”

If that doesn’t make you want to drink and cook with this bourbon, I don’t know what will! The notes of apple and orange make it a perfect pairing with these sweet beans.

HOW DO I STORE THESE BEANS?

These beans keep fresh (and completely delicious) if kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. They’ve never lasted longer than that at my house, but they’re probably still good for another week after that.

HOW TO REHEAT BOURBON BAKED BEANS

Sometimes I eat these beans for lunch. Like literally just a bowl of beans. Like I’m a lumberjack. But they’re filling and so easy to warm up! I scoop my serving into a microwave safe bowl, add about 1 Tbsp water and then microwave on high in 30 second intervals until hot. I make sure to stir after each interval.

If you’re heating up a whole batch, preheat the oven at 375°F. Cover beans with foil and bake in an oven-safe dish. Depending on how much you’re re-heating, it should take 30-45 minutes to get hot all the way through.

Bourbon Baked Beans

Turn a can of beans into something spectacular.

Prep Time15 mins | Cook Time45 mins | Side Dish Servings: 8 servings | Calories: 128kcal

Ingredients

1 28 oz can original baked beans such as Bush’s – drain half the liquid
1/4 C ketchup
1/4 C mustard
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 red onion diced
1 Tbsp soy sauce or tamarind for gluten free
1/4 C Breckenridge Bourbon more to taste
3 slices bacon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine all ingredients, except bacon, in a 12″ cast iron skillet or a 9″x13″ baking dish. Stir well.
Cut bacon into 1″ pieces and spread over the entire top of the beans.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until bacon is cooked and beans are piping hot.
Let sit 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Get more awesome recipes from The Oven Light. Stay tuned for more delicious recipes using Breckenridge spirits.