Dijon mustard, dark brown sugar and a splash of bourbon give these baked beans a spicy sweet edge. Baked for a long while, until good and thick, they are the perfect complement for a traditional backyard barbecue.

Bourbon Baked Beans with Bacon Baked in a Casserole Dish

Family Menus

Holiday dinners are often constrained by tradition. While a new recipe may find its way onto our table at Thanksgiving or Easter the bones of the menu generally follow a set pattern. We look forward to gathering as a family and sharing dishes we remember. While we make some updates here and there we do so carefully, always mindful that the continuity of the menu links us together tying the past to the future.

Summer cookouts, while somewhat less formal, are much the same. When it comes to planning the menu for family barbecues, they also seem to follow a set pattern. We barbecue a pork butt or brisket. We make corn salad, slaw, and baked beans. There is usually cake for dessert, since barbecue season is also my family’s birthday season. To fill out the menu we might cut up a watermelon or grab some chips.

Slow Introductions

The barbecue is something we have only gotten good at during the past few years. I was never all that interested in outdoor cooking and, until recently, my husband didn’t want to spend his day attending to the grill. But then my son became interested in smoking meat and my husband bought a Big Green Egg. The family philosophy on preparing an outdoor entree began to shift and become more collaborative. That’s when the menu transitioned from burgers to Babecued Pork Shoulder or Beef Brisket.

The Railroad Cole Slaw is attributed to my mother-in-law, an old-fashioned recipe that everyone likes. And Corn Salad with Pecan Dressing has been a part of my family’s tradition for a long time. I first tried the recipe decades ago. I now make it for almost every family gathering. It is fairly simple to prepare and can be made ahead. It gets even better a day or two in and goes with everything. I make plenty of both slaw and corn salad so we will be sure to have leftovers.

Developing a Taste for Baked Beans

The baked beans are less obvious. I’ve never really had a passion for baked beans. That said, my family thinks they are essential to a good cookout. Way back when, I might have just opened a can, heated it up and called it good. It was enough to keep my husband and the young fans at my table happy.

Later, I tried different recipes to dress up the beans. Some were too sweet for my liking. Others had catsup in them and that just doesn’t taste right to me. The main thing I learned from those trials was that I like to include some bacon in the recipe, as long as it is cooked through.

Baked Beans with Bourbon and Bacon

This year I finally arrived at a recipe I think is a keeper. It starts with a 28-oz can of Bush’s Baked Beans. It is a good size to start with for my family though I think many people would rather double this recipe. Other baked beans could be used instead if you work out the quantity.

To add a bit of tang to the canned beans I add barbecue sauce to the recipe instead of catsup. I also add some dijon mustard. This gives the baked beans a strong spicy edge that I find appealing. A little bit of dark brown sugar balances the spice and a splash of bourbon gives it a bite that takes me back to my roots in Kentucky. Finally some bacon cooked with onion until nearly crisp, rounds out the flavor. Baked for a long while, until good and thick, these baked beans are a delicious balance of sweet and spicy to perfectly complement a backyard barbecue.