Pat: Every Fourth of July, Mama Neely made her famous baked beans: she’d brown ground beef and then doctor that beef with molasses, brown sugar, and plenty of spices. Let me tell you, those beans were good. And so are these. We’ve found that using smoked sausage in place of the ground beef (or pork shoulder, as in our restaurant recipe) adds a smoky depth to the dish. Once you make these beans, there is no going back. If you want to put your own spin on it, you can use kidney beans instead of pork and beans, but I say my mama’s way is best.
| Yield: | Serves 6 |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
- Three 16-ounce cans pork and beans
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup light molasses
- 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
- Dash of hot sauce, preferably Tabasco
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven set over medium- high heat. Once it’s hot, toss in the onion and garlic, and saute until the onion is tender, about 3 or 4 minutes. Add the sausage, and continue to cook until the meat has browned, about 4 minutes more. Stir in the pork and beans, ketchup, molasses, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and hot sauce. Bring the beans up to a simmer, then put in the hot oven for 45 minutes, uncovered, until the mixture is bubbly and thick.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 994 |
| Total Fat | 44 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 85 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 12 g |
| Sugar | 33 g |
| Protein | 67 g |
| Cholesterol | 197 mg |
| Sodium | 1027 mg |
Reviews
This is my go to baked beans recipe! It is always a hit. Just the right amount of sweet and I love the tanginess from the vinegar. I usually throw in a little extra!
Husband loved this! Very good recipe!
I have been using this since 2012 my Kids and husband ensures me this is their FAVORITE…THANKS
This has been my go-to recipe for a while. The only thing that I do different is I throw in some diced jalapenos or poblanos (whichever is on hand). I’m making it again tonight and I’m going to try it with some leftover ham instead of the sausage.
Very good, made these for the fourth of July and everyone liked them. I might go lighter on the sweet ingredients next time as a personal preference, and more than a few dashes of hot sauce are a necessity in my opinion ;P
Easy and goes great with any BBQ meet especially ribs.
Easy and very tasty. Goes great with any BBQ outing.
Thank you Pat and Gina for sharing Mama Neely’s recipe! These beans were so easy to prepare and they were delicious. I wasn’t sure what ‘light’ molasses was and all I had on hand (and have seen at the grocer’s as well) was the ‘full flavored dark’ molasses. Because I was unsure, I added a little at a time. I ended up using the 1/2 cup measurement and the color and taste of the beans was exactly to my liking. Loved the smoked sausage addition. I normally do not try a new recipe for guests, but I took the plunge since we were having burgers. Everyone loved it. Into my recipe box this goes.
We had a winter Metro Detroit BBQ for Thanksgiving. We had ribs and smoked turkeys along with beef brisket, we had 7-layer salads and other salads.. I used our Michigan based famous Dearborn Brand Kielbasa and ground beef in baked beans, I have picky eaters and they all asked for more. This was DELICIOUS!! Thanksgiving Dinner 2013 was a big hit.
Tasty and easy!