EVEN BEFORE ELIZABETH CANDLER GRAHAM published her offbeat Classic Cooking with Coca-Cola in 1994, one of the South’s quintessential beverages had been used far and wide not only to baste hams and make all sorts of casseroles, puddings, and even cookies, but also to produce these unique baked beans. I’ve had the beans sweetened with molasses or sorghum instead of brown sugar and doctored with bell peppers or pickle relish. Whatever the concoction, there was always that special zing of Coke. Are the beans really good? You bet they are. And can Pepsi be used? Not in the South.
MAKES: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 (15-ounce) cans baked beans with pork
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
- 1⁄2 cup ketchup
- 1⁄2 cup Coca-Cola
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 6 slices bacon
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the baked beans, finely chopped onion, light brown sugar, ketchup, Coca-Cola, dry mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Stir the mixture until well blended.
- Scrape the bean mixture into a large, shallow baking dish.
- Drape the bacon slices evenly over the top of the bean mixture.
- Bake the dish, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the bacon is thoroughly cooked and the beans are bubbling. This usually takes about 1 to 1 1⁄4 hours.
- Serve the baked beans directly from the baking dish.
