Doctored Up Baked Beans

This is how you turn canned beans into something that tastes like you’ve been slow-cooking all day. The bacon fat does most of the work here – plus crispy meat and a hit of brown sugar on top.

June Arthurs
January 23, 2026
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Ingredients (~6 servings)

  • 4 strips bacon, diced
  • 6 oz smoked sausage (like kielbasa), sliced into rounds
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 (28 oz) cans baked beans (I like Bush’s classic)
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup vinegar-based hot sauce (like Frank’s)
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, divided
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Get Your Oven to 400F and Cook the Bacon

Preheat your oven to 400F.

In a large cast iron skillet over low heat, slowly cook the diced bacon while stirring occasionally until crispy.

This takes ~8-10 minutes but don’t rush it – you want all that fat rendered out.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the skillet but leave all the rendered bacon fat behind.

Brown the Sausage and Cook the Onion

Add the sausage to the same skillet with the bacon fat and increase heat to medium.

Cook until the sausage is browned on both sides – ~3-4 minutes total.

Add the diced onion and sauté for ~2-3 minutes until it starts to soften and picks up some of that bacon flavor.

Combine Everything and Simmer

Add the canned beans, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, Dijon, Worcestershire, and the crispy bacon back to the skillet.

Bring to a simmer and let it bubble for ~5 minutes to let the flavors combine.

Remove from heat and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar evenly across the top – this creates a caramelized crust in the oven.

Bake Until the Top is Caramelized

Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for ~40 minutes.

You’ll know they’re done when the top is caramelized and browned – the sugar creates this perfect crust while the beans stay saucy underneath.

Remove from oven and serve warm.

Doctored Up Baked Beans

This is how you turn canned beans into something that tastes like you’ve been slow-cooking all day. The bacon fat does most of the work here – plus crispy meat and a hit of brown sugar on top.
prep time15 minutes
cook time55 minutes
total time1 hour 10 minutes
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Ingredients (~6 servings)

  • 4 strips bacon, diced
  • 6 oz smoked sausage, like kielbasa, sliced into rounds
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cans baked beans (I like Bush’s classic), 28 oz
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup vinegar-based hot sauce, like Frank’s
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, divided
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  • Dice bacon and cook slowly in cast iron skillet until crispy, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Remove bacon, keep fat in pan.
  • Brown sausage in bacon fat for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add onions and sauté 2-3 minutes.
  • Mix in beans, ketchup, hot sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and bacon.
  • Simmer 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle remaining brown sugar on top.
  • Bake at 400F for 40 minutes until top is caramelized.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

Use Bush’s classic baked beans for best results.