Hi! C’mon on in. Today at the cafe I’m serving a tasty way to cook baked beans from a can.

It’s a thousand times better than the hot dog (and chicken dog) version I ate as a student! Just thinking of eating those chicken dogs with crunchy bits in them makes me want to gag... yuck!

You won’t find any type of “dog” in this baked bean mix. All you need is 10 minutes, a few common ingredients, a can opener (and a spoon) to make Whiskey Grigliata Fagioli al Forno. Translation: Whiskey Barbecue Baked Beans.

Look in the Fridge…

For this recipe you’ll need to look in the fridge for barbecue sauce. If you have whiskey barbecue sauce, even better! In the cafe’s fridge I have a bottle of Hank’s Smokehouse Whisky BBQ Sauce. I bought it when I was at their restaurant in McGaheysville, Virginia. Their ribs are amazing and the sauce is lick off your fingers good!

You’ll also need pineapple. I had leftover canned pineapple without the juice so if you’re opening a can of pineapple, to make these beans, you’ll want to strain them. Or not. Just can’t guarantee how they’ll turn out with the extra liquid.

To make, in a pot, mix the canned baked beans (28 oz) with the pineapple (about a cup) and a tablespoon of whiskey bbq sauce. For extra flavor, stir in a tablespoon of sodium-reduced soy sauce and a spoonful of brown sugar. Let it cook over medium-low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Give it a taste. There wasn’t enough whiskey barbecue sauce for my liking so I added an extra tablespoon! I would’ve mixed in more but I have to save some for summer grilling.

Extra Good Whiskey BBQ Baked Beans

There’s one more ingredient you can add which I was initially on the fence about using.

Canned chopped green chilies.

My instincts said they’d be good in this baked bean concoction, and as Vitruvius, the Yoda-like figure in the LEGO movie, says “Trust your instincts. Unless your instincts are terrible.”

Following my cooking instincts at college usually turned out to be a bad idea. Thankfully it didn’t stop me from experimenting in the kitchen. Now when I have the urge to add pineapple, whiskey barbecue sauce and chopped green chilies to baked beans I feel confident they’re instincts worth following!

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