My 1-Ingredient Upgrade Makes Canned Baked Beans Taste Homemade

Guests will be clamoring for the recipe.

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Baked beans are a must for summer barbecues, but calling them "remarkable" as-is might be a stretch—they’re sweet, and the texture is pretty uniform. I have figured out an upgrade that makes my baked beans the star of the cookout, and it’s as simple as adding a single shelf-stable ingredient. 

The idea came to me while browsing recipes for baked beans. Recipes dating back as far back as the mid-19th century add a little pork—I’ve seen ones that use everything from fatty cubes of salt pork to bacon to pork shoulder. The saltiness and fattiness of cured pork perfectly balances the sweetness of the molasses and sugar in baked beans, so it’s no wonder that "pork and beans” is an enduring pairing. 

My Secret for the Best Baked Beans

When I was experimenting, I didn’t have any of the typical pork products used in baked beans on hand. I did, however, have a little Spanish chorizo kicking around in my fridge, leftover from a tapas grazing board. I decided to sauté it and combine it with easy-peasy canned baked beans, and the results were astounding. 

Not to be confused with soft Mexican chorizo, which is uncured raw pork sausage, Spanish chorizo is cured and sometimes lightly smoked. It has a coarse texture and is bright red from the addition of paprika. The two types of chorizo are not interchangeable. 

I was thrilled to discover that when I added this smoky cured meat to my favorite canned baked beans, it elevated them and had my guests clamoring for the recipe. The flavor and texture made the classic dish taste homemade. The best part? It’s a one-ingredient trick that takes just a few minutes. 

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Tips for Adding Chorizo to Baked Beans

Spanish-style chorizo is available at well-stocked grocery stores, usually in shelf-stable packaging where you'd find other cured meats and specialty cheeses (think charcuterie board). I love the Spanish brand Palacio’s Original Chorizo, but there are plenty of others out there, including domestic brands like Olympia Provisions and Trader Joe’s. 

Spanish-style chorizo comes with a papery casing that you need to remove before using; just cut a shallow slit lengthwise down the sausage and it will easily peel away. I find it easiest to cut the amount I need into halves and then quarters lengthwise into slender sticks, and then cut the sticks crosswise into bite-size nubbins. 

I sauté the chopped chorizo in a dry pan over medium heat until the sausage’s fat has collected in a pool; there will be a bit of steam and smoke. Once the bits begin to brown in spots, about five minutes, I add a can of my favorite baked beans and bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat for at least 10 minutes to meld the flavors.

I use about four ounces of chorizo for a 28-ounce can of baked beans for a fairly meaty eating experience, but you can use less or more chorizo, or even opt for a spicy version of the sausage for beans with some spicy heat.  Since I’ve discovered this simple one-ingredient trick that makes the best-ever baked beans, I’m never going "chorizo-less."

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