Food - Drink
The Ingredient That Will Forever Change Your Canned Baked Beans
By JOHN TOLLEY
Despite being hearty, heavy, and often including chunks of rich, fatty meat, baked beans are a summer staple. There are plenty of ways to cook them, and if you want to go the super traditional route, you can lard bean pots with bear fat and flavor them with maple syrup like Native Americans did.
If you're ever invited to a summer soirée, and the host asks you to bring baked beans, you may only have time to grab a can of baked beans. However, there are plenty of ways to spice them up, and one simple ingredient can add layers of complexity to your beans.
Sriracha is a Thai-style chili sauce that packs tangy, sweet, spicy, and garlicky flavors into one convenient condiment, and some people even use it in place of ketchup. Adding a tablespoon or two of Sriracha to canned baked beans provides a welcome punch that helps accentuate other flavors present.