- Bacon – adds smokiness and savory depth; cooking in the skillet first also gives flavorful drippings for the onion.
- Onion – sautéed in bacon fat until tender and golden to build the flavor base.
- Pork and beans – canned, undrained; they provide soft, seasoned beans and a ready-to-use sauce that gets “doctored up.”
- Root beer (not diet) – about ½ cup; use a full‑sugar brand like Barq’s or A&W for caramel, vanilla, and spice notes that enrich the sauce.
- Smoky barbecue sauce – around ¼ cup; adds tang and smoke, balancing the sweetness of the root beer.
- Hot sauce – a dash (about ⅛ teaspoon) for gentle heat; increase for more spice.
These amounts match a common 1‑quart baking dish formula using 2 (16‑ounce) cans of pork and beans.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Root Beer Baked Beans
Step 1: Preheat the oven
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). The high, steady heat helps the sauce reduce and thicken while the beans absorb flavor.
Step 2: Cook the bacon
In a skillet over medium heat, cook 3 slices of bacon (or more, to taste) until crisp. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel‑lined plate to drain and cool, then crumble it into bite‑size pieces.
Carefully pour off excess fat, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings in the skillet—this “liquid gold” will be used to sauté the onions and infuse the beans with smoky flavor.
Step 3: Sauté the onion
Increase the heat to medium‑high. Add 1 small diced onion to the hot bacon drippings and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and starting to brown around the edges. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 4: Mix everything in the baking dish
Lightly grease a 1‑quart baking dish. Add:
- The sautéed onion
- Crumbled bacon
- 2 (16‑ounce) cans pork and beans (undrained)
- ½ cup root beer (not diet)
- ¼ cup smoky barbecue sauce
- A dash (about ⅛ teaspoon) hot sauce
Stir everything together until the beans are evenly coated and the sauce looks uniform.
Step 5: Bake until thickened
Place the baking dish in the preheated 400°F oven and bake uncovered for about 50–55 minutes. The sauce should thicken and bubble around the edges, with the top slightly caramelized and glossy.
If the sauce still looks very loose at 55 minutes, bake a few minutes longer; if it ever looks too dry, you can splash in a tablespoon or two of extra root beer or water and stir gently.
Step 6: Rest and serve
Remove the dish from the oven and let the beans rest for about 5 minutes. This short rest allows the bubbling sauce to settle and thicken to the perfect, scoopable consistency.
Serve warm as a hearty side. The beans will be rich, saucy, and layered with sweet, smoky, and tangy notes from the root beer and barbecue sauce.
Variations
- Vegetarian version: Skip the bacon and sauté the onion in olive oil or butter. Add a few drops of liquid smoke or smoked paprika to mimic bacon’s flavor.
- Extra spicy: Stir in more hot sauce or add finely chopped jalapeños with the onion for more heat.
- Maple twist: Replace part of the root beer (2–3 tablespoons) with maple syrup for a deeper, maple‑sweet backbone, similar to root beer–maple baked bean recipes.
- Meaty upgrade: Add chopped smoked sausage, pulled pork, or browned ground beef along with the beans to turn this into a heartier side or even a main dish.
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