Give Baked Beans More Depth With A Jar Of These Zesty Peppers

Baked beans are a classic American side dish, one that's often served with barbecue when the sun's out and the grill's lit. Just don't ever bring canned baked beans to a cookout. More often than not, baked beans are rich, thick, and quite sweet. The signature sweetness typically comes from the addition of brown sugar, molasses, ketchup, and barbecue sauce in addition to the inherent sweetness of the seasoned canned beans themselves. Frankly, some people find baked beans way too sweet, but if you can find a way to balance this dish it can be the star of your next cookout. To add some depth (or layers of flavor) consider including pickled jalapeños to the recipe.

Not only will pickled jalapeños give baked beans just a little bit of heat, they will also provide some acid which is great for balancing out the creamy beans and the thick sauce they sit in. The tang is a nice counterbalance to the sweeter ingredients and you'll get a little extra texture, too. Not all canned pickled jalapeños will light your mouth on fire. You can find them in different heat levels, including sweet ones if you prefer the dish to be almost a dessert (you can also add canned pineapple to give baked beans a sweet upgrade). Sliced jalapeños are perfect if you plan on leaving them in the beans, but you can use whole pickled jalapeños if you'd prefer to cook with them. Just remember to fish them out before serving.

A well-balanced pot of baked beans will have you and your guests talking about the recipe for ages. My theory is that too many baked bean recipes are much too sweet. The ones that aren't (and instead have layers of flavor) really stick out. You want a bit of savory, sweet, salty, tangy, spicy, and maybe even a little bitterness going on. Pickled jalapeños will take care of the acid and heat, while the sweet will come from the canned beans and any other sugary ingredients. But there is a ton more you can do to amp up your baked bean game which also complement the jalapeños you put in.

Bacon is a classic ingredient in baked beans for a reason: it's salty and smoky. It also works well with pickled jalapeños (the flavor is reminiscent of those cheese and bacon-stuffed jalapeños that everyone loves, aka jalapeños poppers). When you fry the bacon up for the beans, don't throw the fat out. Instead, try incorporating it into your recipe to add so much more flavor. You can caramelize onions in the bacon fat to add yet another flavor layer to the beans. The sweet, umami flavor of the onions will taste great against the acid and heat of those jalapeños.