Recipe: Dinosaur-Style Bar-B-Que Beans

DINOSAUR-STYLE BAR-B-QUE BEANS

"These beans have a deep, broodin' flavor-sweet and spicy at the same time. We add crumbled hot Italian sausage to make 'em truly special."

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped green pepper
Pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
2 cans (28 ounces each) baked beans, preferably Bush's
3/4 cup Mutha Sauce
1 tablespoon Creole mustard (preferably Zatarain's) or spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
1 tablespoon molasses

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and cook til soft adding a pinch of salt and pepper.

Toss in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Crumble sausage into the veggies and cook, chopping to break the meat into small pieces. Cook tit the pink disappears.

Drain off some of the bean liquid in each can so that it's at the same height as the beans; then mix the contents of both cans into the cooked veggies and sausage. Turn down the heat down to medium-low and add all the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve immediately, or cool and reheat before serving (lettin' the flavors blend a while never hurts).

Makes 10-12 servings
Source: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Cookbook by John Stage, Nancy Radke, James Scherzi (Photographer)