Pat: All it takes is a spoon and a wedge of warm buttered cornbread to turn these sweet Southern baked beans, made with chunks of chopped pork, into a meal. Tangy baked beans are a Memphis trademark—we serve them sweeter than other regions around the country do. At our restaurants and at home, we flavor the beans with molasses, brown sugar, and our famous Neely’s Barbecue Sauce—as well as plenty of chopped pork. The hickory flavor from chunks of smoked pork gives this dish some toothy tang.

　　

Ingredients

serves 10 to 12

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

　　1/4 cup diced onion

　　One 48-ounce can baked beans (we like Allen’s or Bush’s)

　　1/4 cup molasses

　　1/2 cup light-brown sugar

　　1 cup Neely’s Barbecue Sauce (page 25)

　　1/3 cup Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning (page 22)

　　1/2 cup chopped roast (or smoked) pork or beef

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 275°F.

　　

Step 2

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion, and sauté them until they soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the baked beans, molasses, brown sugar, Neely’s Barbecue Sauce and Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning to the skillet, and stir all the ingredients to combine. Transfer the bean mixture to a 9 × 13-inch baking pan. Add the meat, and stir well to combine. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 45 minutes. Allow the beans to cool slightly, then serve warm, as a side dish.

　　From Down Home with the Neelys by Patrick and Gina Neely Copyright (c) 2009 by Patrick and Gina Neely Published by Knopf.Patrick and Gina Neely are owners of Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis and hosts of several Food Network shows, including the series Down Home with the Neelys, one of the highest-rated programs to debut on the popular Food Network. High school sweethearts who reconciled at their ten-year reunion, they have been married since 1994. They live in Memphis with their two daughters.Paula Disbrowe collaborated with Susan Spicer on Crescent City Cooking and is the author of Cowgirl Cuisine.