Hello, Flavour Fans! I come to you today with a hybrid version of baked beans, happily smashing together the British and American approaches without a care in the world. As a ‘barbecue professional’ (someone called me this once, which made me smile but also die a bit inside), I’ve made my fair share of American-style beans, which are defined by smoky bacon and the pleasant yet intimidating goo that is molasses. Also, I’m British, so… baked beans. What else is there to say about them? I find them so boring. The only way I’ll eat baked beans is with brown sauce squiggled on top and/or shitloads of chilli. This isn’t snobbery; they’re just dull. When we made the Bean Issue of Pit magazine, we specifically put a moratorium on baked bean pitches because we knew they’d come, and oh, THEY DID. Thick and fast. Sweet and gloopy. What is there to say about baked beans that hasn’t already been said? Of course (haha, rofl, eye roll, etc.), we ultimately ended up publishing a piece about them because we received a great pitch from a writer called Pranav Patel, who told us how ‘South Indian baked beans’ provided more than just physical sustenance for his family growing up in the Black Country. A tale of ‘spiced/curried’ (his words) beans on toast in 1980s England, it’s a joy. It also proves my point that baked beans need additions to taste good. Yes, heavily buttered toast does a little of the work but it’s just not enough, my friends. It’s not enough!! That said, the buttered toast bedrock (BTB) is the one thing that British baked beans (BBB) can teach us about bean eating, which is that thick slices of butter are essential to the flavour profile. Don’t even think about spreading it, just slice it up like cheese and let it melt. Think jacket potato, but toast.
Today’s hybrid beans have a smoky foundation of pancetta (bacon would obviously work too), a lil buzz of spice and the essential sweetness coming not from straight-up sugar but the more complex and interesting caramelised onions. These beans are the kind of thing that hangs around without overstaying their welcome and will take a bit of tweaking and topping. Fling a piece of chicken or fish on them, why not? Serve them as a side with ribs, or flop an egg on top for breakfast. Pour them onto a jacket potato, or make yourself a beany sloppy Joe. The best thing is, they’re not timid. They’re not one-note. They’re layered, insulating and versatile, just like my winter wardrobe. For yes! The weather still punishes us, but we are on the home straight, my friends. Spring is in sight, and we are clawing our way towards it. In the meantime: HOT BEANS. Helen x
Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans with Caramelised Onions 2 large onions, sliced
Once the onions have about 15 minutes left, add the bacon to a separate, large, wide, lidded pan (the pan you’ll cook the beans in) and bring it up to temperature over medium heat. Cook gently to render the bacon fat, 10-15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Add the chipotle flakes, cinnamon stick, bay leaves and cloves to the bacon pan and stir to coat everything in the fat. Add the garlic, tomato puree and paprika and cook for another minute or two, stirring and adding a small splash of water if it begins to stick. Add the beans and their jar juices, the stock, Worcestershire sauce and the vinegar. Stir well, then taste and season (the stock and bacon are both salty, so do taste first). Once the onions have caramelised, stir them through. Put the lid on, transfer to the oven and bake for 45 minutes. After this time, the bean mixture should be lovely and thick and tempting. Serve on heavily buttered toast with the chives sprinkled on top.
Until next time, Flavour Fans x
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Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Flavour Nugget #67: Caramelised onion baked beans
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