Shipwreck Beans

The baked beans that could practically be dinner.

By Torie Cox
Published in Southern Living on September 07, 2026
Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings:
8 to 10

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4-in.-thick half moons
  • 1 lb. 85/15 lean ground beef
  • 8 oz. bacon, chopped
  • 1 medium-size (8 oz.) yellow onion, chopped (2 cups)
  • 1 medium-size (8 oz.) green bell pepper, chopped (1 1/3 cups)
  • 1 jalapeño chile, unseeded and minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 (28-oz.) cans original baked beans
  • 1/2 cup spicy barbecue sauce
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 cup yellow mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer sausage to a large bowl, leaving drippings in skillet.

  2. Add ground beef to skillet, and cook over medium-high, breaking up beef with a spoon, until beef is crumbly and no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to bowl with sausage; discard drippings and wipe skillet clean.

  3. Add bacon to skillet, and cook over medium until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet.

  4. Add onion and bell pepper to drippings in skillet, and cook over medium-high until lightly browned and beginning to soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Add jalapeño and garlic, and cook 1 minute. Transfer to large bowl with meat.

  5. Add baked beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, salt, pepper, and half of bacon to bowl, stirring to combine. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased 13-x-9-inch baking dish.

  6. Bake in preheated oven until beans are thickened and forming a crust around the edges and top, about 2 hours. Top with remaining half of bacon.