PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A summertime picnic staple! Rania Harris has the recipe for your Fourth of July party.

Easy Spicy Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 cup porter beer
• ½ cup molasses
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• ½ cup powdered mustard
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Sea salt to taste
• 12 ounces thick sliced bacon, finely chopped (see note below)
• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic – minced
• Four 15-ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 5 Chicken Andouille Sausages, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced crosswise
• (I prefer Aidells Organic Cajun Style Andouille Smoked Chicken Sausage)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the salt, bacon, onion, garlic, beans and the chicken sausages. Bring the sauce to a boil, whisking to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to moderately low and simmer until reduced by one-third, about 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until the fat has rendered, 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for just another minute. Stir in the beans, chicken sausages and sauce, cover partially and bake for 1 hour, until the beans are glazed. Season the beans with salt to taste and serve.

Serves: 8 – 10

Note: I put my bacon in the freezer for 20 minutes prior to chopping – it’s a great trick to help the process.