Recipes Spicy Maple Baked Beans Be the first to rate & review! Pittsburgh chef Kevin Sousa uses leftover franks from his Station Street Hot Dogs in the smoky, intense baked beans he serves at Union Pig & Chicken, a few blocks away. The dark porter ale adds a bitter kick that helps balance the sweetness of the beans. Slideshow: Great Recipes for Baked Beans By Kevin Sousa Kevin Sousa Restaurant: Salt of the Earth (Read a review) Location: Pittsburgh Why He's Amazing: Because his unexpected flavor combinations—for example, pairing pork terrine with pistachio, cranberry and jalapeño—yield dishes that consistently surprise and delight. Culinary School: The Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts (Pittsburgh) background: Bigelow Grille (/sites/default/files/ittsburgh) Quintessential Dish: Rabbit chops, heart, kidney and dashi-cured belly with salted pear and roasted beet Hog, Two Ways: The restaurant's space was once a Harley-Davidson showroom; now it serves dishes like pork loin with farro and pears. Current Obsession: The Superior Motors restaurant project: Reviving an abandoned car dealership in Braddock, Pennsylvania, a former industrial town, with crowdsourced funds, and turning it into a community restaurant offering culinary training and jobs. How He Fills His Free Time: "When not at work, I'm outside with my family and dogs or riding my bicycle or sitting on a cushion staring at a wall." (Sousa has a regular meditation practice.) Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 2, 2015 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 45 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Yield: 8 to 10 Ingredients 1 cup ketchup 1 cup pure maple syrup 1 cup porter or other dark ale 1/2 cup molasses 1/2 cup Dijon mustard 1/2 cup powdered mustard 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon chile powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic Kosher salt 4 slices of bacon, finely chopped 1 onion, finely chopped Four 15-ounce cans navy beans, rinsed and drained 10 all-beef hot dogs, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise Directions In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients except the salt, bacon, onion, beans and hot dogs. 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. Preheat the oven to 325°. 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. Stir in the beans, hot dogs and sauce, cover partially and bake for 1 hour, until the beans are glazed. Season the beans with salt and serve. Rate it Print