Barbecued Beans with Kielbasa

Barbecued Beans and Kielbasa

What's Polish for "beanie weenie"? How about "Fasolka z grilla i kielbasa." No matter the language, barbecued beans with kielbasa makes an excellent one-pot weekend meal that fills you up and is spicy enough to warm you from the inside out.

The trick to this recipe is the use of a pressure cooker. Where the traditional baked bean recipes call for slow cooking over several hours, our beans require a mere 30 minutes to fully cook. We then cook the kielbasa in the barbecue sauce, using the simmer setting on the pressure cooker. There is very little handson preparation time required.

Barbecued Beans and Kielbasa
2 c. dried navy, pinto or red beans, prepared for cooking
1 lb kielbasa, cut into 1" lengths
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 quarts plus 2 c. water
1 onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. garlic paste, or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. ketchup
1/2. c. honey
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. dry mustard powder

Prepare the beans the day before by covering the dried beans with 4 quarts of water to which 2 tbsp. of kosher salt are added. Allow to soak for at least 8 hours. Discard any "floaters". Drain the beans in a colander.

Combine beans and 1 tbsp. oil in a pressure cooker. Coat beans with the oil by stirring with a wooden spoon. Add 4 quarts water and 1 tsp. salt. Lock on pressure cooker lid, bring pressure to high and cook for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, allow pressure to reduce slowly for 15 minutes. Remove lid, drain cooked beans in colander and set aside.

Add 1 tbsp. oil to pressure cooker. Heat on medium heat, and add chopped onion, garlic paste and kielbasa pieces. Brown meat on all sides, and allow onion to sauté until slightly soft. Stir in water, ketchup, honey, dark brown sugar, vinegar and mustard powder. Gently stir in beans. Allow all to simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes.

NOTE:  This can be used as a side dish or main meal. Any leftovers can be frozen and reheated using a microwave oven. The beans stay nice and firm.