The last two months of the year see a lot of big meals for Rock Hill area families. We thought it might be a good time to revisit a few Coca-Cola product recipes that are easy, hearty, and can please a crowd.

Barq’s Baked Beans

Ingredients

• 1 can Barq’s Root Beer 
• 2 28oz cans baked beans
• 1 20 oz can apple pie filling
• 6 slices thick-cut bacon
• 1 tsp chili powder (optional)

Equipment/materials

• Large pot, slow cooker, or dutch oven
• Frying pan
• Kitchen knife
• Can opener
• Directions

Chop the bacon slices into ½ inch pieces. Cook the bacon in a pan over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard grease. Set aside. If you’re using a campfire dutch oven, you can cook the bacon directly in the pot, but you’ll still need to discard the drippings.

Open the cans of beans and pour into the pot, slow cooker, or dutch oven. Give them a stir. Set the slow cooker to low heat; set a stovetop pot to medium low.

Add most of the Barq’s Root Beer, saving a couple of swigs to enjoy for yourself while you’re waiting for the beans to cook. Give the pot a stir.

Add the apple pie filling. Give the pot a stir.

Add the cooked bacon. Give the pot a stir.

If you like a little spicy heat in your baked beans, add some chili powder. Give the pot a stir.

Give everything one last stir, making sure that all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Cover the pot, then cook for the amount of time best suited to your pot:

30-40 minutes on the stovetop (set at medium-low);

45 minutes in dutch oven over a bed of coals and covered with coals;

3-4 hours in a slow-cooker.

Stir the pot occasionally. Don’t rush it. The longer the pot sits and blends, the better the flavor will be.

Cheddar and Herb Biscuits Using Sprite

Ingredients

• 3 cups Bisquick
• ½ tsp dried herbs (experiment with different combinations; thyme, rosemary, and basil works quite well)
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (you want the butter almost melted, but not quite)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted (for the cast iron skillet)
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup Sprite, room temperature

Equipment 

• 12” cast iron skillet (a simple baking pan will work, too)

Directions

Prep the Pan

Place the cast iron skillet in the oven on the center rack. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Mix the Dry

While the pan heats in the oven, mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, add the garlic powder and herbs to the Bisquick. Whisk until blended.

Add the Wet

Add the softened butter, sour cream, and Sprite. Using a sturdy wooden spoon, mix the ingredients into a dough. If the dough seems too dry, add some Sprite. If it seems too sticky, add more Bisquick.

Once you gotten a good consistency on the dough, add the grated cheddar cheese. The best way to incorporate the cheese into the dough is by hand. It’s a little messy, but totally worth it.

Form the Biscuits

Once the oven and skillet (or pan) are heated, remove the skillet from the oven and add the melted butter to coat the bottom. 

Carefully add the dough to the pan in large spoonfuls. Leave room between the doughballs to allow for expansion. You should get 10-12 biscuits.

Bake

Place the skillet back into the preheated oven. Bake for 24-26 minutes.

Enjoy

Remove the biscuits from the oven and transfer from the hot skillet to a serving dish or basket. Be prepared to make another batch when all of these are gone!

Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler with Mello Yello

Ingredients

• 2 cans apple pie filling
• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1 can Mello Yello

Equipment

• dutch oven
• parchment paper/aluminum foil (optional)
• charcoal (or coals from the campfire)
• metal tongs (for the coals)

Directions

Prep the Dutch Oven

Even though baking in a dutch oven is easy as can be, you can end up with a big mess if you don’t prepare the dutch oven first. Always make sure that your cast iron cookware is properly seasoned before cooking anything in it. See how here. 

To make clean up even easier, line the dutch oven with parchment paper or aluminum foil. After you’ve eaten all the cobbler, simply lift the liner and toss it. You’ll have very little dutch oven cleaning to do.

Prep the Coals

One of the most common mistakes when using a dutch oven for camp cooking is getting the food together before the coals are ready. If you’re using charcoal, you’ll want 24-25 coals ready to go when you add the ingredients to the dutch oven. If you’re using coals from the fire, make sure that you have an equivalent amount.

Assemble the Cobbler

Add the two cans of pie filling to the dutch oven first. Next add sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top of the filling. Take your time on this step to insure even coverage and no big heaps of cake mix. Pour the Mello Yello very slowly and evenly over the top of all of the cake mix. You should not have any dry spots when you’re finished.

Bake the Cobbler

Place 9-10 hot coals evenly spread beneath the dutch oven. Place 15-16 hot coals evenly over the lid. Cook for approximately 35 minutes or until the cake mix is set. Avoid the temptation to check for doneness early; you’ll let out the heat and slow the baking.