Video summary

James May tries American Spam & beans

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Ingredients (with amounts/substitutions mentioned)

  • Spam: 1 tin, cut into small cubes (exact quantity not given).
  • Baked beans: 1 tin (exact amount not given).
  • Onion: 1 onion, fried first.
  • Butter/margarine (for frying onions): “a knob” of butter or margarine
    • Substituted with Lurac spreadable “half butter half margarine.”
  • Chili sauce: about 1 tablespoon
    • The recipe is described as 1 tbsp, but adjusted for a double batch; they use a bit more to taste.
  • Molasses: about 1 tablespoon
    • Substitute: golden syrup (pretty much the same).
  • Chili powder: about ½ teaspoon
    • Noted as normally stronger; substituted with Old Bay seasoning instead of chili powder.
  • Salt/pepper: implied (“supposed to add some salt and a pepper”), but not clearly quantified.
  • Old Bay seasoning: used instead of chili powder
    • Amount is adjusted “since this recipe is about this seasoning.”

Equipment / preparation

  • Oven: preheated to 400°F (~200°C).
  • Oven-proof dish: prepared and used for baking.
  • Frying pan: for frying onions (and optionally for spam, depending on the variation).
  • Spatula: used in the pan to reduce risk of scorching with wooden/odd tools.
  • Mini “bugout bunker cooker” / miniature oven: used to bake with the lid on.
  • Cutting board / knife: to cube the spam (partly done off-camera).
  • Spoons: for serving/tasting (cooled slightly before eating).

Method (step-by-step with timings/temperatures)

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (~200°C).
  2. Fry onions in a knob of butter/margarine (Lurac spreadable) until caramelized (slightly caramelized, not burnt).
  3. Assemble in a baking dish:
    • Stir together: onions + baked beans + chili sauce + molasses + Old Bay seasoning
    • Chili powder amount is effectively replaced by using Old Bay (noted as ~½ tsp chili powder substitute).
    • Salt and pepper are implied but not measured.
  4. Add spam:
    • Stir in chopped spam cubes.
  5. Bake (lid on):
    • Bake for 30–35 minutes total.
    • Stir at ~15–20 minutes, then bake an additional 10–15 minutes after stirring.
  6. Cool slightly:
    • It’s bubbling and very hot, so allow it to cool a bit.
  7. Serve:
    • Eat straight from the baking dish/bowl with spoons.

Chef tips / notes / common variations mentioned

  • Two approaches compared:
    • Host’s simpler version: fry onions → (optionally) fry spam → add beans → stir → eat from a bowl with a spoon.
    • “Official” American recipe used here: bakes everything together
      • Onions are fried first, then everything bakes together with the lid on—no searing spam required.
  • Searing variation (tastes better, but not used):
    • James and Peter agree that they would normally sear spam for extra flavor/crispiness, but they follow the official recipe and do not sear.
  • Old Bay use:
    • Old Bay replaces chili powder and adds heat and a flavor reminiscent of curry powder/garam masala, plus sweetness James associates with cinnamon-like notes.
  • Taste notes:
    • The final dish tastes like spiced sausage casserole (or “casserole-adjacent”).
    • Old Bay + molasses heat is noticeable; Peter suspects James used “quite a bit of Old Bay.”

Safety / safety-related content

  • Nothing beyond the usual caution that it’s very hot—let it cool slightly before tasting.

Serving suggestion

  • Serve hot in the baking dish and eat with spoons.
  • Let cool slightly before tasting.

Presenter / channel / referenced sources

  • Presenter: James May (from the “Bugout Bunker Kitchen” / “Bugout Bunker” cooking segment), featuring Lucy and Peter.
  • Referenced source: the official Spam website recipe and Old Bay seasoning packaging/description (noted as an American—especially Maryland/Chesapeake Bay—style seasoning).

Original video