Smoked Baked Beans
BBQ side dishes make the cookout and these perfectly cooked smoked baked beans melt in your mouth. Pair these with your favorite ribs, grilled burgers or juicy chicken for a cookout nobody can stop talking about.
Servings 8
Equipment
- Smoker
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Smoking Wood Chips Or Chunks (we used apple wood)
Ingredients
- 1 can Black Beans rinsed, drained
- 1 can Pinto Beans rinsed, drained
- 1 can Kidney Beans rinsed, drained
- 1 can White Beans Great Northern, rinsed, drained
- 16 oz Bacon Thick cut, divided
- 1 large Onion finely chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
- 1 can Diced Green Chilis
- 1 ½ cup Ketchup
- ⅔ cup Dark Brown Sugar
- ⅓ cup Molasses
- 4 oz Dr. Pepper
- ½ cup Peach Juice from canned peaches
- 2 tbsp Yellow Mustard
- 1 tbsp Hot Sauce
- 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tbsp Black Ground Pepper coarsely ground
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 250°F.
- Cut up 8oz (half of the bacon in the recipe) and pan fry until crispy. Set aside.
- Cook the other 8oz of bacon in half strips that will be placed ON TOP of the beans to cook.
- Finely chop the red bell pepper and onion. Rinse and drain the canned beans.
- Keep the drippings and cook the chopped onions until translucent and starting to get golden brown, about 7-9 minutes.
- Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl (except for the 8oz of bacon half strips that will go on top of the beans) and mix well.
- Pour into a large cast iron skillet and top with the reserved bacon strips. I like to push the bacon down a little bit into the beans.
- Add the wood chips or chunks and smoke the beans for about 2 hours until they have thickened up. Remove from the smoker and serve.
Notes
🍱Storage - Leftover smoked baked beans will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
♨️Reheating - To reheat, simply place them in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Alternatively, you can reheat individual portions in the microwave. If you're feeling adventurous, try reheating them on the grill for an extra smoky flavor boost!
💡Don't Skip the Bacon Fat - The rendered bacon fat adds tons of flavor to the beans. Reserve it and use it to sauté the chopped onion.
💡Crispy Bacon Topping - For extra crunch and flavor, crisp up some extra bacon, cut it into small bits, and sprinkle over the beans before serving.
💡Smoking Wood Options - We love using mild fruit wood when making smoked baked beans. This time we used apple wood, but peach, cherry, pear, and apricot are also great. Check out our free printable smoking wood chart for more ideas.