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The Best Loaded and Smoky BBQ Baked Beans Recipe

Combine a mix of beans, add some smoky flavor, and spice it up with jalapenos and you have a delicious side dish for your BBQ feast. That’s why when I think of BBQs and cookouts, my must-have dish is this smoky and loaded BBQ baked beans.

Smoky loaded with flavor, this BBQ baked beans recipe is the perfect companion to any smoked or grilled main dish, making it the best choice for every summer get-together.

The key to ensuring your BBQ beans are packed with flavor is low and slow cooking. You can prepare your slow-cooked beans side dish the night before your cookout. Or start them in the morning and give them time to cook all day so they’re ready to enjoy at dinnertime.

Smoky BBQ Beans Recipe

What You’ll Need:

  • Olive oil
  • Smoked bacon or pancetta
  • Yellow onion
  • Red pepper
  • Yellow pepper
  • Green pepper
  • Jalapeno pepper
  • Minced garlic
  • Kidney beans
  • Great Northern beans
  • Mixed beans
  • BBQ sauce
  • Dark brown sugar
  • Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper
  • Liquid smoke

How to Make BBQ Beans:

Step One:

  • Add the olive oil to a large skillet and cook over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bacon. Cook, stirring frequently, until the bacon is crispy. 
  • Remove the bacon from the pan and place it on a paper towel lined plate to drain.
  • Add the diced onions and garlic, along with the red, yellow, green, and jalapeno peppers, to the pan with the bacon drippings. Saute the ingredients until the peppers are tender and the onions are translucent.

Step Two:

  • Add the kidney beans, Great Northern beans, and mixed beans to the pan with the vegetables. Top all the ingredients with BBQ sauce, brown sugar, and mustard, then season with salt and pepper. Pour in the liquid smoke and stir until all the ingredients are combined.
  • Sprinkle half the cooked bacon over the pan and stir to combine. Reserve the remaining bacon until just before serving.

Step Three:

  • Turn the heat to low and continue cooking the beans for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. The longer the beans are cooked, the more flavor they’ll have. Cook the beans up to three hours for best results.
Serving Baked Beans

What do You Eat With BBQ Slow-Baked Beans?

There are so many great main dishes that pair well with BBQ baked beans, the possibilities are endless when it comes to what to serve with this classic side. Try these ideas the next time you’re trying to come up with a menu for your cookout:

  • Hamburgers and hot dogs. You can’t go wrong with a classic! Grill some hamburgers and hot dogs and set out a variety of toppings for your guests to choose from. The grilled sandwiches will go perfectly with the smokey flavor of the beans.
  • BBQ sandwiches. Use your smoker to make pulled meat for BBQ sandwiches. You can serve smoked pork, chicken, or turkey shredded and topped with BBQ sauce for a simple dinner idea to go with your beans.
  • Ribs. Cook a slab of ribs on the grill and enjoy the fall off the bone flavor with your baked beans.
  • Baked ham. There’s no reason you need to fire up your grill to enjoy the smoky flavor of BBQ beans. This delicious side also pairs well with ham, making it a great option for any holiday gathering, too.
  • Steaks. Skip the classic sides, like baked potatoes, the next time you’re making steaks, whip up these spicy beans instead.
  • Fried chicken. KFC serves baked beans with their fried chicken, so why not make a pan of your own BBQ baked beans the next time you’re making homemade chicken?
  • Leftovers? Any leftovers would be amazing served as breakfast! Try baked beans and toast to start your day or as a light dinner. So good!
BBQ Baked Beans recipe side dish

Tips and Tricks

This simple baked beans recipe is a delicious option for any BBQ. And with these tips and tricks, you’re sure to have the perfect side to bring to your next cookout.

  • Don’t forget to drain your beans. To keep your beans from getting soupy, always drain the water from the cans before adding them to the pan. It’s also a good idea to rinse your canned beans to remove extra juice and sauce from the outside of the beans before cooking them.
  • Increase the heat with more peppers. For spicy BBQ baked beans, toss in extra jalapeno peppers. You can add up to four diced jalapeno peppers for more heat.
  • Use a cast iron pan for even cooking. When cooking low and slow recipes, cast iron is your best option. A cast-iron pan holds and evenly distributes heat better than traditional pans, allowing you to cook your beans more evenly without burning them.

Make-ahead for quicker day-of cooking. Since these beans take a while to cook, you may want to consider making them ahead if you’ll be busy prepping other dishes for your BBQ. The beans can be prepared the day before, covered, and refrigerated. When you’re ready to reheat your beans, warm them over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

Dish of smoky summer sides recipe

Other summer recipes to try:

Let’s celebrate summer foods!

How to Make Smoked BBQ Baked Beans:

Dish of smoky beans summer sides recipe

The Best Loaded Smoky BBQ Baked Beans

Yield: 8 - 10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

The best-tasting, loaded smoky BBQ Baked Beans are the perfect side to go with your summer cookouts and get-togethers!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound smoky bacon or pancetta, diced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 large green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional)
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
  • 1 (15 ounces) can kidney beans, drained
  • 1 (15 ounces) can great northern beans, drained
  • 3 (13 ounces) cans mixed beans, drained
  • 1 - 18 ounces bottle of BBQ sauce, basic or original flavor
  • 1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Instructions

  1. In a large pan, add olive oil over medium-high heat then add in the diced smoky bacon, frequently stirring and cooking until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve Bacon for later.
  2. Keep the bacon drippings and add in the diced onions, all of the peppers, and minced garlic, sautéeing until onions are translucent.
  3. Add the drained beans to the sautéed veggies, along with the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and liquid smoke, and half of the crispy bacon, mixing well. 
  4. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour, but best if it can be simmered for 2 - 3 hours for incredible flavor.
  5. Garnish with the remaining crispy bacon at the end, serve and enjoy! 

Notes

If you prefer more "heat", simply add 2 - 4 diced jalapeno peppers when sautéeing the veggies. 

Can be made the day before, cover and refrigerate overnight, then gently warmed up about 30 minutes to 1 hour over medium-low heat just before you're ready to serve. 

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 514Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 2166mgCarbohydrates: 62gFiber: 6gSugar: 42gProtein: 22g

Original post 6/13/2017; Updated 5/17/2021

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60 Comments

  1. Okay I’ll have to admit that I love this recipe because whoo hoo you use canned beans, oh can I just say, “thank you Lord!”
    It is not complicated as some bean recipes call for washing and soaking beans, “ain’t nobody got time for that!”

    1. Haha! Yes Jobi, I’m all about not making it complicated, nope, no time for that *single mom here with 3 picky kids*! I’m glad you like it! 🙂

    1. Thank you Kennedy! I agree with you on those jalapenos, I can’t imagine life without them! Hope you enjoy!

  2. WOW! This dish is making my mouth water! I LOVE summertime baked beans and this looks like a tasty version. Can’t wait to try! Pinned and will be adding to my menu for the weekend. (Love that pot too!)

    1. Thank you Jen!!! Summertime and beans, are the best! I hope you enjoy and thanks for pinning!!! 🙂

  3. These look delicious! I always seem to forget about having bbq beans as a side. I’ll pin this recipe for later to remind me.

    1. Thank you Marie for pinning! I hope you get a chance to make them this summer, they are amazing! Enjoy!

  4. Oh yes!!! These pictures made my mouth water. I can’t wait to try these this summer. Pinning for later use 🙂

  5. This looks so incredibly good! I am going to have to run to the store to get the ingredients so we can have this for dinner tonight! Thanks for sharing!

  6. This looks so yummy. Loving all the flavors but its still simple ingredients. Will have to try this recipe for sure ☺

    1. Thank you Amber! Simple ingredients make the best meals, I hope you get a chance to try and enjoy! 🙂

  7. These look amazing. I was never a fan of baked beans but have recently fallen in love! I want to give this a try for our 4th of July party! They look so good!

  8. Yummm! I love BBQ beans but can you believe I’ve never made them at home?! These sound so decadent and simple to make. I gotta try this recipe out!

  9. Sounds and looks so yummy!!! I love that it uses canned beans, which is less hassle than the dried version when making something “quick”. The heat would be a nice touch too, not often you get a hint of spice with BBQ beans.

    1. Thank you so much Melissa! I’m all about time saving these days, hence the canned beans 😉 The jalapeno makes this recipe.

  10. God, these look absolutely wonderful. I’m from Texas and we like our beans and bbq, these are perfect for one of the cookouts that I have planned for this summer. I can’t wait!

  11. These beans look so good!! I have always wanted to buy liquid smoke, but never knew what to do with it.

    1. Thank you Cathleen! Liquid smoke is great to have on hand when you want that extra smokey flavor to your recipes.

  12. I have a similar large braising pan from Le Creuset and I use is all the time! I love the spicy bean dish too!

  13. Oh wow. Love how simple and easy this is.. Looks so cool!! I love beans and BBQ beans sound perfect for summer now.. Can’t wait to try this. Yum! Saving for later.

  14. OK could they have picked a better name for that pan?! Looks SO beautiful, and I can see how versatile it must be! Your beans look like the perfect side for picnic season – I always load up on beans, especially when they look THIS good!

    1. Thanks Ashley! This pan is such a perfect all purpose pan, I love it! And I think baked beans are one of my favorites at a picnic…I usually dedicate a bowl to them!

  15. I totally love the simplicity of this, as well as how you can make it the night before – I’m always trying to front load sides and things when entertaining! And SO delicious – all the jalapenos for me, please! 🙂

    1. Thank you Monica! I’m with you on making sides early in the game when entertaining, makes life go so much smoother!

  16. That pan is simply beautiful, what a lovely color! It’s always a great idea to have a good bake bean recipe up your sleeve and this one looks and sounds delish!

  17. I have a pan similar to that from Le Crust – I LOVE IT. Would have never thought to make beans in it, but this sounds fantastic and full of all my favorite things for bbq style beans! Especially the bacon part!

  18. I love that you added a little liquid smoke to the beans to give them that smokey flavor that goes so well with summer BBQs!

  19. These baked beans look fabulous! I love that you add the crumbled bacon on top. I would be scooping all of those up for my serving!!

  20. I miss my summers in the Midwest and having baked beans at outdoor picnics! Such a great dish for barbecues.

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