Smoked Baked Beans
Posted: 05/25/23
Updated: 06/12/25
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These smoked baked beans are so incredibly tasty and a must-try for you next barbecue! Three different kinds of beans are paired with bacon, tender onion and a homemade sweet and savory delicious sauce before being smoked, giving them such a unique twist.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Smoked baked beans are loaded with amazing flavors. They’re perfectly smoky, sweet, savory, saucy, absolutely delicious! And the bacon pieces and onions add extra texture.
- If you have a smoker, it’s a must-try recipe for your next summer cookout. They’re easy to make and your guests won’t be able to get enough of this side dish. Serve them with hot dogs, this buffalo burgers, a steak salad or grilled ribs, and a side of coleslaw or potato salad for a perfect barbecue.
Chef’s Tips
- You can use pretty much any canned beans you like! I chose pinto, great northern and kidney beans, for a variety of textures and colors, but you can totally use black beans, cannellini, navy beans if you prefer. Completely up to you and your preference.
- The sauce for the smoked baked beans is pretty thick, but can absolutely be thinned a little if you wanted more saucy beans. Just add 1/2 to 1 cup of hot water or hot chicken broth to the skillet after the smoking process. The sauce is so flavorful that it won’t take away from the flavor at all. Just stir it in and it’ll make the dish saucier. You can do the same when reheating leftovers as when the baked beans cool down, the sauce gets thicker.
- You can set your smoker anywhere from 225℉ to 250℉. Smoking them for 1 1/2 hours will give them a nice smoky flavor that isn’t overwhelming, but if you want them smokier you can absolutely go for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, just make sure to stir them occasionally.
More Delicious Recipes Perfect For A Barbecue
- Grilled Broccolini
- Smoked Potato
- Mesquite Grilled Chicken
- Smoked Asparagus
- Grilled Peaches Recipe with Honey
- White Bean Salad
- Grilled Beef Ribs
- 3-Ingredient Banana Pudding
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Smoked Baked Beans
Pinto, great northern, and kidney beans are paired with bacon, onion and a delicious sweet and savory homemade sauce before being smoked for 1 ½ hours.
servings
Ingredients
For the Baked Beans
- 5-6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped, about 1 cup
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can great northern beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans or navy beans, drained and rinsed
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- ¼ packed cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper more or less to taste
- ½ cup water plus more as needed
Equipment
- fine mesh strainer or colander
- large cast iron skillet
- Wooden spoon
- 2 small bowls
- paper towel
- whisk
- smoker
Instructions
- Set smoker to 250℉ to preheat.
- In small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients until combined. Set aside.
- Add chopped bacon to cast iron skillet, and cook on medium high heat, stirring often until almost crispy.
- Line small bowl or plate with paper towels. Once bacon is cooked, remove from skillet with wooden spoon and place on top of paper towels. Set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium, then add chopped onions, and cook until translucent, stirring often, about 6-7 minutes.
- Once onions are softened, add minced garlic and tomato paste. Mix tomato paste with onions, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes stirring constantly.
- Add bacon back to skillet, then add rinsed and drained beans. Then add sauce and stir together to combine. Remove from heat.
- Transfer skillet to smoker, and smoke for 1 ½ hours, stirring halfway thru.
- Carefully remove skillet from smoker, stir baked beans. Optional: for more saucy beans, add ½ to 1 cup of warm water to skillet and stir to combined. Serve warm with sides of choice.
Notes
- Make it Gluten Free: use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce.
- Leftovers: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 4 days.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 406kcal | Protein: 21g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Total Carbs: 68g | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 14g | Net Carbs: 50g | Vitamin C: 6mg | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 409mg | Potassium: 1138mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 6mg
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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