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If you’ve never smoked your baked beans, you are missing out. Sure, opening a can of baked beans is easy, but if you want a baked beans dish that compliments your smoked meat, this is that recipe.
When you’re already planning on smoking some meat for hours on end, this Smoked Baked Beans Recipe is a great side dish choice, since the smoker is already going. They take less than three hours to smoke and will be worth every minute.
Looking for Smoker Recipes to serve with your beans? Try these, Traeger Burnt Ends, Smoked Meatloaf, or Traeger 321 Ribs.
What wood is used for smoking beans?
We like using hickory or mesquite. But oak wood is good as well.
Do you have to soak beans before making smoked baked beans?
We did not soak our beans because we used canned beans, however if you are using raw beans, it’s a good idea to soak them for about 1 hour.
Smoked Baked Beans Ingredients List
Keep scrolling for the full recipe and amounts needed. This is just a summary.
- Bacon – You’ll render the fat so that the bacon doesn’t take center stage in the flavor profile, but will add the perfect accent to the sauce.
- Onion – Adding flavor and texture, onion is a staple in many dishes.
- Garlic – Is any dish complete without garlic? The more the merrier.
- Serrano Pepper – You can substitute jalapenos for less heat (serrano peppers are about three times more spicy than jalapenos), but for less heat in either but all the flavor, just cut out the seeds, pith, and placenta, where most of the heat is.
- Great Northern Beans – A common bean used in soups and stews because it holds its shape even when cooked for long periods of time and doesn’t add a ton of extra flavor. You can also substitute Pinto Beans.
- Kidney Beans – Another bean commonly used in soups, kidney beans don’t have a ton of flavor to them, so they will let your sauce stand out.
- Black Beans – Yet another bean that works well in combination with the other beans and in the sauce. These beans all add different textures and colors, but not a ton of flavor.
For the Sauce
- Brown Sugar – Gives the sauce a sweet kick.
- Molasses – A key ingredient in barbecue sauce, molasses adds a little more sweetness, great texture, and distinct flavor to BBQ Baked Beans.
- Barbecue Sauce – Keep it simple instead of mixing your own barbecue spices, using your favorite barbecue sauce will add the right flavors every time.
- Ketchup – Adds a little more sweetness and a little tangy flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce – Adds salty, sour, sweet, and tangy notes.
- Dijon Mustard – Helps bind the sauce and also adds great flavor.
- Dry Mustard – With the liquids, the dry mustard will add even more delicious flavor.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – Adds an acidic and tart flavor as well as helping bind the sauce.
- Water or Beer – You’ll use this only if the beans seem to be getting too dry. Dealer’s choice on which one you use.
- Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper – Because you want to draw out all those incredible favors.
How to Make Smoked Beans
Start with chopping and cooking the bacon. Add the vegetables and cook until they are soft. Stir in everything else (except the water or beer), adding salt and pepper to taste.
Get your smoker preheated (if it isn’t already) and set the pot with the baked beans inside. Let them smoke for a few hours or a little more, until the sauce is thickened. You’ll need to stir it occasionally and add water or beer if it seems to be getting dry.
Substitutions for Smoked Baked Beans Recipe
If you don’t have bacon on-hand, but you have leftover Brisket or Pulled Pork, these will also work. It will change the flavor profile a bit, but will still be delicious.
For those of you who don’t want as much heat, you can use jalapenos instead of serrano peppers. If you cut out the placenta, pith, and seeds, it will also take away a lot of the heat, but add the flavor.
More Side Dish Recipes that you will love.
Smoked Baked Beans
Equipment
- Wood Recommendations Signature/Competition Blend, Mesquite, Hickory
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon cut into ½ inch chunks
- 1 large onion finely chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 serrano pepper diced (Jalapeno *optional)
- 1 15- ounce can great northern or pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15- ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15- ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- *optional – 1/2 cup beer or water or more as needed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat to render the fat, about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, garlic, and serrano pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft and slightly translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the beans, sugar, molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Set up your smoker and preheat to 225 degrees.
- Smoke the beans, uncovered, until thickened, occasionally stirring, about 2 to 2 ½ hours. (Add beer or water if beans seem too dry.)
Notes
Nutrition
