Brown sugar and barbecue sauce mingles with smoky hardwood, creating a tantalizing sauce for these Smoked Baked Beans to soak up. Each bite is a sweet, savory, and smoky masterpiece, perfect for backyard barbecues or cozy weeknight dinners.
They're are a classic BBQ side dish that's perfect for any occasion. They're hearty, flavorful, and can be made ahead of time. These smoky, sweet, and hearty beans are great hot or cold.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Smoked baked beans are a delicious and versatile dish. They are great for picnics, family gatherings, and cookouts, and they go with all sorts of grilled meats, such as burgers, hot dogs, and steaks. Smoked baked beans can be easily made in a smoker or your conventional oven.
- Delicious on their own as a side dish, hot or cold.
- Can be served as a main course or a side dish.
- Smoked baked beans can be made ahead of time and brought to picnics.
Ingredients You'll Need
I used dry Pinto beans, but white Navy beans or Great Northern beans are also popular for baked beans. You can also use canned beans, just be sure to drain off the excess liquid so your smoked baked beans don't get too soupy.
PRO TIP: 1 pound of dried beans = 4 cans of drained, canned beans (15.5 to 16 oz per can).
- Dry Pinto beans - or canned Pinto, Great Northern, or Kidney beans, drained of liquid and rinsed. Cook in your Instant Pot covered in water on high pressure for 45 minutes, then drain after a natural release. Or, you can use FOUR cans of drained Pinto beans instead of dry beans.
- Bacon - Thin sliced, and diced.
- Onion - Diced, any color.
- Bell Pepper - Diced, any color.
- Jalapeno pepper - Seeded, cored, and minced small.
- Brown sugar
- Chili powder
- Barbecue sauce - Any, pick your favorite flavor.
- Water
- Mustard - Yellow, brown, or Dijon, any will be perfect.
- Worcestershire sauce
- Garlic powder - Or, mince fresh garlic if you prefer.
- Salt
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Smoked Baked Beans
This recipe is easy to make and produces beans that are smoky, sweet, and delicious. You can bake them in your oven, or smoke them in your Traeger smoker grill along with our Double Smoked Ham, and serve them side by side for a feast!
I've provided final cooking instructions for smoking baked beans in the Traeger and in your conventional oven.
Cook The Bacon and Vegetables
- Using a cast iron skillet, saute the bacon until almost crisp, reserving one strip of uncooked bacon to cut and top the baked beans before final cooking.
- Lower heat to medium, and add the diced onion, diced green bell pepper, and minced jalapeno to the cast iron skillet. Cook until the peppers brighten in color, onions fragrant, and softening, about 4 - 5 minutes.
Add The Seasonings
- Add the cooked pinto beans to the skillet of bacon, onions, and peppers.
- Stir in the brown sugar, barbecue sauce, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt to blend all ingredients.
Top With Bacon And Bake In Smoker or Oven
- Preheat your conventional oven to 225 F, or preheat your Traeger smoker grill to 225 F, with the lid down.
- Cut the last piece of uncooked bacon into 1" bits and scatter over the top of the skillet filled with the beans and sauce mixture.
- Bake in the oven or smoker for 2 - 3 hours, or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from oven or smoker and serve hot or cold!
Serving Suggestions
Smoked baked beans are a great side dish for any meal. These beans are great served with a variety of dishes, such as burgers, hot dogs, or grilled chicken. They're also delicious on their own as a side dish.
Serve these beans with your favorite BBQ meats, such as ribs, brisket, or our Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders.
Related Recipes
- Red Hot and Blue Potato Salad
- Instant Pot Chili No Beans
- Instant Pot St. Louis Ribs
- Texas Cowboy Beans
- Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few delicious variations using this smoked beans recipe as a starting point:
- You can substitute other types of beans for the navy beans, such as pinto beans, kidney beans, or black beans.
- When substituting dry beans for canned beans, use ⅔ cup of dry beans for every can of beans. Cover them with 1" of water in an Instant Pot and pressure cook on High for 45 minutes.
- For a different flavor, you can use different types of barbecue sauce, such as sweet, smoky, or spicy.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this smoked beans recipe.
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Storage and Reheating
- Smoked baked beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To reheat, place the beans in a baking dish and bake at 300 F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
Tips for Success
- Use a good quality bacon. The bacon will add flavor and smokiness to the beans.
- The beans should be tender, but not mushy. Low and slow is the way to go.
- Smoke the beans for at least 2 hours. This will give the beans the smoky flavor that they are known for.
- You can use a slow cooker on the low setting for 8 hours to make these smoked beans also.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use canned beans in this recipe. However, you may want to drain and rinse the beans before adding them to the pot so your beans don't get too soupy.
Yes, you can make this smoked baked beans recipe in a slow cooker. Simply combine all of the ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Yes, you can make this smoked baked beans recipe ahead of time and reheat it later. Simply follow the instructions and then store the beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, place the beans in a baking dish and bake at 300 F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
1 pound of dried beans = 4 cans of drained, canned beans (15.5 to 16 oz per can).
More Delish Ideas
Smoked Baked Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb pinto beans dry or canned
- 4 oz bacon 6 slices
- 1 onion diced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 small jalapeno cored and minced
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup barbecue sauce your favorite
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoon mustard any type
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Cook the dry pinto beans in your Instant Pot covered in water on high pressure for 45 minutes, then drain after a natural release. Or, use 4 cans of drained, cooked Pinto beans.1 lb pinto beans
- Using a cast iron skillet, saute the bacon until almost crisp, reserving one strip of uncooked bacon to cut and top the baked beans before final cooking.4 oz bacon
- Lower heat to medium, and add the diced onion, diced green bell pepper, and minced jalapeno to the cast iron skillet. Cook until the peppers brighten in color, onions fragrant, and softening, about 4 - 5 minutes.1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 small jalapeno
- Add the cooked pinto beans to the skillet of bacon, onions, and peppers.
- Stir in the brown sugar, barbecue sauce, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt to blend all ingredients.¼ cup brown sugar, ½ cup barbecue sauce, ½ cup water, 2 tablespoon mustard, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Preheat your conventional oven to 225 F, or preheat your Traeger smoker grill to 225 F, with the lid down.
- Cut the last piece of uncooked bacon into 1" bits and scatter over the top of the skillet filled with the beans and sauce mixture.
- Bake in the oven or smoker for 2 - 3 hours, or until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove from oven or smoker and serve hot or cold!
Notes
- Use a good quality bacon. The bacon will add flavor and smokiness to the beans.
- The beans should be tender, but not mushy. Low and slow is the way to go.
- Smoke the beans for at least 2 hours. This will give the beans the smoky flavor that they are known for.
- You can use a slow cooker on the low setting for 8 hours to make these smoked beans also.
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