These are my Best Baked Beans – my go-to recipe with bacon, brown sugar, and mustard – that I take to potlucks and whip up for summer barbecues. The tender beans are a wonderful blend of sweet, smoky, and savory, and the perfect side dish for all your summer cookouts!
Summer cookouts are the best, aren’t they? Some of my best memories of summer revolve around celebrations with family and friends where everybody loads up a paper plate with their favorite potluck salads and sides, then grabs a spot in the shade to eat and chat.
I’m probably weird, but baked beans have always been one of my favorite summer foods. Particularly when there are Ruffles plain potato chips on the plate that I can use to scoop up the beans and eat them with in lieu of a spoon or fork. I think it’s the salty, crunchy chips with the sweet & savory, tender beans that makes the combo irresistible to me.
If you haven’t tried using potato chips as your utensil of choice, I highly recommend it. It’s delicious AND better for the environment than plastic!
To me, baked beans are almost required for a really great cookout. They go with everything from hamburgers & hot dogs to grilled chicken & pork chops .
Looking for more backyard barbecue sides to round out your menu? Be sure to try our Lemon Tarragon Pasta Salad , Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon , and Deviled Egg Potato Salad !
These are the best baked beans because they have just the right amount of sweetness with the rich, savory addition of a full pound of bacon. You can make them in the oven, or throw them in the smoker for an extra layer of incredible flavor.
I start with good ol’ pork n’ beans as my base because they are just so classic and yummy. But then I doctor them up with all the other good stuff like bacon, peppers, onions, and brown sugar.
How to Make the Best Baked Beans
- Chop and fry the bacon: I like to slice the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces so I can just stir it around in the frying pan until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Fry the onion & green pepper: These two vegetables add so much amazing flavor, especially when sautéed in some of the bacon grease from frying the bacon.
- Combine all of the remaining baked bean ingredients: You can finish these beans in a 9×13-inch pan or a large skillet. If I’m doing them on my Traeger smoker, I like to use disposable aluminum pans, just for easy cleanup.
- Bake or smoke the beans until thick and bubbly: The flavors really develop as the baked beans cook, and the longer you bake or smoke them, the thicker they will be. Whether in the oven or on the smoker, just cook at 325°F for 1 to 2 hours until thick and hot all the way through. If you prefer thicker beans, let them go for closer to two hours.
- Smoked beans: Usually when we smoke these baked beans it’s because we are already smoking some other kind of meat. You can smoke the beans with almost any type of wood you are already smoking with except for mesquite. And they can smoke longer at a lower temperature if you need them to.
Can you Make Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker or on the Stovetop?
Although the oven or the smoker are my two favorite methods of making baked beans, you can also cook them in your slow cooker on LOW heat for 4-6 hours, or in a large dutch oven on the stovetop by covering with a lid and simmering the beans for an hour.
More Popular BBQ Side Dish Recipes
- Cottage Cheese Jello Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Grilled Corn Salad
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn Recipe
- Summer Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Poppy Seed Dressing
- Raspberry Pretzel Salad
- Hawaiian Macaroni Salad
- Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing
- Italian Pasta Salad from Tastes Better From Scratch
- Creamy Cucumber Salad from Lemon Tree Dwelling
BBQ Baked Beans
Ingredients123
- ▢ 1 pound bacon chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- ▢ 1 yellow onion chopped
- ▢ 1 green pepper diced
- ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
- ▢ 60 ounces pork and beans 4 cans
- ▢ 1 cup ketchup
- ▢ ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ▢ 1 Tablespoon mustard
- ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven or smoker to 325°F.
- Chop bacon and fry in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high by stirring with a wooden spoon until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels using a slotted spoon, then remove all but about ¼ cup of the bacon drippings. 1 pound bacon
- Add the onion and green pepper to the pan with the bacon grease and sauté over medium heat until they have softened and begin to caramelize, around 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook and stir for another 30 seconds. 1 yellow onion, 1 green pepper, 1 clove garlic
- Add beans, reserved bacon, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then transfer the pan to the oven or smoker if using a large, oven safe cast iron skillet, or pour the beans into a large 9×13-inch pan first before placing in the oven or smoker. 60 ounces pork and beans, 1 cup ketchup, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tablespoon mustard, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Bake for 1-2 hours until the beans are hot and bubbly and have achieved the thickness you desire. Keep in mind that the beans will continue to thicken slightly as they cool.
Notes
Fry bacon extra crispy and use ¼ cup drippings to sauté veggies for best flavor.
Bake 1-2 hours at 325°F until bubbly and thickened to your liking.
Taste before baking; flavors concentrate as they cook.
Make ahead: assemble up to 24 hours early, refrigerate, bake fresh.
Smoker option: use mild wood (hickory/apple) for extra smokiness.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Cool completely, portion, freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
Reheat: Warm on stovetop with splash of water or microwave, stirring until hot.
Nutrition
BBQ Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound bacon chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 60 ounces pork and beans 4 cans
- 1 cup ketchup
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven or smoker to 325°F.
- Chop bacon and fry in a large pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high by stirring with a wooden spoon until crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels using a slotted spoon, then remove all but about 1/4 cup of the bacon drippings. 1 pound bacon
- Add the onion and green pepper to the pan with the bacon grease and sauté over medium heat until they have softened and begin to caramelize, around 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook and stir for another 30 seconds. 1 yellow onion, 1 green pepper, 1 clove garlic
- Add beans, reserved bacon, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and black pepper and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then transfer the pan to the oven or smoker if using a large, oven safe cast iron skillet, or pour the beans into a large 9x13-inch pan first before placing in the oven or smoker. 60 ounces pork and beans, 1 cup ketchup, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tablespoon mustard, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Bake for 1-2 hours until the beans are hot and bubbly and have achieved the thickness you desire. Keep in mind that the beans will continue to thicken slightly as they cool.
Notes
Fry bacon extra crispy and use ¼ cup drippings to sauté veggies for best flavor.
Bake 1-2 hours at 325°F until bubbly and thickened to your liking.
Taste before baking; flavors concentrate as they cook.
Make ahead: assemble up to 24 hours early, refrigerate, bake fresh.
Smoker option: use mild wood (hickory/apple) for extra smokiness.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Cool completely, portion, freeze up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
Reheat: Warm on stovetop with splash of water or microwave, stirring until hot.
Nutrition
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