Smoked beans are not only delicious, but are an easy side dish for any barbecue! These smoked baked beans are slightly sweet, topped with crispy bacon, and pair perfectly with any smoked meat!
Smoker recipes are an absolute must for spring and summer. A lot of people like to stick to smoking only meats on the smoker, like these, smoked chicken wings, smoked boneless chicken thighs and this smoked pork tenderloin, but I also love smoked side dishes. Some of the best smoker recipes are side dishes. Smoker side dishes are simply the best! Especially these smoked baked beans!
I don't know about you, but when I go to a barbecue there is always a side of baked beans accompanying grilled hamburgers, a good Idaho potato salad, hot dogs, slow cooked ribs, and some type of delicious marinated grilled chicken. But if you've never had smoked baked beans, then you are in for a real treat!
Most of the time, beans are made in the oven, stove top, or a crock pot. Just like when making this crock pot pinto beans recipe, smoking baked beans in the smoker is no-hassle, easy clean up, and amazingly delicious! The sweetness paired with the flavor of smoked bacon makes these the absolute best smoked beans!
Jump to:
ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
1. You can use any type of smoker to make these smoked beans!
2. This is a southern style recipe. My best friend's grandmother has been making this recipe since the early 1980's. She always made these in the oven, but I've altered her cooking method and turned this into a southern smoked baked beans recipe!
3. It only takes 5 minutes to prep!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- Beans - the best kind for this recipe are VanCamp's Pork and Beans because of the sweetened flavor sauce that has a hint of tomato.
- Bacon - adds substantial flavor with a hint of smokiness in every bite!
- Onion - balances the sweetness and adds a savory flavor.
- Brown Sugar - use light brown sugar to add additional sweetness.
- Mustard - helps balance the sweetness.
- Molasses - adds a depth of flavor. It brings a rich, sweet, and slightly tangy taste to the recipe which enhances the overall flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
📋 Variations
- Use a disposable aluminum pan or a cast iron skillet when smoking.
- Try using a can of Bush's baked beans and their Grillin' Beans instead of the traditional pork and beans.
- To lower the fat, use turkey bacon.
- To add a bit of spice, use add a chopped jalapeño. Add in some of the seeds to make it even more spicy!
- For more onion flavor, use a red onion.
- Try adding 1 Tablespoon of barbecue sauce for extra zest.
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the smoker accordingly and preheat to 225°F.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email to receive this recipe, along with weekly food inspiration!
Step 2: Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well to combine.
Step 3: Pour the mixture into a disposable aluminum pan or cast iron skillet.
Step 4: Chop the uncooked slices of bacon into 2 inch long pieces and lay them on top of the beans.
Step 5: Place the dish in smoker, uncovered. Close the smoker and let them smoke low and slow for 2 hours on 225°F.
Step 6: When done, pull the smoked beans out of the smoker. The bacon pieces should be cooked and be golden brown around the edges. Stir with a spoon so that the smoked bacon gets mixed in.
And there you have it! A pan of smoked baked beans from scratch that are the perfect side dish for BBQ!
🙋 Recipe FAQs
I like to make these smoked beans when I'm already smoking any piece of meat at 225°F to 250°F. They pair amazingly well with these smoked burnt ends, these smoked chicken leg quarters, and this smoked pulled pork!
My go to for this recipe is pecan, cherry, or apple. Any type of wood will work except mesquite. It tends to overpower the flavor.
Yes! Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Pour the can of baked beans into a 9×13 Pyrex dish. Mix together the brown sugar, molasses, onion, and mustard. Cut bacon strips into 2″ pieces and place on top of the beans. Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes.
💭 Expert Tips
- Extra Smoke Flavor - If you like a little extra smoke flavor, add 1 Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke to the water pan if using one in the smoker.
- Wood Chips vs. Wood Chunks - Either work great with this recipe. If using wood chips, they should completely burn out at the 2 hour mark.
- To Cover or Not Cover - I don't cover these beans with aluminum foil while they smoke. I want the smoke to penetrate all throughout the dish since they are only smoking for 2 hours. When I smoke side dish recipes, it's typically because I'm already smoking some type of meat. I like to place the pan of beans on a rack directly under the smoking meat so that some of the drippings from the meat fall into the beans. This enhances the flavor a lot!
- Crispy Bacon - To make the bacon even more crispy, broil the dish on high for 1-2 minutes in the oven.
- Low and Slow - I'm a believer of smoking food on a lower temperature and smoking for a longer time period. I smoke them for about 2 hours on 225°F. If you need the beans to smoke faster, increase the heat to 250°F, but don't go any higher. They'll be done in about 1.5 hours at this temperature.
👩🍳 More Smoker Recipes
If you tried this smoked baked beans recipe or any other recipes on my website, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love hearing from you! And, please leave a 🌟 rating while you're there!
📧 Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter, so that you don’t miss out on any of my delicious recipes!
Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon
Equipment
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 53 ounce can VanCamp's Pork and Beans, undrained
- ¼ cup light brown sugar,
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 pack pork bacon, 10-12 slices
Instructions
- Put the can of undrained beans, ¼ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup molasses, 1 small chopped onion, and 2 Tablespoons of yellow mustard in large bowl and mix well to combine.
- Pour the beans into a disposable aluminum pan or cast iron skillet.
- Cut the bacon into 2 inch long pieces and lay on top of the beans mixture.
- When the smoker is preheated to 225°F, place the aluminum pan or cast iron skillet in the smoker uncovered.
- Smoke for 2 hours.
- When you pull the baked beans out of the smoker, the bacon pieces should be cooked and be a golden brown around the edges. Stir the beans with a large spoon so that they gets mixed in well with the beans.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
-
- Extra Smoke Flavor - If you like a little extra smoke flavor, add 1 Tablespoon of Liquid Smoke to the water pan if using one in the smoker.
-
- Wood Chips vs. Wood Chunks - Either work great with this recipe. If using wood chips, they should completely burn out at the 2 hour mark.
-
- To Cover or Not Cover - I don't cover these beans with aluminum foil while they smoke. I want the smoke to penetrate these beans since they are only smoking for 2 hours. When I smoke side dish recipes, it's typically because I'm already smoking some type of meat. I like to place the pan on a rack directly under the smoking meat so that some of the drippings from the meat fall into the beans. This enhances the flavor a lot!
-
- Low and Slow - I'm a believer of smoking food on a lower temperature and smoking for a longer time period. I smoke my beans for about 2 hours on 225°F. If you need the beans to smoke faster, increase the heat to 250°F, but don't go any higher. They'll be done in about 1.5 hours at this temperature.
- Crispy Bacon - To make the bacon even more crispy, broil the dish on high for 1-2 minutes in the oven.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pour the can of undrained beans into a 9×13 Pyrex dish.
- Add in the brown sugar, molasses, onion, and mustard. Mix well.
- Cut the uncooked bacon strips into 2″ pieces and place on top of the beans.
- Bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email to receive this recipe, along with weekly food inspiration!
Liz
This recipe is delicious! A perfect side for those grilled items!
Amanda Mason
Thanks liv!! So glad you love my recipe for smoker baked beans!!!Let me know what other recipes of mine you try!
rick broom
hi amanda you created a monster with smoked beans my neighbors ask for them every weekend when we smoke ribs ham chicken my work is never done
Amanda Mason
HA!!! I LOVE hearing this!! I am so glad you love them! At least they are easy to prep and make!!!
Melissa
Can you double the recipe and just cook it longer like 3 hours?
Amanda Mason
You can, yes. That's going to yield a lot of beans but you easily can, yes.
Lori
Can I prep this dish and freeze it, then defrost and smoke it later?
Amanda Mason
You can, yes!