Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon

Name: Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 125 min
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)

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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!

Pan containing baked beans cooked in a smoker topped with bacon.

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!

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ℹ️ Why This Recipe Works
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
📋 Variations
🔪 Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions
🙋 Recipe FAQs
💭 Expert Tips
👩‍🍳 More Smoker Recipes
Smoked Baked Beans with Bacon

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, bacon, onion mustard, and sugar on a counter.

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.

Step 2: Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well to combine.

Orange bowl containing backed beans, mustard, brown sugar, onions, and molasses.

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.

Smoked baked beans topped with bacon in a pan

Step 5: Place the dish in smoker, uncovered. Close the smoker and let them smoke low and slow for 2 hours on 225°F.

Baked beans in an aluminum pan being placed in a smoker.

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.

Aluminum pan containing smoker baked beans, spoon in pan.

And there you have it! A pan of smoked baked beans from scratch that are the perfect side dish for BBQ!

🙋 Recipe FAQs

What goes with baked beans?

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!

What wood is used to smoke baked beans?

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.

Can I make these in the oven?

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!

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