It’s summer time. And summer is good. Summer is better, though, with a big ole plate of spicy barbecue-and-bacon baked beans. These are some of the most flavor-packed beans you’ll find. And talk about easy to make, too! It’s not quite as easy as open a bunch of cans and heat, but it’s close to being that easy. A little time in the oven and you’re ready to devour some tasty beans. Double, tripe or quadruple the recipe and you’ve got a great dish for a picnic or family get-together!
Much of the flavor in these spicy barbecue-and-bacon baked beans comes from the Ranch style beans. Then along comes a bit of jalapeno spiciness. And just a hint of sweetness. For the BBQ sauce I went with a nice hickory BBQ sauce to add a bit of that outdoorsy flavor.
It’s summer time. And summer is good. Summer is better, though, with a big ole plate of spicy barbecue-and-bacon baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy. These are some of the most flavor-packed beans you’ll find. And talk about easy to make, too! It’s not quite as easy as open a bunch of cans and heat, but it’s close to being that easy. A little time in the oil-less fryer and you’re ready to devour some tasty beans. Double, tripe or quadruple the recipe and you’ve got a great dish for a picnic or family get-together!
Much of the flavor in these spicy barbecue-and-bacon baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy comes from the Ranch style beans. Then along comes a bit of jalapeno spiciness. And just a hint of sweetness. For the BBQ sauce I went with a nice hickory BBQ sauce to add a bit of that outdoorsy flavor.
The bunk bed basket lets you double the amount of cooking space you have on your Big Easy. And it’s easy to take in and out of the cooker too!
Use a bunk bed in conjunction with these disposable pans and you’ll be able to make a double-batch of these beans!
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
Oh me. Just thinking back to these apple pie baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy has me wanting to make another batch. Now. Right now. In just over an hour I could be enjoying these slightly sweet, flavor-packed beans. And so could a few others, because this recipe makes a big batch.
To make these apple pie baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy, I needed a few things. First, a Bunk Bed basket. This is the first thing you should buy after getting a Big Easy. It nearly doubles your cooking space and makes sides dishes like this one a breeze. It also makes it easier to add and remove dishes from your cooker. You can fit three baskets in the Big Easy at once, but it takes a good bit of adjusting and luck to make it work.
Next up, I needed pans for the apple pie baked beans on the Char-Broil Big Easy. I recently discovered that Dutch oven line pans fit perfectly. They are 8″ in diameter and have tall sides so they hold a lot of food. They’re great so I ordered a big lot of them. I know I’ll use them up quick because I use my Big Easy a lot.
Place pie filling into a blender and pulse a few times. You don't want to puree the filling, you just want to chop up the larger pieces of apple. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the beans, BBQ sauce and BBQ seasoning plus any add-ons if using. Stir to combine.
Divide the bean mixture between two pans (they'll be completely fully) and carefully transfer the pans to the Big Easy basket and bunk bed basket.
Lower the basket into the Big Easy and cook for 1 hour. If possible, stir the beans every 15 minutes or so. It can be hard to stir the bottom pan. Don't worry if you can't stir they'll be just fine either way. If you've added bell pepper or onion you might want to check if they've cooked to your liking. They might require another 15-30 minutes of cooking time.
Once the beans are hot and bubbly remove the basket from the Big Easy.
Let cool slightly before carefully removing the pans. Remember the pans are full and aren't rigid. Try to support the bottoms of the pans as you remove them.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Double this recipe. And if you have a lot of leftover smoked pulled pork (or brisket) laying around, quadruple the recipe. Because these smoked BBQ baked beans are fantastic you’ll want to make as much as will fit on your smoker (mine’s a Weber) at one time. I got this fantastic (and easy) recipe and many others from Brother Jimmy’s BBQ: More than 100 Recipes. If you’re a fan of smoking and grilling, you need Brother Jimmy’s now.
Just about any smoked meat will work just fine in these smoked BBQ baked beans. I prefer brisket or pulled pork, but chicken and turkey are good too. This is an excellent way to use up leftover (or not leftover) meats.
I usually smoke my sides (and many of my meats) over lighter woods, preferring fruit woods such as peach, apple or cherry.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Double this recipe. And if you have a lot of leftover smoked pulled pork (or brisket) laying around, quadruple the recipe.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes.
Combine the onion and remaining ingredients in a medium disposable aluminum pan.
Transfer to your smoker and smoke for 45 minutes-1 hour or until hot and bubbly, stirring occasionally.
Notes
You can make this dish in the oven. Just bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. I recommend that you use a smoky BBQ sauce if making in the oven.
The Barbecue! Bible from Steven Raichlen is always a go-to book for me on all things barbecued. It is crammed full of so many fantastic recipes that I make time and time again. Like these smokehouse beans. They are so easy to make (with items I always have in my pantry or fridge) but come out just divine. Don’t waste your money on the canned version when you can make delicious BBQ beans on your smoker in less than 4 hours.
If you’re not a fan of liquid smoke, feel free to leave it out. But you’ll want to make up for it by making sure that your smoker is producing a good bit of smoke, so add a few extra chunks of wood if you do. Using double-smoked bacon will also add more fantastic smoke flavor.
You can also make smokehouse beans on a grill. Just use indirect heat. If you’re using a gas grill you might want to add a few chunks of wood to a wood box. If you don’t have one, that’s ok. The liquid smoke will still give you that smokehouse flavor.
Why grab a can of pre-made BBQ beans at the store when you can make your own in no time at all. Sure, I’ve made scratch baked beans before (on the smoker and they were fantastic!). These aren’t those beans. Quick to fix, these BBQ beans still pack in the flavor.
You can make these quick fix BBQ beans taste however you like just by changing which BBQ sauce you add. From smoky to spicy, you can’t go wrong. And speaking of spicy, for a little extra kick add a few sliced jalapenos. And for extra crunch, chop half of a medium sweet onion and toss that in too. You really cannot make a boo-boo when you make these beans.
If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.
After I finish writing this post I will curl up in front of a big bowl of these tangy pit beans and go to town on them. I love baked beans, and this is a very, very good variation on the theme. They are not boring. They have just the right amount of tang. And since this recipe makes a big batch, it’s a great dish to take to a pitch-in or family picnic.
After I finish writing this post I will curl up in front of a big bowl of these tangy pit beans and go to town on them. I love baked beans, and this is a very, very good variation on the theme. They are not boring. They have just the right amount of tang. And since this recipe makes a big batch, it’s a great dish to take to a pitch-in or family picnic.
Man, these smoked baked beans are just flat out insanely good. You could make them in the oven, but it’s the smoky flavor that just makes these beans outstanding. They’re even better if you add a few chunks of smoked pork or beef.
This recipe makes a pretty good sized batch, but believe me, it won’t last long. People are going to want seconds if not thirds.
If you want a bit of kick to your smoked baked beans, add some roasted, chopped or diced jalapenos or a couple dashes of hot sauce. I cooked mine on a rack beneath some Tasso ham, which has a heavy dose of cayenne on it. All that spicy goodness dripped down into the beans giving them a really great kick. I made sure that the beans got hot enough that I didn’t have to worry if the ham drippings were fully cooked or not. Not everyone has tasso to put on the smoker at the same time as their beans, so reach for hot peppers or hot sauce instead!
I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple for smoking these beans
Man, these smoked baked beans are just flat out insanely good. You could make them in the oven, but it’s the smoky flavor that just makes these beans outstanding. They’re even better if you add a few chunks of smoked pork or beef.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a small chain of BBQ restaurants in the northeast, and now, also in Chicago. If these dinosaur-style BBQ beans are any indication of how good their food is, it’s a place well worth visiting. These beans are crazy good, thanks mostly to the barbecue sauce and my favorite, crumbled cooked Italian sausage.
I recently started adding Italian sausage to my chili recipes. The Italian sausage adds a fantastic flavor and texture to the chili, just like it does to these dinosaur-style BBQ beans. You can use spicy sausage to kick things up even more. Of course, you can also add leftover chopped, cubed shredded pulled pork or smoked brisket (yum!).
There’s nothing wrong with a can of baked beans. Except I find them to be rather boring. So, I took a recipe from Amy’s Cooking Adventures and bam! Great doctored baked beans from a can! Also try my super-easy franks and beans.
There’s nothing wrong with a can of baked beans. Except I find them to be rather boring. So, I took a recipe from Amy’s Cooking Adventures and bam! Great doctored baked beans from a can!
