Steven Raichlen’s The Barbecue! Bible 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.
Also try my peach BBQ beans.
Smokehouse Beans
Ingredients
- 8 slices thin-sliced bacon cut into 1/4" pieces
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 30 ounces kidney beans canned, rinsed, drained
- 15 ounces black beans canned ,rinsed, drained
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup your favorite BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ cup beer plus more, if needed
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Fire up your smoker for cooking at 225 F. I used plenty of hickory wood because I wanted a good amount of smoke flavor.
- Cook the bacon pieces in a large pot or Dutch oven. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of the fat (optional).
- Add the onion and garlic. Stir and cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Transfer to a disposable pan and onto the smoker.
- Smoke 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. If the beans get too thick, stir in a bit more beer.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.