How to Make BBQ Baked Beans?

BBQ beans are a great way to add flavor to your barbecue. These tasty and healthy sides pair perfectly with pulled pork sandwiches and shredded barbecue beef. Additionally, they go well with coleslaw and potato salad. You can also include finely chopped vegetables to boost flavor.

It’s simple to prepare barbecue baked beans. To make a tasty side dish, you don’t need an oven, a stove, or a smoker. You can begin once you have a few essential ingredients. Brown sugar, ketchup, barbecue sauce, or chopped vegetables are good additions. To make your barbecue beans, use a crock pot.

BBQ Baked Beans

How to Make BBQ Baked Beans?

The barbecue is not complete until the baked beans arrive! Despite numerous versions and methods, we are here to tell you that these are the best. These are the easiest, tastiest, and most satisfying, making them the best. They are a fantastic side dish and can serve as the main course if money is tight.

Beyond the incredible flavor, flawless texture, and impressive meatiness, this recipe is also very easy to make, provided you have a few hours to devote to baking. The key to the best-baked beans is a lengthy, slow cooking period.

We’re only using 1/4 cup of brown sugar in this recipe because we feel that the barbecue sauce, ketchup, and molasses provide enough sweetness to counteract the other flavors. We want this to be as savory as it is sweet, so feel free to add more if you like. Speaking of savory, you don’t need to use a lot of Meat, but if you do, you can serve this as a main course.

Ingredients:

  • Dried red beans, 1 pound
  • 3 gallons of water
  • Bay leaf, one
  • Boneless pork shoulder weighing 1 1/2 pounds, cut into 2-inch cubes (Optional)
  • One chopped yellow onion
  • barbecue sauce, 1 cup
  • 12 cups of ketchup
  • One-third cup of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar in bags
  • molasses, three tablespoons
  • Two tablespoons of mustard, yellow
  • Worcestershire sauce, one teaspoon
  • smoked paprika, one tablespoon
  • an eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne
  • freshly ground black pepper, one teaspoon
  • One kosher salt tablespoon
  • One teaspoon of powdered garlic
  • Reserved bean cooking liquid, 2 1/2 cups
  • Six thick-cut bacon slices

Instructions:

  1. Fill a bowl with dry beans, add water to cover, and let soak for eight hours or overnight.
  2. Beans should be drained before being transferred to a big pot with 3 quarts of cold, fresh water. Add the onion, pork shoulder, and bay leaf. Over high heat, simmer the mixture. Stir and lower the heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for about an hour or until beans are just tender. If necessary, skim the foam off.
  3. Combine the barbecue sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper, kosher salt, and garlic powder in a bowl while the beans simmer. Place aside until required.
  4. Set the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C).
  5. Using a spider strainer, transfer the bean mixture to a 15×10-inch baking dish that is deep. A mixture of barbecue sauce and 2 1/2 cups of bean cooking liquid should be added—place slices of bacon on top.
  6. Bake the dish, uncovered, in the center of the preheated oven for 2 to 3 hours or until the liquids have reduced to a sauce.

Tips for Prepare the Best Baked Beans

Don’t skimp on the bacon if you would rather; feel free to use less. Use the entire package of bacon for this recipe because the smokey bits are the best part.

Use high-quality barbecue sauce instead of cheap stuff. We use regular barbecue sauce rather than mesquite or honey because this recipe uses mustard and brown sugar for added flavor. We still use premium barbecue sauce in this recipe even though it is incorporated and cooked down but still serves as the flavor base. Create it from scratch or purchase a reputable brand like Stubb’s.

Yellow mustard gives the food a vinegary tang. Start with one teaspoon rather than one tablespoon if you don’t like tang, vinegar, or mustard, and work your way up from there.

How can Beans be Made More Flavorful without Using Meat?

Mushroom Broth & Dried Mushrooms

The secret to perfectly flavored vegetarian beans is to simmer the beans in the mushroom broth (either all or part of the recipe’s cooking liquid) after steeping the dried mushrooms in boiling water to make a broth. Add the mushrooms to the beans after they have been chopped. The beans absorb the savory flavor, and the chopped mushrooms add a wonderful texture. While dried mushrooms can be challenging to locate at the grocery store, they are typically located near other specialized spices and seasonings.

What Type of Seasoning Works Well with Beans?

Generally, herbs like parsley, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme pair well with most beans. Generally speaking, garlic and onions are also good choices. Other affinities exist between specific beans, such as fava or mung beans, and certain herbs and spices.

Not that other combinations will not succeed. We always advise following your taste buds when experimenting in the kitchen.

What Ingredients Make Up the Baked Bean Sauce?

The sauce’s ingredients include smoked paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar. It has smoky, tangy, salty, and sweet flavors. Combine all the ingredients and bake it with the beans and bacon for maximum flavor—it couldn’t be easier!

How are Baked Beans Served?

Even when served as a side dish, baked beans might take center stage on your plate because they are that good! We adore pairing them with traditional southern fare like mac and cheese, pulled pork, hamburgers, coleslaw, and potato salad. However, you could also eat them in bowls! You can combine them with mashed potatoes, add cheese and green onions, and create a warm and satisfying bowl of comfort food.

How Long will a Barbecue Baked Bean Last?

Do you wish to prepare them in advance? Certainly not a problem. Baked beans can last up to a week when kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Are you having leftovers? Although it’s unlikely, you can freeze them in an airtight freezer-safe container. For up to three months in the freezer, it will keep well.

The beans need to defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

How Might a Can of Baked Beans be Improved?

Here are some potential additions to take into account if you’ve tasted the canned beans and want to improve their flavor:

Fresh vegetables: We enjoy adding minced red bell pepper, minced fresh garlic, and minced onion to canned beans. Add the canned beans after sautéing the chopped vegetables in a little olive oil for a few minutes to soften them.

Sweetener: Add a dash of brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey if you prefer your baked beans on the sweet side. Start with a few teaspoons and work your way up from there.

Heat: Our baked beans are a little bit spicy. You can’t take heat away, so add slowly! If you do, add some cayenne pepper, hot sauce, chopped hot pepper, or sriracha sauce.

Spices: Add some dry mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, paprika, or smoked paprika to make your beans more flavorful.

Other ingredients: Go through your refrigerator and think about putting some barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, or Worcestershire sauce on your canned beans.

Meat: Making baked beans with Meat makes them heartier and fit for a meal. Add some hot dogs, sausage, bacon, or pulled pork. Buy the bacon cooked off the salad bar in the grocery store to save money.

Conclusion

A staple of the summer is baked beans. They take less than 15 minutes to prepare and make a great side dish. They have a sweet, thick texture and bacon and hot sauce flavor. Additionally, they can be used as the main course at a barbecue. You can add green onion slices to make them even more delectable. Try adding some homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce to boost the flavor.

These beans have a real smoky flavor and are tangy, sweet, and flavorful. They can be prepared on a stovetop or outside smoker, but grilling is also a great option. The bacon can also be cooked on the stovetop before adding other ingredients.