Summer BBQ Baked Beans (Printable)

Tender beans baked in sweet smoky sauce with crispy bacon for summer meals.

# What You Need:

→ Beans and Main Components

01 - 4 cups canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
02 - 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, finely diced

→ Sauce

05 - 3/4 cup ketchup
06 - 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
07 - 1/4 cup molasses
08 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
09 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
11 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F.
02 - In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving approximately 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
03 - Add diced onion and green bell pepper to the pan. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
04 - Stir in drained beans, cooked bacon (reserving 2 tablespoons for topping), and all sauce ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
05 - Bring the mixture to a simmer, then remove from heat.
06 - If not using an oven-safe pan, transfer mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle reserved bacon over the top.
07 - Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until beans are bubbling and sauce has thickened.
08 - Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can literally throw this together in 15 minutes, then let the oven do the heavy lifting while you focus on grilling.
  • The bacon fat base adds a depth of flavor that canned beans usually lack, making people swear you started from scratch.
  • It reheats beautifully, so you can make it the day before and just warm it through before serving.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the canned beans because the canning liquid will make your sauce thin and dilute, and you'll end up disappointed.
  • The bacon should stay crispy, so reserve a couple of tablespoons to sprinkle on top at the very end as garnish, not mixed into the whole batch.
  • If your sauce looks too thin after baking, you can always pop it back in the oven for another 15 minutes to thicken up further.
03 -
  • Buy quality bacon and don't cheap out here because the whole dish tastes like the quality of your bacon.
  • Taste the sauce before the beans go in the oven because this is your only chance to adjust the seasoning without the beans diluting your corrections.
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