Smoked Baked Beans

These smoked baked beans are sweet, smoky, savory, and loaded with rich barbecue flavor. Slow-smoked until thick and bubbling, they’re the perfect easy side dish for grilled meats, pulled pork, brisket, and backyard BBQs.

These smoked baked beans are sweet, smoky, savory, and loaded with rich barbecue flavor. Slow-smoked until thick and bubbling, they’re the perfect easy side dish for grilled meats, pulled pork, brisket, and backyard BBQs.

If you want a side dish that disappears first at every cookout, this smoked baked beans recipe is the one to make. Thick-cut bacon, a rich BBQ sauce, and a few hours of smoke flavor turn simple canned beans into a dish that tastes like it took all day. It works on a pellet smoker, an electric smoker, or any smoker you already own.

Why This Recipe Works

• The bacon fat renders right into the beans as they smoke, so every bite gets that smoky bacon flavor
• The sauce is a perfect balance of sweet and savory, built from maple syrup, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce
• Cherry wood or your favorite wood chips add a deep, rich smoky flavor without any extra work
• It is a genuinely easy side dish. Stir everything together in a cast iron pan and let the smoker do the rest

What Type of Bean Should You Use?

There is not just one type of bean that works here. Baked beans are usually made with white beans, and you have a lot of options within that variety of bean. Navy beans, pinto beans, and cannellini beans are all common choices, and even kidney beans or black beans can work if you want a different texture and look.

Canned beans are the fastest option and what this recipe is built around. If you prefer dried beans, you can absolutely use them. Dry beans need to soak overnight and cook until tender before they go into the smoker, but many people prefer the texture and the ability to control the salt level.

Ingredients

Beans

• Pinto beans and cannellini beans, drained and rinsed. Navy beans, black beans, or kidney beans all work as a swap if that is what you have from the grocery store

Aromatics

• White onion or fresh onions, diced finely. A red onion works too if you want a slightly sharper bite

Bacon

• Thick-cut bacon, diced into small bacon pieces. This is where most of the smoky bacon flavor and bacon fat in the dish comes from
• Brown sugar, black pepper, and smoky paprika for the bacon seasoning. A pinch of chili powder is a nice optional add if you want extra warmth

Sauce (BBQ Sauce Base)

• Ketchup as the tomato sauce base. Tomato paste or tomato sauce can stand in if you want a less sweet, more savory bbq sauce
• Maple syrup and dark brown sugar for sweetness
• Worcestershire sauce and dark molasses for depth and color
• Apple cider vinegar for tang
• Garlic powder and onion powder
• Optional: a spoonful of Dijon mustard or yellow mustard for extra tang, a teaspoon of liquid smoke if you want more smoke flavor, or a spoonful of adobo sauce if you like a little heat
• A splash of bourbon, completely optional

How to Make Smoked Baked Beans on the Grill

Preheat the Smoker

Preheat your pellet smoker, electric smoker, or Traeger grill to 300°F and set it up for indirect heat. Cherry wood or your favorite premium wood pellets both work well and add a rich, smoky flavor without overpowering the sauce.

Prep the Beans

Rinse and drain all the beans and add them to your cast iron pan or a disposable aluminum pan. Dice the onion finely and mix it in with the beans.

Make the Sauce

In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the sauce ingredients until fully combined and there are no lumps. Pour the sauce over the beans and fold everything together so the beans are evenly coated. Spread the mixture out in an even layer across the top of the beans.

Season and Add the Bacon

Toss the bacon seasoning together in a small bowl and coat the diced bacon pieces with it. Scatter the seasoned bacon in an even layer across the top of the beans.

Smoke

Place the pan on the smoker, uncovered, over indirect heat. Smoke for about 2 to 3 hours, or until the sauce is bubbly and thick and the bacon on top is cooked through and crisp. Since this batch has more sauce than a standard recipe, give it the extra time so it can reduce down properly.

Serve

Serve the beans hot off the smoker with your favorite barbecue and sides.

Tips and Variations

• For extra bacon flavor: render a couple of strips of bacon in a skillet over medium heat first, then use a slotted spoon to lift out the bacon pieces and stir the leftover bacon fat into the bean mixture before it goes on the smoker
• Flavor Variations: Switch up the flavor profile by smoking this Hawaiian baked beans recipe.
• Turn it into a main dish: stir in cooked ground beef or chopped beef brisket before smoking to turn this side dish into a main course.
• No smoker? No problem: this recipe works in a slow cooker or a Dutch oven in the oven at 300°F. You will lose some smoke flavor, so add a teaspoon of liquid smoke to make up for it
• Storage: Let leftovers cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
• Next time: if you like your beans on the sweeter side, add a little bit more maple syrup or dark brown sugar to the sauce

Frequently Asked Questions:

Serving Suggestions:

This is a classic side dish that pairs with almost anything off the smoker or grill. Try it alongside smoked brisket, pulled pork, smoked burgers, or smoked chicken thighs. It also holds its own next to a fresh green salad or grilled corn if you want something lighter on the table. Here are some of my favorites:

• Smoked Pork Brisket
• Grilled Succotash
• Smoked Burgers
• Crispy Artichoke Salad
• Smoked Pulled Beef
• Smoked Chicken Thighs

More Recipes To Try:

• Smoked Cornbread
• Tuscan Bean Salad with Barley
• Smoked Scallop Potatoes
• Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
• Smoked Chili Recipe