With a rich, savory sauce jazzed up with pulled pork, bacon, and onion, Smoked Baked Beans are a grownup version of a pork and beans recipe. With tons of flavor, this easy recipe is a must-try whenever you’re feeding a crowd or need a tasty side!
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Searching for some mouth-watering side dishes to elevate your summer potluck or main course? Look no further than one of our favorite pork recipes – scrumptious smoked baked beans! Filled with simple ingredients like pulled pork, onion, and brown sugar, these homemade baked beans are the perfect balance of sweet and savory! So, grab your ingredients and get ready to make this perfect side dish!
What Are Smoked Baked Beans?
This Smoked Baked Beans recipe uses classic canned pork and beans as a base with leftover pulled pork, and bacon pieces to create a rich smoky flavor! It’s a short-cut version using smoked pulled pork, unlike this low and slow smoked beans with brisket!
Smoked Baked Beans Ingredients
- Pork and Beans – Just 1 can of your favorite brand of pork and beans.
- Pulled Pork – This smoked pork and beans recipe is the perfect way to use any leftover shredded pork you might have in your fridge or freezer. I love leftover pulled pork and beans!
- Onion – Adds a subtle sweetness to highlight the sweet flavors of the sauce. You can use white or yellow onion.
- Maple Syrup – For a touch of sweetness.
- Brown Sugar – A bit more sweetness to help build the sweet and spicy sauce.
- Ketchup – Yes, ketchup. Trust me on this.
- Dijon Mustard – Adds a bit of spice and depth of flavor to the sauce. You can also use yellow mustard if you don’t have Dijon.
- BBQ sauce – I used Head Country Hickory Smoke to double down on the rich smoked flavor.
- Bacon – Cooked and chopped bacon to add a crispy texture and another layer of smoky flavor.
How to Make Smoked Baked Beans
These amazing BBQ beans are so crazy good that you’ll want them again and again! With double pork (pulled pork and bacon) and a plate-licking-worthy sauce, you’ll go back for seconds and thirds!
- Prep your wood and smoker for 225ºF. If you’re using a pellet grill, set the temp to 225 degrees F.
- Add the pork and beans to an 8×8 disposable aluminum pan, or grill safe baking dish, then stir in the pulled pork, onion, maple syrup, brown sugar, ketchup, Dijon mustard, and BBQ sauce. Mix well.
- Place the pan on the smoker and cook for 2-3 hours until it’s bubbling and the onions are tender. Remove, cover with foil, and cool for 5-10 minutes before serving!
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
You can use a cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven to make these easy baked beans instead of an 8×8 foil pan if you prefer!
Leftovers & Reheating
If you have leftover smoked pork and beans, cover them with foil or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days. To reheat:
- Warm them on low heat in the oven.
- Using 30-second intervals in the microwave, stirring after each interval until heated through.
- You can also reheat this delicious side dish in a pot on the stove. Turn the store on medium heat and slowly heat the beans until warm.
Serve on their own or alongside your favorite main dish!
What to Serve With Smoked Baked Beans
Wondering how to make canned beans taste better? This recipe for slow-smoked pork and beans is a great start, but here are some other ways to jazz them up:
- Leftover BBQ: Mix in leftover BBQ such as shredded beef, BBQ pork butt, or even burnt ends and bacon chunks.
- Spice: Go crazy with your seasonings, such as a sprinkle of cumin or mustard powder.
- Beer: Add a little beer to the liquid for a unique, hoppy flavor.
- Cola: The sugary sweet from the cola is magic in smoked beans. Be careful, though; a little goes a long way!
- Gourmet ketchup: Add in fancy ketchup like balsamic ketchup or chipotle ketchup. This will layer in unique flavors and keep the beans nice and thick.
- Different BBQ sauces: Play with the subtle flavors that different sauces could bring, like apple habanero or chipotle. Just don’t use a thin BBQ sauce for this; stick with the thicker ones to really help coat the beans.
What To Serve With Smoked Pork And Beans
You can serve these slow-smoked pork and beans on their own, in hot dogs, or as a side dish next to pulled pork sandwiches, grilled chicken wings, or smoked pork chops. Or, skip the big meat entree, since these are loaded with pork, and serve the best pork and beans recipe with creamy mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, or a nice chunk of crusty bread!
Recipe FAQs
What most of us know to be pork and beans are American pork and beans. It’s a simple, canned meal made of navy beans and salt pork in a tomato-based sauce.
You sure can! If you’d rather make this recipe completely homemade, you’ll just need to mix navy beans with ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and either maple syrup or molasses. Then, play around with it until it’s just the flavor you want!
Yes! If you can open a can, mix, and measure, you can handle this easy smoker recipe! Just pop them onto the smoker, and then get ready to eat!
Although pork and beans and baked beans are made up of navy beans in a tomato-based sauce, they are quite different. Pork and beans are lighter in color and much sweeter since they’re made with brown sugar or molasses. On the other hand, baked beans are darker in color and made with more savory seasonings.
Yes! Worcestershire sauce has a slightly sweet, tangy flavor similar to the ingredients used in this classic recipe. It’s not a substitute for brown sugar or maple syrup, which sweeten this dish, but it can be added in addition to for a richer umami taste.
You can use any favorite bbq sauce you like, as long as it’s tomato based! We go for thicker ones that won’t get too watered down when mixed with everything else.
Yes! Use dark brown sugar for a deeper, sweeter flavor!
We used an electric smoker, but you have options, including:
Pellet smoker – Set the pellet grill to smoke before programming the smoker to 225ºF, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
Gas grill – Create smoke by using a two-zone indirect heat fire. Turn ⅔ of the burners to low and place a smoker box with chips (or homemade aluminum packets with chips) on the burners to create smoke. Allow the chips to start smoking (about 10-15 minutes) before cooking the pork and beans.
Charcoal grill – Create a two-zone fire for indirect heat. When you’re ready to smoke the beans, place them on the cooler side of the grill and add wood chips or chunks to your fire.
More Smoker Recipes
This easy side dish will surely be a hit at your next barbecue or family get-together! The rich pork flavor combined with the sweetness of the maple syrup and brown sugar creates a flavorful side dish for any occasion! Be sure to rate the recipe card and leave a comment below to help out the next reader.
Smoked Baked Beans
Recommended Equipment
- Smoker
- Aluminum tin / pan
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz can pork and beans
- 1 cup leftover shredded pork
- 1/2 onion minced
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup Head Country Hickory Smoke BBQ Sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1 tbs dijon mustard
- 4 strips bacon cooked and chopped
Instructions
Prep the pork and beans
- Prep your wood and smoker for 225 degrees and get things going.
- Add the pork and beans to an 8×8 aluminium pan.
- Mix in the onion, maple syrup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and bacon.
- Add in the leftover shredded pork and mix to combine.
Smoke the pork and beans
- Place in the smoker for 2 to 3 hours, until bubbling and hot through.
- Remove, cover with foil and let cool 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serve
- Garnish with parsley if desired and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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This slow smoke recipe is one of the best I have tried for beans, wow!
I’ll have to try this out on my barrel smoker! It sounds wonderful
This seems to be awesome to try out. I will treat my friends this week with this recipe for sure.
I’m a big fan of my current electric smoker but I’ve had it for a long time now and think its time for an upgrade. I’m researching different brands and after reading some of the reviews online the Charbroil looks like it might be worth a try. The beans recipe looks awesome too!
Looks like you already have some reviews on the Masterbuilt. Have you tried them yet?
Now THAT is an intriguing idea. I never would have thought to Smoke Pork and Beans but that looks delicious!
Thanks Terry!
This sounds lovely and really tasty. Thank you for sharing this.
Simon
Yea I definitely do not trust myself with a smoker so an electric option would be awesome! These beans look like perfection.