There’s something about those savory smoked side dishes that can really take a quick and easy dinner and turn them into something over the top. In this case, we have paired bbq beans with some simple country-style pork back ribs to make a southern-style feast at home.
Reinventing meals is a favorite pastime! Using up leftovers and swapping out side dishes so that eating all week is easy. Prep your kitchen on the weekend, then just munch on whatever is leftover throughout the week, adding quick proteins and a fresh salad to the rotation. It makes meal planning so easy.
Brisket bbq beans are one of those inspirations. Just like Smoked Baked Beans, they are easy to make and amazing southern baked beans everyone loves.
What are BBQ Beans?
Barbque beans are the perfect way to use up leftovers from the kitchen. Add this idea to the road on a camping trip, and you have gold! So taking scraps from the weekend’s smoked brisket and chopping them into your favorite smoked beans is a total harmony of grilled flavors!
Ingredients for BBQ Beans
Whipping up these classic cowboy beans is actually a mishmash of pantry staples, like ketchup, bbq sauce, mustard, vinegar, onion, brown sugar, garlic, salt, and a dash of Worcestershire. Add in a roasted poblano pepper and a variety of beans you have on hand, and things are looking really good.
Using up leftovers is a personal mission of mine (I mean, not that you expected my kitchen to have leftovers? Right?) So taking scraps from the weekends smoked brisket and chopping them into my favorite smoked beans is a total harmony of grilled flavors!
How to Make This Easy Side Dish
To make the best baked beans ever, prepare your large cast iron skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon first! On the same skillet, you’ll saute your onions and poblano pepper with a little garlic. Add your spices and liquids, including barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Then, add your beans and smoked brisket and let it smoke!
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
If you are going to use dried beans over canned beans, here are a few tips. You want the beans to be nice and soft. The outer skin shouldn’t be mealy!
- Soak but don’t salt the beans first. If you soak in salted water, then it toughens the skin.
- Toss the soak water and start fresh for the cooking water. The soak helps break down the complex sugars that cause… ahem… the flatulent side of the bean.
- Bring the water to a slow boil. Cooking time will take up to 2 hours, so be patient. You will get the flavor in there when you make the brisket bbq beans with your prepared beans.
- Skim the foam off the cooking beans periodically.
QUICK WAYS TO ADD FLAVOR TO BAKED BEANS
Toss in a little of the following to add a little something-something to your beans and really develop a deep piquancy.
- Molasses
- Maple Syrup
- Coffee or espresso powder
- Bourbon or Whiskey
What to Serve with BBQ Beans Recipe
Not sure what to serve with the best-baked beans ever? You seriously can’t go wrong with any main dish. Try serving them with a delicious, Perfect Oven-Roasted Rack of Pork, hot dogs, and burgers, or Buttermilk Brined Grilled Chicken Wings. If you are into southern bbq, this homemade baked bean recipe is for you. This classic recipe pairs nicely with any cut of meat as a great side dish for an outdoor gathering or camping trip.
Leftovers and Reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You can reheat on the stovetop in a pan if you are making them for a lot of people or in the microwave for single servings.
Recipe FAQs
This is absolutely your call and based on whatever you have in the pantry and how much prep time you have. Dry beans will need to be soaked and rinsed for at least 8 hours before cooking.
Canned beans should be rinsed to remove any excess liquid and reduce the sodium. If using canned beans, reduce the salt in the recipe to taste.
Picking what kind of beans goes into this recipe is rather easy. Use a mix of navy beans, kidney beans, white beans, and pinto beans. Heck, start with canned beans and build from there .. don’t overthink it! Great northern beans, cannellini beans, and even black beans do wonders.
Leftover brisket can be a little hard to use up when you get past the thin-sliced buttery melt-in-your-mouth layers. So, chopping it up and tossing it into other dishes stretches the dollar and makes the most of it all. The fat in brisket renders well in beans and adds another layer of flavor to this dish.
If you don’t have brisket, there are other things that go great in this, too, like chopped pork loin back ribs for starters. Leftover ribs are a perfect option.
Also, shredded pork would be great in there too. Really, it’s about adding some meat with a little bonus fat so that it stays moist and adds to the richness of the beans.
Don’t have a smoker but still want to make amazing baked beans? Yep, you can make these in a slow cooker. You won’t get the same flavor, but if you are using smoked brisket, then the beans will infuse with the hint of smoke from the meat as they simmer away in the slow cooker for around 6 hours on low.
If you are not going to actually use a smoker to smoke a brisket for ten hours ahead of time just to make brisket bbq beans, then there are other ways to get the smokiness in there. If you are making these with a slow cooker like a crock pot, then you can always add a bit of smoke flavoring.
Liquid smoke is pretty handy, and it actually does get made with a variety of smoked charcoals. For this recipe, use alder or hickory smoke wood chips.
You can also add smoke and a bit of heat with some smoked peppers like smoked anchos. They add a bit of heat, but not too much.
More Great bbq Side dishes
Side Dish Recipes
Smoked Corn on the Cob
Side Dish Recipes
Duck Fat Fries
Side Dish Recipes
Smoked Potato Salad
Side Dish Recipes
Easy Grilled Corn Salad
BBQ beans are a classic side dish for any occasion. Whip them up using leftover vegetables on a camping trip or serve them at a family function. Your next bbq will be buzzing once these amazing beans are served up. They’re the perfect side dish for the family or a large group.
Everyone who tastes this dish will enjoy the yummy bacon pieces and the savory flavors. The simple ingredients of this dish are the best part! Everything is probably already in your kitchen, so grab them and get started!
Brisket BBQ Beans
Recommended Equipment
- grill
- Wood Chips or chunks for smoking
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 poblano peppers fire-roasted, skinned, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Brisket Rub
- ¼ cup beer or water
- 1 cup honey barbecue sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 28 oz can pinto beans rinsed and drained
- 2 cups smoked brisket chopped
Instructions
Cook the Bacon
- In a large cast-iron skillet heated over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy.
- Remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel.
Sautee the Onion:
- In the same skillet, with the rendered bacon fat, add the onion and saute about 5 minutes until soft.
- Add in the chopped poblano and cook 5 minutes longer.
- Add in the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds longer.
Add the Spices:
- Mix in the salt, brown sugar, and brisket rub.
Whisk in the Liquids:
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of beer if needed by adding the liquid to the pan and scraping up any browned bits.
- Add the barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire and stir to combine.
Add the Beans:
- Add the beans and allow the dish to smoke over the grill about 45 minutes.
Smoke:
- Add the chopped brisket and continue to smoke, for another hour.
Serve:
- Remove the beans from the heat and serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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Will definitely taste amazing! But I do find it kind of ridiculous/funny that you list the “Amount Per Serving (1 g)”. You know how small that is, right ?
HA! I just saw that. The nutrition is calculated by a program and that is indeed SO small! Good catch, Scott. 😀
The recipe sounds good but how can this serve 12?? If you only use 2 14ounce cans (28 ounces) of beans even with the additional ingredients, it would only be enough to serve 1g each.
Hey Hey Lee, the nutritional value is always an estimate and will change based on portions and ingredients. Enjoy!
Thats one great use of leftovers!