Most store-bought baked beans are overly sweet, mushy, and entirely forgettable. This recipe, however, uses canned Great Northern Beans. Elevating them with a quick and easy homemade sauce. Between the smoky bacon, the subtle heat of green chiles, and the deep, wood-fired flavor from a generous splash of liquid smoke, these beans are practically addictive. They’re thick, sticky, smoky, and best of all? You can prep them days in advance, making this side dish the perfect stress-free secret weapon for your next backyard barbecue or picnic.
Several years ago, I made these Baked Barbecued Beans with Bacon. And just like that, I instantly had a new way to make homemade baked beans. Forget soaking the beans overnight ahead of time. Forget buying store-bought canned baked beans and jazzing them up. Nope. Using canned Great Northern Beans and then adding a homemade sauce to them, along with bacon, now, that’s the way to go. But to be totally honest, there were a few things in my original recipe that I felt could use some improvement. I even mentioned them in the post. The original recipe calls for placing strips of bacon over the beans while baking. Now, sure, the bacon strips helped pretty up the beans and make them look gloriously bacony; however, when it came to eating them, they just weren’t practical. The bacon wasn’t cooked as I would have liked, and only a few people actually got a slice. So, this time around, I crisped up the bacon first, crumbled it, and added it to the entire bean mixture. Huge improvement.
With this version, there’s still all the great bacony flavor everyone gets to enjoy. The other big differences in this version? Well, of course, the added chopped green chiles. But I also omitted minced garlic and added a touch more black pepper and liquid smoke. This really is a forgiving recipe that you can play around with and make your own. Another great thing about this version? You may notice from the pictures included here that I prepped the beans a day ahead of time so I could simply pop them in the oven about an hour and a half before I needed them the next day. Sadly, with these pics, you don’t see how thick and bubbly these beans get after baking. But you can always look at pictures of the original Baked Barbecued Beans with Bacon recipe for an idea. Seriously, y’all, if you’re looking for a great recipe to take to your next barbecue or picnic that can easily be prepped a day or two ahead, this is that recipe. I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t be coming home with any leftovers.
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Extra-Thick Sliced Bacon
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Finely Diced
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 1/2 Cup Molasses
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Liquid Smoke
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 3/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 3 (15.5-oz.) Cans Great Northern Beans with Juice
- 1 (15.5-oz.) Can Great Northern Beans, Rinsed & Drained
- 1 (7-oz.) Can Chopped Green Chiles
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Finely dice the bacon. Place the diced bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the bacon is crispy and browned. Remove the diced bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and sauté them for approximately 5 minutes, or until they are translucent. Make sure to stir them occasionally to prevent them from burning.
- Add the brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Dijon mustard, whole grain Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Place all of the beans and the green chiles into a large rectangular baking dish. Add the sauce and crispy bacon to the beans; stir well to combine.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil, increase the heat to 425 degrees, and then cook the beans until bubbly and browned.
Suggestions:
- Make sure to get your bacon nice and crispy when frying it. It adds texture and flavor to the beans.
- The liquid helps to thicken the beans as they cook. In every other recipe, I always discard the juice from canned beans and rinse them well; however, this recipe is an exception. The extra can of rinsed and drained beans helps achieve a good balance between beans and sauce.
- If you don’t care for liquid smoke, or you can’t find it anywhere, feel free to omit it. It is usually found in the barbecue sauce section at your local market.
- I’ve noticed lately that most cans of chopped green chiles come in a 4-oz. size, not a 7-oz. size. If you can only find the 4-oz. size, use two cans for this recipe.
- Use a smooth-surfaced baking dish for easier cleanup. If your baking dish has lots of crevices, it will be harder to clean.
- If you prep the baked beans a day or two ahead, make sure to take the baking dish out at least an hour before baking. This will help the beans reach room temperature and ensure the baking dish does not crack or explode in your oven.
Improvements:
- Add even more bacon. After all, everything tastes better with more bacon. Just make sure to drain it well, so that the beans don’t become too oily.
- If you like smoky-flavored foods, add more liquid smoke.
- Replace the crushed red pepper flakes in this recipe with finely diced jalapeño.
- Add an additional can of chopped green chiles.
Ingredients:
- 1 Pound Extra-Thick Sliced Bacon
- 1 Large Sweet Yellow Onion, Finely Diced
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 1/2 Cup Ketchup
- 1/2 Cup Molasses
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Liquid Smoke
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 3/4 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 3/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 3 (15.5-oz.) Cans Great Northern Beans with Juice
- 1 (15.5-oz.) Can Great Northern Beans, Rinsed & Drained
- 1 (7-oz.) Can Chopped Green Chiles
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Finely dice the bacon. Place the diced bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until the bacon is crispy and browned. Remove the diced bacon pieces to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and sauté them for approximately 5 minutes, or until they are translucent. Make sure to stir them occasionally to prevent them from burning.
- Add the brown sugar, ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Dijon mustard, whole grain Dijon mustard, liquid smoke, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper to the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bubbly.
- Place all of the beans and the green chiles into a large rectangular baking dish. Add the sauce and crispy bacon to the beans; stir well to combine.
- Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil, increase the heat to 425 degrees, and then cook the beans until bubbly and browned.
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