| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 strips thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/4-inch slivers
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 2 (15-ounce) cans great northern or kidney beans, drained and rinsed in a colander
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1/4 tablespoon liquid smoke, or to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a heavy pot, cook the bacon over medium heat to render the fat, about 5 minutes. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat.
- Add the onion, pepper, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the beans, molasses, barbecue sauce, ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustards, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Simmer the beans, uncovered, until rich and thickly flavored, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Alternatively, place the baked beans in a deep baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Add salt, pepper, or any other ingredient to taste.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 347 |
| Total Fat | 9 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 56 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Sugar | 30 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 13 mg |
| Sodium | 829 mg |
Reviews
We made as stated and tried it. I only did 2 Tbl of the brown sugar and I have a huge sweet tooth, but I thought it was WAY too sweet. I understand that sweet was in the name but holy cow. We also couldn’t taste any of the liquid smoke which was a shame. So, I added salt until I felt it countered the sweetness to a normal amount and added another 1 1/4 tsp of the liquid smoke so we could at least taste it. I can see why people like it, but we just thought it was too overpoweringly sweet so we just did 3 stars since we had to change it up. In the end, I loved it but will still only do 1Tbl of brown sugar next time.
My family and I loved this recipe. It was full of flavor with green peppers and bacon. I used a 1/4 cup of maple syrup instead of molasses and red wine vinegar. Even better the next day!
I have made these twice now the first time with Kidney good. The second with Navy Incredible!!!!! I bake for at least an hour at 350 then let sit out for a couple hours then reheat before serving. Also doubled the bacon!!!
We loved this recipe, fed four hungry people as side dish but would double if taking to a barbecue. Excellent balance of flavors, used pinto beans and cooked lower temp, covered for an hour longer.
Did not have liquid smoke, substituted smoked paprika, but will try w/ smoke next time.
Did not have liquid smoke, substituted smoked paprika, but will try w/ smoke next time.
These beans deserve a medal! I’ve had good baked beans, and good barbeque beans, but nowhere have I had good barbeque sweet baked beans like this! My family had a revered recipe that has been passed down for years but this has become the new family recipe! Thank you!
For people who are wondering about their beans coming out hard or crunchy, you can always try using pork and beans and rinsing off the sauce. Or, try taking the beans and cooking them a while before adding to your recipe.
I am SO excited I found this recipe again! I originally found this in a long-ago edition of Bon Appetit magazine and it was my quickie baked bean standard, but I lost the magazine. This is the same exact recipe that I used to use. It’s going to be a Happy 4th of July! Thank you Steven! (I think the others that posted a bad review didn’t see that you’re supposed to use CANNED beans…
I’m a big fan of Steven’s. I have all of his books and have never been steered wrong. I have made these beans several times, and as several other reviewers have stated, the beans always come out of the over either hard or crunchy. I made the recipe various times trying to perfect it, in that it is definitely tasty, but the hardness of the beans ruins the dish.
Not sure what I did wrong but the beans are hard and dry. I used red kidney beans…I will not make this again
These are truly the best baked beans I’ve ever tasted. I’ve made them numerous times and have gotten rave reviews from my guests. An important thing I’ve learned about this recipe is that you must make the beans 1-2 days ahead of time in order for the flavors to meld. The first time I made them, I almost threw them away because the mustard flavor was so pungent. Luckily, I had made them ahead of time and the next day, they were heavenly! Try this recipe!
I recently made the BBQ sauce recipe found in this baked bean recipe with great success! We used the sauce as an added sauce to each bowl of beans my husband and I had from my own huge batch of beans and ground turkey. I quadrupled the recipe for Steven’s BBQ sauce, as my own recipe is loosely based around 2 lbs of dry pinto beans and 3 lbs of ground turkey. Obviously, a batch of beans this big would need more BBQ sauce! My husband & I are making this dish again tonight…and we’re salivating just thinking of tasting Mr. Raichlen’s BBQ sauce again! I have his book, “How to Grill” and every single recipe I have cooked from it over the years, has turned out perfectly! He’s the BEST in BBQ & Grilling! Nancy in Portland, OR