Summer BBQ Baked Beans (Printable)

Tender beans baked in a sweet, smoky sauce combined with crispy bacon for a rich, flavorful side.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beans and Main Components

01 - 4 cups canned navy beans, drained and rinsed
02 - 8 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
03 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, finely diced

→ Sauce

05 - 3/4 cup ketchup
06 - 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
07 - 1/4 cup molasses
08 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
09 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
10 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
11 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
13 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

# Method:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
02 - In a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving approximately 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan.
03 - Add diced onion and green bell pepper to the pan with bacon fat. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
04 - Stir in drained beans, cooked bacon (reserving 2 tablespoons for topping), and all sauce ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
05 - Bring mixture to a simmer, then remove from heat.
06 - If not using an oven-safe pan, transfer mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle reserved bacon over the top.
07 - Bake uncovered for 1 hour, until beans are bubbling and sauce has thickened.
08 - Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • You get that restaurant-quality depth from molasses and brown sugar without any fussy techniques or obscure ingredients.
  • It's genuinely foolproof—once everything's in the pan, the oven does the work while you tend to grilling.
02 -
  • Overcooking the bacon initially will turn it to crispy dust that won't have any chew left by the time the beans finish baking, so aim for that sweet spot where it's crunchy but still a little chewy inside.
  • The sauce needs time to thicken; if you bake these covered, the steam traps moisture and you'll end up with bean soup instead of a thick, clingy sauce, so resist the temptation to cover the dish.
03 -
  • If your oven runs hot or cool, adjust the temperature by 25 degrees and check the beans at the 50-minute mark so you're not guessing when they're done.
  • Taste the sauce before it goes in the oven and adjust the seasoning then, not after baking, since flavors become more concentrated as the liquid reduces.
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