Summer BBQ Baked Beans (Printer-friendly)

Tender beans in a rich, sweet, and smoky sauce with brown sugar and crispy bacon.

# 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

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F
02 - In a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook the 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 the diced onion and green bell pepper to the pan with bacon fat. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
04 - Stir in the drained beans, cooked bacon, and all sauce ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
05 - Bring the 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 the beans are bubbling and the sauce has thickened.
08 - Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The bacon fat does the real work here—it's not just flavor, it's insurance against bland beans.
  • You can prep everything in fifteen minutes and then let the oven do the thinking while you tend to grilling meat.
  • This tastes even better the next day, which means you can make it ahead and free up your own cooking time.
02 -
  • Do not skip rinsing the canned beans—I learned this the hard way by serving a batch that tasted weirdly metallic and gritty.
  • The sauce will look thin at first, but the oven transforms it; trust the process and don't add extra thickener.
  • Bacon fat is not a mistake—it's the secret that separates these beans from the ones that taste like you dumped ketchup on beans and called it a day.
03 -
  • If your sauce looks too thin after an hour, increase the oven temperature to 375°F for the last fifteen minutes and watch it closely—the sauce will reduce faster at higher heat.
  • Save a splash of the leftover liquid in a separate container; it's perfect for thinning cold beans the next day without diluting the flavor.
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