This is slightly modified from a recipe I got from my good friend Bryan Proffer. Bryan is a BBQ expert and has probably forgotten more than I know. This is my favorite BBQ side dish. Easy to make, and the flavor is money. Even people who don’t like beans will love these. Trust me.

The original recipe makes a huge quantity (feeds 20-30). I usually make just a half batch (feeds 10-15).

Ingredients (Full Batch)

2 cans (55 oz) Bush’s Original baked beans
3 cans (15 oz) Original Ranch Style Beans (or chili beans)

Veg. oil
2 medium Yellow onions, diced to 1/4″

1/2 cup Molasses
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
2 Tbsp Plain yellow mustard
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
~2 C Crumbled bacon or leftover brisket burnt ends/ribs/pulled pork

Ingredients (Half Batch)

1 cans (55 oz) Bush’s Original baked beans
1-2 cans (15 oz) Original Ranch Style Beans (or chili beans)

Veg. oil
1 medium Yellow onions, diced to 1/4″

1/4 cup Molasses
1/4 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
1 Tbsp Plain yellow mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
~1 C Crumbled bacon or leftover brisket burnt ends/ribs/pulled pork

Directions

Peel and chop your onion(s).

Heat a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add some veg or olive oil and saute the onions until tender.

Add all of other ingredients, including onions, to a large deep baking dish and stir to mix well (I use disposable aluminum pans).

Place on smoker at smoke setting with hickory, mesquite, or apple. Smoke for two hours, stirring every 15-30 minutes.

Bake in the oven at 325 degrees for 30-90 minutes, stirring occasionally until beans reached desired temp and consistency. If they start getting too thick, cover with foil.

Note: Smoking is essential for flavor! Don’t skip this step. You can always smoke them one day and put them in the fridge and then heat them up the next day. Works great.

Also, for the bacon bits, you can use the bacon crumbles from Coscto. However, if you have some leftover ribs, remove meat from the bones and chop into small chunks and freeze (1 C or so per bag). Then thaw and gently stir in. Leftover rib meat is the best – adds some texture and little chunks of smoky chewy meaty goodness.