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It’s not a real barbecue until a dish of baked beans shows up! While there are many different versions and many different techniques, I’m here to tell you that these are the best. These are the tastiest, most satisfying, the easiest, and the meatiest. They not only make a great side dish, but if the budget’s a little tight, these will absolutely work as a main course. Sprinkle the top with sliced green onion if you like.
Calling a recipe "the best" is always a risky proposition, since these things are purely subjective; so what I really should have called this is, "What Chef John Thinks is the Best Barbecue Baked Beans." That would have been more accurate, but also kind of self-aggrandizing, and way too long, so I decided to stick to my guns, and simply proclaim this to be the best. Which it is.
Above and beyond the incredible taste, perfect texture, and impressive meatiness, this is also a very simple recipe to make, as long as you have a few hours baking time to invest. To me, the secret to a perfect dish of baked beans is a long, slow cooking time. Well, that's one of the secrets. The other is to not kill the beans with too much sugar, which in my opinion, almost every other baked bean recipe does.
We're only adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar here, which along with the barbecue sauce, ketchup, and molasses, provides what I think is plenty of sweetness to balance the other flavors. Feel free to add more if you want, but I want this to be as savory as it is sweet. Speaking of savory, you don't have to use as much meat as I did, but if you do, this could certainly be served as a main course, which is a great option if the barbecue budget is a little tight. Either way, I really do hope you give this a try soon.
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red beans
- 3 quarts water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes (Optional)
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ½ cups reserved bean cooking liquid
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
Directions
Step 1
Gather all ingredients.
Step 2
Add dry beans to a bowl, cover with water, and let soak for 8 hours, or overnight.
Step 3
Drain beans and transfer to a large pot filled with 3 quarts of cold, fresh water. Add bay leaf, pork shoulder, and onion. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir. Skim off foam if desired. Let simmer until beans are just tender, about 1 hour.
Step 4
Reduce heat to medium-low and stir. Skim off foam if desired. Let simmer until beans are just tender, about 1 hour.
Step 5
While beans simmer, combine barbecue sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, kosher salt, and garlic powder in a bowl with a whisk. Set aside until needed.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer tender bean mixture to a deep, 15×10-inch baking dish using a spider strainer.
Step 7
Pour in barbecue sauce mixture and 2 ½ cups of the bean cooking liquid. Place bacon slices on top.
Step 8
Bake uncovered in the center of the preheated oven until the liquids have reduced into a thick sauce, 2 to 3 hours.
Step 9
Enjoy!
Chef’s Notes:
Any dry bean will work, but red beans are my recommendation.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 12 | |
| Calories 273 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat7g | 9% |
| Saturated Fat2g | 11% |
| Cholesterol10mg | 3% |
| Sodium995mg | 43% |
| Total Carbohydrate43g | 16% |
| Dietary Fiber10g | 36% |
| Protein11g | |
| Potassium769mg | 16% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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source by allrecipe
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Excellent sauce. I skipped the meat products and substituted zucchini chunks and celery. Delicious vegetarian dish! I find that I can use most of chef John?s recipes for my vegetarian preference simply by subbing out the meat with veggies.
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Loved it but the recipe came out a bit dry – next time I will par boil longer and add more water. Great recipe Thank you from NH!
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Perfection! I will never be able to go back to store bought baked beans again. They were truly the BEST. Bravo Chef John!
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These are the greatest pork and beans ever!!!! My in-laws were raving about them!!! Keeper recipe from CJ!!!!!
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This recipe came out fantastic! I decided to make it on short notice and the grocery didn’t have any pork shoulder so I just diced up some thick cut pork chops and it was delicious. I don’t think you can go wrong with this recipe!
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Loved these beans! I did the quick soak method on the small red beans and skipped the pork. My cook time was longer for both the boil and the bake, but they turned out great.
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Cathy loves these.
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This recipe does take quite a bit of time, so you need to plan this in advance. However, it is worth the wait. I substituted left over pork roast for the pork shoulder and it was fabulous.
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Extremely good beans. The pork adds way more than I thought it would, and I was expecting it to add a lot!
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