The Best Barbecue Baked Beans

Name: The Best Barbecue Baked Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h 5 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Soul Food, Southern Recipes, American
Ingredients: 0.33 cup Apple Cider Vinegar; 1 cup Barbecue Sauce; 1 tsp Black Pepper; 1.5 lb Boneless Loin Pork Roast; 0.25 cup Brown Sugar; 0.13 tsp Cayenne Pepper; 1 whole Dried Bay Leaves; 1 lb Dried Red Beans; 1 tsp Garlic Powder; 0.5 cup Ketchup; 3 tbsp Molasses; 1 tbsp Salt; 2.5 cups Seasoned Beans; 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika; 6 slices Thick-Cut Bacon; 3 qt Water; 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce; 2 tbsp Yellow Mustard; 1 whole Yellow Onion

Side Dish 🥗Dinner 🍽️Lunch 🥪 Soul Food 🇺🇸Southern Recipes 🇺🇸American High-Protein 💪

The Best Barbecue Baked Beans marry smoky bacon and tender pork shoulder with sweet-tangy barbecue sauce, molasses, and brown sugar for deep, rich flavor. Slow baking turns the sauce thick and glossy while the beans stay hearty and satisfying. Ideal for summer cookouts, potlucks, or any BBQ spread where you want a standout side that eats like a meal.

Prep15 mins
Cook3 hrs 5 mins
Serves12
DifficultyMedium

1

Assemble all the ingredients.
2

Place the dry beans in a bowl, cover with water, and soak for 8 hours or overnight.
3

Drain the beans and move them to a large pot with 3 quarts of cold, fresh water. Add the bay leaf, pork shoulder, and onion. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir. Skim off any foam if you like. Simmer until the beans are just tender, about 1 hour.
4

Lower the heat to medium-low and stir. Skim off any foam if desired. Simmer until the beans are just tender, about 1 hour.
5

While the beans simmer, whisk together the barbecue sauce, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, mustard, Worcestershire, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, kosher salt, and garlic powder in a bowl. Set aside until needed.
6

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Using a spider strainer, transfer the tender bean mixture to a deep 15x10-inch baking dish.
7

Pour in the barbecue sauce mixture and 2 1/2 cups of the bean cooking liquid. Lay the bacon slices on top.
8

Bake, uncovered, on the center rack of the preheated oven until the liquids reduce to a thick sauce, 2 to 3 hours.
9

Enjoy!