Smoked Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Bacon

Smoked baked beans in a cast iron Dutch oven garnished with chopped cooked bacon and sliced green onions.

4 from 9 votes

Smoked Baked Beans with Ground Beef and Bacon

Bring these smoked baked beans to your next backyard barbecue and everyone will rave. You’ll love how an easy baked beans recipe can be taken to new heights by smoking them on a pellet grill.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Cook Time 1

Resting time 15

Servings people

Calories 239kcal

Author Lisa Bynum

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 medium green bell pepper diced
2 (28 ounces each) cans original flavor baked beans
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ cup barbecue sauce
¼ cup maple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste
7 strips uncooked bacon chopped

Instructions

Preheat the pellet grill to 350 degrees.
Brown the hamburger meat in a large heat-safe pot or skillet over medium heat. Break the meat into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon and cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the ground beef from the pot and set it aside. Reserve two tablespoons of the grease and return the pot to the heat.
Add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion and bell pepper are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
Return the ground beef to the pot. Add the cans of baked beans, mustard, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, syrup, salt and pepper. Stir until the ingredients are combined and the mixture is heated through.
Layer the chopped bacon strips over the top of the beans.
Smoke the beans on the pellet grill for one hour or until the internal temperature of the beans reaches 165 degrees F, the bacon is browned and the beans are bubbling.

Video

Notes

Storage. Allow the bbq beans to cool completely, then cover with a lid or plastic wrap before placing them in the refrigerator. Consume within four days.

Freezing. These beans freeze beautifully! I usually freeze them unbaked, but you can just as easily freeze them baked. If I know I'm going to freeze them, I assemble the beans in a disposable casserole dish so I'm not tying up one of my good dishes indefinitely. Cover the beans with aluminum foil. Write the cooking instructions on the top so you're not having to look for the recipe. Consume within three months. Allow the beans to thaw completely before smoking.

Reheating. If frozen, you will need to allow the beans the thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. Individual servings of smoked baked beans can easily be reheated for a minute or two in the microwave. If you are reheating a large amount, I recommend letting the beans come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, then bake them covered in a 350-degree oven for about 30-45 minutes until they are heated through.

Reheating. If frozen, you will need to allow the beans the thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Simply remove the foil or plastic wrap from the top and follow the cooking instructions listed in the recipe.

Nutrition