Smoked Southern Baked Beans

Smoked Southern Baked Beans

The secret to these baked beans is time on the smoker. As they cook uncovered, the sauce reduces, the top caramelizes, and every stir builds another layer of smoky barbecue flavor.

Author

Malcom Reed

Ingredients

• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• ½ sweet onion, diced
• 1 small red bell pepper, diced
• 2 (28 oz) cans Bush's Original Baked Beans, drained
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1-2 tsp hot sauce
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2 tbsp The BBQ Rub
• 1½ (18 oz) bottles Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat smoker to 275°F.
2. Brown the sausage in a skillet. Remove and reserve, leaving the grease in the pan.
3. Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and sauté until softened and most of the moisture has cooked away. Season with 1 tbsp BBQ rub.
4. Combine the beans, cooked sausage, vegetables, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, brown sugar, remaining 1 tbsp BBQ rub, and BBQ sauce in a large aluminum pan. Mix well.
5. Place the pan uncovered on the smoker and cook for 3 hours, stirring every hour to incorporate the caramelized layer that forms on top.
6. Remove when the sauce has thickened and the beans have developed a rich, smoky color. Rest 10 minutes before serving.