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Savory BBQ Baked Beans with Bacon and Brown Sugar

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A smoky, sweet, and hearty baked beans recipe featuring crispy bacon and brown sugar, perfect for summer cookouts and crowd-pleasing side dishes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 strips thick-cut bacon
  • 4 cups canned baked beans (about two 15-ounce cans, navy or pinto beans)
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (your favorite brand or homemade)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1/4 cup water (to loosen the sauce if needed)
  • Optional: pinch of smoked paprika or cayenne pepper for extra kick

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Place bacon strips in a cold skillet and cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until golden and crisp. Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan.
  3. Add diced onions to the bacon fat in the skillet and cook over medium heat until translucent and slightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
  4. Once cooled, crumble the bacon into bite-sized pieces.
  5. In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, barbecue sauce, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, black pepper, and salt. Stir until smooth. Add up to 1/4 cup water if the sauce is too thick.
  6. In a large oven-safe baking dish, add baked beans, sautéed onions and garlic, crumbled bacon, and the sauce mixture. Stir gently to combine without breaking up the beans.
  7. Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to thicken the sauce and caramelize the top.
  8. Let the beans rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

If beans dry out during baking, add a tablespoon or two of water and stir gently halfway through cooking. For softer bacon, stir some pieces in earlier and reserve some for topping at the end. Covering with foil prevents drying and helps flavors meld. Adjust sweetness by tasting sauce before mixing. For vegetarian version, omit bacon and add smoked paprika or liquid smoke and sautéed mushrooms.

Nutrition

Keywords: BBQ baked beans, bacon baked beans, summer cookout side, smoky baked beans, brown sugar baked beans, easy baked beans recipe

Find it online: https://sunnysavory.com/savory-bbq-baked-beans-with-bacon-and-brown-sugar-easy-recipe-for-summer-cookouts/