Barbecue Beans Recipe | Grilling

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated March 29, 2025
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Each week Joshua Bousel drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

I'm going out on a limb here, because this is technically not barbecue, or grilling. But there are few other sides so ubiquitous with both as barbecue beans. Although tastes vary widely across the nation, I can't think of a barbecue joint I've been that has not had beans on their menu, and it's also, rightfully, one of the most frequent sides cooked up in my house.

It's hard for me to fire up the smoker without making a batch of these beans—especially since I can just throw them in with whatever is smoking and let them cook, low and slow, until the perfect balance of flavor and tenderness is achieved. It takes a good six hours or so for this to happen, but patience is well rewarded, with a deeply sweet and meaty tasting bean that has just the right touch of heat to balance it all out.

Barbecue Beans

Adapted from Alton Brown

Recipe Details

Barbecue Beans Recipe | Grilling

Prep 5 mins
Cook 6 hrs 15 mins
Active 10 mins
Soaking Time 8 hrs
Total 14 hrs 20 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings
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Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried Great Northern beans

  • 1 pound bacon, chopped

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 2 jalapenos, chopped

  • 1/4 cup tomato paste

  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup molasses

  • Vegetable broth

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Directions

  1. Soak beans in a plastic container overnight in just enough cold water to submerge them completely.

  2. Heat smoker between 225-250 degrees, or heat over to 250 degrees.

  3. Place a cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat and stir in the bacon, onion, and jalapenos until enough fat has rendered from the bacon to soften the onions, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, dark brown sugar, and molasses.

  4. Drain the beans and reserve the soaking liquid. Add the drained beans to the Dutch oven. Place the soaking liquid in a measuring cup and add enough vegetable broth to equal 4 cups of liquid. Add the liquid to the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in cayenne, black pepper and salt. Give them a stir and cover with the lid. Place the Dutch oven in the smoker or oven for 6 to 8 hours, or until the beans are tender.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
401 Calories
20g Fat
30g Carbs
25g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 401
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 26%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 56mg 19%
Sodium 1365mg 59%
Total Carbohydrate 30g 11%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 15g
Protein 25g
Vitamin C 5mg 27%
Calcium 82mg 6%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 791mg 17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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