Barbecue Beans Recipe | Grilling

Updated March 29, 2025

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

Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

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

Soak beans in a plastic container overnight in just enough cold water to submerge them completely.
Heat smoker between 225-250 degrees, or heat over to 250 degrees.
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.
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.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
401	Calories
20g	Fat
30g	Carbs
25g	Protein

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.