Stovetop Barbeque Bacon Beans

 

I am welcoming BBQ season with open arms.

I am welcoming the time of simple meals, cooked on the grill, and served with side dishes like roasted corn, potato salad, watermelon, and baked beans.

I am not looking forward to the stifling hot Texas heat or the mosquito bites and West Nile warnings that come with, but oh well.

The taste of homemade baked beans cannot be beat. Especially when there is a hefty amount of bacon involved. No fake bacon here, I use big chunks and -gasp!- bacon grease in this recipe.

I have never, ever had enough time to cook dried beans, make the sauce base, simmer the cooked beans in sauce, and finish in the oven. I came up with this recipe because I love scratch-made items (duh) and I don’t have time to spend 12 hours getting a freakin’ SIDE DISH ready. Hence, I use canned beans and came up with a way to cook the baked beans on the stovetop.

You.Don’t.Really.Have.To.Bake.The.Beans.

Sure, baking them really helps the sugars caramelize and get gooey. But, I have found that a long, slow simmer does the trick.

A slow simmer on the stovetop also means that my oven is free to finish off baby back ribs or bake a cobbler. Oh, to have a double oven…

These beans are KILLER the next day. I mean, outrageously good. Another option is to cook your beans the day before you plan to grill or as a make-ahead option for a potluck. Then all you have to do is gently reheat the beans on the stove, pack it up, and go.

Leftovers are also really good over white rice. Kind of a random combo, but I found it was really good.

Let’s get to Barbeque Bacon Bean Makin’!

STOVETOP BARBEQUE BACON BEANS

Serves 4 as a side dish (Don’t be afraid to double or triple)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup ketchup

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. molasses

1 T. apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. hot sauce, such as Sriracha

6 strips of bacon, or about 1/2 a package of bacon, cut into one inch chunks (Reserve 1 T. spoon of drippings)

2 T. olive oil (I used Texas Olive Ranch’s Mesquite Olive Oil)

1 small onion, small dice

1/2 green bell pepper, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz. can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients from water through Sriracha. Set aside.

2.  In a medium saucepan, cook bacon pieces over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from pan and set on paper lined plate. Discard all but 1 – 2 T. bacon fat drippings.

3. Add 2 T. olive oil to pan, stirring with wooden spoon to loosen and browned bacon bits.

4. Add in diced onions and peppers and cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until very, very soft and browned.

5. Add in minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

6. Pour in the sauce mixture that you had set aside previously.

7. Add cans of rinsed beans and cooked bacon pieces. (Save a small handful of cooked bacon pieces for garnish)

8. Bring to a high simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Lower heat to low and cook, simmering, for at least 30 minutes but ideally one hour.

9. Garnish servings of beans with reserved bacon pieces and serve.