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Southern Barbecue Baked Beans

These Southern Barbecue Baked Beans are an easy and classic Southern side dish. This simple preparation is a throwback to how my Grandmother’s prepared their baked beans with a few ingredient twists. Perfectly seasoned and flavored with bacon these beefy beans are practically a meal in themselves. The ideal side dish for barbecue, family cookouts or picnics with friends.

Southern Barbecue Baked Beans

Easy Southern Barbecue Baked Beans Recipe

Bacon flavors these beans beautifully. The bacon can be added to the beans prior to baking or you can lay the raw bacon strips on top before baking. The purpose of  bacon is always to add smoke and a kicked-up layer of flavor. Either way you choose to use it, bacon is a must!  You’ll likely find some version of baked beans at any Summer cookout or barbecue, but at our house, it’s an anytime dish. These beefy baked beans could be served as a meal in itself, when served over a hot buttered corn bread or corn muffins for a true taste of the South in your mouth. How to make Southern Barbecue Baked Beans: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Vegetables – In a 12-inch cast iron skillet or similar saute the green pepper, onion and ground beef in reserved bacon drippings until no pink remains in the beef. Season with seasoned salt and black pepper to your taste. After browning, drain any excess fat from the pan.
  • Beans – To the skillet add beans, barbecue sauce, chili style tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard and barbecue seasoning. Stir until the ingredients are well blended. Add crumbled bacon.
  • Bake – Place into the oven and bake for 60-75 minutes.
  • Stir well, and allow the barbecue baked beans to rest for 5-10 minutes on the counter before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.

Southern Barbecue Baked Beans

How to Make the Best Southern Barbecue Baked Beans Recipe

  • Ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Southern Barbecue Baked Beans: Lean ground beef, center cut or thick cut bacon, diced onion and green bell pepper, two can prepared hickory flavored baked beans, barbecue sauce, one can Rotel tomatoes and green chiles, salt and black pepper, barbecue seasoning, light brown sugar, worcestershire sauce and whole grain mustard.
  • Kitchen tools you’ll need: A large oven safe 12 inch skillet (Or skillet plus a baking dish to transfer the beans for baking), measuring cups and spoons, sharp knife and cutting board, large spoon for stirring.
  • The tomatoes used in this recipe are called Chili Fixins’. They are already seasoned for chili which adds to the flavor of the baked beans overall. If you’re unable to find them, you could use a different brand or use classic Rotel tomatoes instead.
  • You can use chorizo, ground turkey, ground chicken or ground pork in this recipe in the same amount as the ground beef called for in the recipe.
  • You can fully assemble these barbecue baked beans one day in advance then bake just before serving.
  • Store Southern Barbecue Baked Beans chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in single servings in the microwave or in a 350°F oven in a baking dish just until heated through.
Southern Style Baked Beans recipe

More Easy Beans Recipes to Make

Other baked bean variations you may like to try:

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Southern Barbecue Baked Beans

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Resting time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Casserole, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: homemade-baked-beans-recipe, southern-barbecue-baked-beans
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 386kcal
Author: Melissa Sperka

Ingredients

  • 8 slices center cut bacon (Reserve 3 Tbsp drippings) cooked and crumbled or 8 slices to lay on top
  • 1/2 medium green pepper finely diced
  • 1 medium sweet onion finely diced
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • seasoned salt & black pepper
  • 2 28 oz cans hickory flavored baked beans
  • 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 10 oz can chili seasoned tomatoes i.e. Rotel Chili Fixin's
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp whole grain mustard
  • 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp barbecue seasoning i.e. Grill Mates Smokehouse Maple or Barbecue Magic

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • In a 12-inch cast iron skillet or Dutch oven saute the green pepper, onion and ground beef in reserved bacon drippings until no pink remains in the beef. Season with seasoned salt and black pepper to your taste. After browning, drain any excess fat from the pan.
  • To the pan add baked beans, barbecue sauce, chili style tomatoes, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard and barbecue seasoning. Stir until the ingredients are well blended. Add crumbled bacon.
  • Place into the oven and bake for 60-75 minutes.
  • Stir well and allow the baked beans to stand time for 5-10 minutes on the counter before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 386kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 1062mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!

16 Comments

  1. I’ve been doing this for years up here in CT, but without the cornbread (Yankees hate cornbread, LOL), with ground cayenne pepper and Adobe seasoning to zing it up a bit and served with some chopped raw onions on top. I call it New England Chili.

  2. Absolutely divine! I made these beans on a rainy day and it was fit for a king. My husband that is! My husband is a picky eater and he enjoyed this recipe. I am going to make it for Mother’s Day along with some cornbread. Keeping the day simple. Thanks for the recipe, I am keeping this in my archive to use often.

  3. World’s Greatest Beans – I tossed my old BBQ bean recipe. I can’t tell you how many rave reviews I received, a definite keeper!!!

    1. Tanya, what a sweet note! I’m thrilled you loved these beans as much as we do. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know.

  4. Hi Courtney, thanks for you sweet comment. I think this would do perfectly in the slow cooker, just as you describe, cooking the bacon and beef and mixing it into the beans. It may not take 4 hours, just keep a watch on it. Happy slow cooking!

  5. I’m currently down an oven. Do you think it would work as well if I cooked up the hamburger mixture, cooked and crumbled bacon and put everything into my crock on low for maybe, 4hrs? I love your page! So many great recipes!

  6. I`ve been cooking baked beans for a long time and I`ve never thought of put beef nor the tomatoes in my bean`s I`ll have to try this soon

  7. Hi Paula! Do you think you’d prefer a sweet red pepper instead? No worries, they’re delicious with or without the pepper. Enjoy the picnic, blessings! Melissa

  8. Looks like I may have found my recipe for the church picnic. I make one similar to this but think I will have to try this one (maybe altered just a little – green peppers are not one of my favorites) :)Thanks for sharing!

  9. Didi, my family wouldn’t know what to do with baked beans with no meat? 🙂 I also, cook and crumble the bacon and stir it into the beans as often as I put it on top. This method is paying homage to the great cooks before me. Enjoy!! 🙂

  10. Melissa, I do my beans almost exactly the same way with adding the ground beef. My seasonings are a tad different and I don’t do the bbq sauce, but what an astounding addition?? I so have to do this, it’s almost identical. My hubby (major baked bean lover), and youngest dd thank you in advance!!!

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