Quick Sweet & Smoky Beans

David Bouska
Jun 12, 2021
2 min read

Baked beans are such a classic summer cookout food! Filled with flavor and comforting as can be, sweet baked beans are easy to make and go great with so many foods. These quick and easy, sweet and smoky beans aren’t baked, but come together in a cast iron pan in less than 30 minutes. They’re cooked in a thick sauce along with bell peppers and onions. The sauce is a perfect blend of sweet, smoky, and savory flavors thanks to Hickory Liquid Smoke and a few other ingredients. Go ahead and use more or less liquid smoke depending on your preference.

These sweet and smoky beans are cooked in a cast iron skillet on the grill alongside a Smoke Tube. This is a great way to get those smoky flavors and allow all those flavors to come together nicely. You can use any kind of beans for this recipe, such as kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans. Once they’re cooked gently in the thick sauce, they’ll be soft and loaded with seasoning. Try these beans on their own as a side, smothered on top of a hotdog, or even atop grilled vegetables for a tasty summer dish!

Ingredients

1 tbsp avocado oil
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
½ medium white onion, chopped
3 cans beans (we used kidney, pinto, and cannellini beans), drained and lightly rinsed
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
1-2 tsp Hickory Liquid Smoke

Directions

Heat the grill to medium heat and place a large cast iron skillet on grill plates. Add avocado oil to the skillet and heat.
When the oil is hot, add the bell pepper and onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
Prepare your smoke tube: Fill the Smoke Tube with wood chips or pellets of choice, leaving about an inch of space at the top. Using a torch, light the wood in the tube and place on the grill. Place the Smoke Tube on the grill. For more directions on how to use the Smoke Tube, watch an informative video here.
Turn the heat down to low and add to the skillet the beans, tomato sauce, worcestershire, dijon, vinegar, brown sugar, and Hickory Liquid Smoke. Stir well to combine.
Close the lid of the grill and allow the beans to simmer for about 10 minutes.
Stir the beans again, then turn the grill off. Let the beans cook on this indirect heat for about another 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the beans are tender.
Remove from the grill and enjoy immediately!