Description
These sweet, smoky, and tangy slow cooker baked beans are a budget-friendly, hands-off side dish perfect for summer BBQs. Made with pantry staples and bacon, they taste better the longer they simmer.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large cans (28 oz each) baked beans (classic pork and beans or plain)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (about 200g)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 150g)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (240ml)
- 1/2 cup ketchup (120ml)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (100g)
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Chop onion, mince garlic, and cook bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon and reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the skillet.
- Sauté aromatics: In the skillet with bacon fat, cook diced onion over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Combine in crockpot: Drain canned beans if necessary. Pour beans into a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Add sautéed onions and garlic, crumbled bacon, BBQ sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, molasses, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook: Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours (6 hours preferred for deeper flavor). If short on time, cook on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Thicken and serve: If sauce is too thin, remove lid and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes to reduce. Taste and adjust salt/pepper. Serve warm, topped with extra bacon if desired.
Notes
Sautéing the onions and garlic first adds significant flavor compared to adding them raw. Use the rendered bacon fat to cook the onions for extra smokiness. If the beans are too watery, use a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp cold water) and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes. This recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 hours
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 20
- Sodium: 650
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 45
- Fiber: 8
- Protein: 10
Keywords: BBQ baked beans, crockpot baked beans, slow cooker beans, Labor Day side dish, budget-friendly recipes, summer BBQ sides, bacon baked beans