Smoked Camp Beans Recipe

These smoked camp beans are a hearty side dish made for hunting camp, fishing trips, and backyard cookouts. Sweet, smoky, and packed with bacon, they hold up well in the smoker and pair perfectly with ribs, brisket, or pork butt.

Prep time: about 20 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours in the smoker, or 1 hour in the oven

Serves: a hungry camp crew

Ingredients

• 1 pound bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
• ½ medium onion, diced
• ½ bell pepper, diced
• 1–2 jalapeño peppers, diced (seeds optional)
• 1 (55 oz) can Bush’s Baked Beans
• 1 (4 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon dry (ground) mustard

Instructions

1. Sauté the bacon and vegetables

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan, sauté the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño until tender.

2. Mix the beans

In a large bowl, combine the baked beans, drained pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup, and dry mustard. Stir in the cooked bacon and vegetables.

If the mixture looks dry, add extra ketchup ¼ cup at a time. Pour into a 9×13 or deep 9×9 aluminum pan.

Note: Crushed pineapple works better than chunks.

3. Smoke or bake

• Smoker: Cook at 225°F (107°C) for about 3 hours, or until the beans reach 160°F (71°C).
• Oven: Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.

Camp tips

• If serving with spare ribs, smoke the removed skirt meat for 1½ hours, dice it, and stir it into the beans.
• These beans are even better cooked under brisket or pork butt during the last 2–3 hours so the meat juices drip into the pan.

A simple, crowd-pleasing side from The Valley Outdoors Radio — made for the field, the fire, and the table.