Brown sugar bacon baked beans are sweet, smoky and a little tangy, with a thick, bubbling sauce and crisp bacon scattered over the top. They are the side dish for cookouts, potlucks and the Fourth of July, next to burgers, ribs or anything off the grill.
How to make brown sugar bacon baked beans: Cook chopped bacon until crisp, then cook onion and garlic in a little of the bacon fat. Stir in canned pork and beans with their sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire, mustard, vinegar and dark brown sugar. Top with the bacon and bake uncovered at 350°F for about 45 minutes, until bubbly.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pot. The bacon, the onion and the beans all go through the same Dutch oven, stove to oven.
- Canned beans, homemade taste. Two big cans of pork and beans get dressed up with pantry sauces.
- Crisp bacon on top. It is cooked first, so it goes into the oven already crisp.
- Enough for a crowd. One pot makes 10 servings.
Ingredient Notes
Bacon. Six slices, coarsely chopped before cooking.
Sweet onion and garlic. One small sweet onion, finely diced, and 2 cloves of garlic, minced. They cook in the bacon fat.
Pork and beans. Two 28-ounce cans in tomato sauce. Do not drain them. The sauce goes in with the beans.
Ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and yellow mustard. These build the sauce: 1/2 cup of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire and 1 tablespoon of mustard.
Apple cider vinegar. Two tablespoons add the tang that balances the sugar.
Dark brown sugar. A 1/3 cup, firmly packed.
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon, coarsely chopped
- 1 sweet onion, small, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cans pork and beans (28 ounces each, in tomato sauce), with the sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
How to Make Brown Sugar Bacon Baked Beans
1. Heat the oven and cook the bacon. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large oven-safe Dutch oven, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer it with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
2. Cook the onion and garlic. Cook the onion in the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
3. Mix in the beans and sauce. Add the pork and beans with their sauce, the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
4. Top and bake. Sprinkle the crisp bacon over the beans. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, until bubbly and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
5. Serve. Serve warm.
Can You Make Baked Beans Ahead for a Cookout?
Yes, with one change to the order. Reheated baked beans can dry out, so do not bake them the day before and warm them up. Do the stovetop work ahead and save the baking for the day of the cookout.
Cook the bacon until crisp and put it in its own covered container. Mix the bean mixture, cover it and refrigerate it separately. On the day, sprinkle the bacon on top and bake.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Ahead of time | Cook the bacon until crisp. Mix the bean mixture. Refrigerate the two separately. |
| Day of the cookout | Top the beans with the bacon and bake uncovered until bubbly and 165°F in the center. |
| While serving | Keep the beans hot, at 140°F or warmer. |
| After the meal | Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if it is above 90°F outside. |
One honest note: the recipe gives a bake time of about 45 minutes for beans that go into the oven warm from the stove. It does not give an adjusted time for beans that start cold from the refrigerator. Go by the thermometer and the bubbling, not the clock.
Tips for Success
Should I drain the canned pork and beans?
No. This recipe uses the tomato sauce from both cans. Pour in the beans and their sauce together.
When does the bacon go on?
Right before baking, after it has been cooked until crisp. Do not lay raw bacon on top in its place.
How much bacon fat should stay in the pot?
About 2 tablespoons. That is enough to cook the onion and garlic and to flavor the beans.
How do I know the beans are done?
The sauce is bubbly and a food thermometer in the center reads 165°F. That takes about 45 minutes, uncovered.
Why bake them uncovered?
That is how the recipe is written. The beans bake with no lid, with the bacon on top, until the sauce is bubbling.
How to Hold Baked Beans at a Cookout
Baked beans are hot food, and USDA FSIS says hot food at a cookout should be kept at 140°F or warmer. Do not leave the pot sitting out all afternoon. If the beans cannot be kept hot, treat them like any leftovers: into the refrigerator within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when the temperature is above 90°F.
Storage & Reheating
Divide large amounts among shallow, covered containers and refrigerate. USDA FSIS gives 3 to 4 days for refrigerated leftovers. Baked beans can also be frozen in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the refrigerator.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F on the stove or in the microwave. Do not use a slow cooker to reheat them.
What to Serve With It
These beans are a natural side for slow cooker apple brown sugar pork chops. For a second side with bacon, add 3-ingredient slow cooker bacon and cabbage or slow cooker Amish lima beans. If you have a can of baked beans left over, it goes into slow cooker 4-ingredient chicken and baked beans. For bean dinners on colder days, try crock pot ham and beans or slow cooker 15 bean soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prepare the beans and bacon ahead for a cookout?
Yes. Cook the bacon until crisp, mix the beans, and refrigerate them separately. Add the bacon on top when you bake.
How should I hold and store baked beans at a cookout?
Keep them at 140°F or warmer while serving. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F, and use them within 3 to 4 days.
What can replace brown sugar?
This recipe does not give a substitute, and I will not guess at an amount. Use the dark brown sugar it calls for.
Can baked beans be frozen?
Yes, for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Final Notes
For a cookout I cook the bacon and mix the beans ahead, keep them apart in the refrigerator, and bake the day of. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Brown Sugar Bacon Baked Beans
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Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon coarsely chopped
- 1 sweet onion small; finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cans pork and beans 28 ounces each, in tomato sauce; add with the sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar firmly packed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large oven-safe Dutch oven, cook the chopped bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer it with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pot.
- Cook the onion in the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the pork and beans with their sauce, the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar and brown sugar. Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the crisp bacon over the beans. Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, until bubbly and the center reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Serve warm.
