Pork and beans simmer in the slow cooker with bacon, garlic, and jalapenos, in a sweet and savory maple barbecue sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Sadly, I’m the only person in my family who likes baked beans, so you can bet when I make them, they’ve got to be the Best Slow Cooker Baked Beans.
As much as I love these baked beans, I probably only make them once or twice a year, because one person can only eat so many baked beans.
Luckily, this is the perfect dish to bring along to summer time parties, backyard barbecues and Fourth of July celebrations–where everyone else is happy to share this amazing side dish with me.
There are a few things that make these baked beans stand out. First of all, slow cooking them is a wonderful way to allow all of the flavors to combine together.
Which means they’re not technically, “baked” beans, I guess. But what really matters is the taste, right?
I also use jalapeno peppers instead of the traditional bell peppers, which doesn’t make the beans spicy, but it adds great flavor. Liquid smoke is also a key ingredient in this recipe, and it’s worth buying a bottle just for these beans.
Of course, adding ten slices of cooked, crispy bacon to the mix doesn’t hurt either. I like to save a handful of the crispy bacon to stir in at the end for added texture.
And I love anything that I can dump into the slow cooker and ignore. Which is especially helpful if you’re hosting a barbecue or potluck, because it lets you focus on other things.
I can also vouch for the fact that these baked beans freeze well. As much as I love the, I can’t eat the whole pot myself, so I put the leftovers into single serving containers and warm them up for a quick and satisfying lunch.
If you do want to go the traditional route and bake these beans, they’ll need 2-3 hours in the oven, uncovered.
Aside from my bean-hating family, everyone who tries the Best Slow Cooker Baked Beans loves them. Be prepared to lots of requests for the recipe!
Be sure to save this recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Ingredients
- Bacon
- Produce: onions, garlic, jalapenos
- Canned pork and beans
- Ketchup
- Maple syrup
- Brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Spices: mustard powder, salt and pepper
- Liquid smoke
Best Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 2 28 oz. cans pork and beans
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 10 slices bacon
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and jalapeno and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer vegetables to a large slow cooker. Stir in pork and beans, ketchup, maple syrup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, dry mustard, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon and and stir about half into the slow cooker. About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the the remaining bacon.
- Let beans stand, uncovered, 5-10 minutes until serving.
