Saucy, slow cooked Texas BBQ baked beans are simply made for summertime eating and will be star of your next cookout or backyard barbecue gathering! Let me show you how to make them at home with wholesome ingredients and expert tips from my Texan kitchen to yours.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my Soul Food black eyed peas, too!
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What are cowboy baked beans?
Cowboy baked beans is a southwestern dish made of pinto beans, barbecue sauce, and smoked meat. Since Texas is where western and southern culture meet (literally southwestern) and because we like to be different, Texas style incorporates unique elements like jalapeño peppers and Dr. Pepper soda. But we still use the pretty speckled pinto bean because nothing else will do.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Simple to Make - Don't be intimidated by the idea of making Texas baked beans from scratch. There are really just six simple steps and some patience involved.
Layers of Flavor - These are reminiscent of cowboy campfire beans with smoky, savory, and sweet flavors plus a lil tang and a kick of heat! And the beans get super tender and saucy--everything baked beans should be and cooked in a cast iron skillet for a crowd.
Versatile Cooking Options - I bake these cast iron beans in the oven but the recipe can also work on the grill or smoker and even on the stove.
More or my most popular Lone Star State recipes you should try: mezcal ranch water, Texas chili mac, and Texas butter pecan pound cake!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Uncooked Pinto Beans are the star of this show and key to making bbq baked beans from scratch. They are typically quite accessible and budget friendly. For a no soak recipe, you can use canned pinto beans, which are more expensive but have a shorter cooking time.
Bacon adds smoky flavor and scrumptious fat that we'll use to cook down the bean sauce in. Use applewood, hickory smoked or whichever kind of bacon you like.
Bell Pepper, Jalapeño, Garlic, and Onion add fresh flavor and a bit of color. I highly recommend yellow onion for its sweetness and you can use any color bell pepper you can find.
Dr. Pepper is part of what makes baked beans Texas style adding unique flavor and sweetness to the barbecue sauce. It's actually my favorite soda and was created in the same town where I went to college so I always use it. But you could use coke or root beer instead.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Broth or Stock - I typically use chicken broth in my barbecue baked beans sauce but you can similarly use turkey broth or even beef broth, if need be.
Meat - This is my go-to recipe for baked beans and bacon but it also works wonderfully with smoked turkey, ground beef or andouille sausage for more of a Louisiana style baked beans recipe!
Barbecue Sauce - An easy shortcut is to make baked beans using bbq sauce from a bottle (or my homemade hibiscus barbecue sauce). If you want to take that route, leave out the ACV, brown sugar, liquid smoke, molasses, mustard, tomato paste, and Worcestershire.
Sweetener - Want to make your beans without molasses? Try honey or maple syrup for similar flavor and caramelization.
Vegan - Use a plant based meat substitute, vegan molasses, and vegetable broth to make this recipe vegan friendly.
How to Make Cast Iron Skillet Baked Beans at Home
Step One: Soak the beans in water for eight to twelve hours. (Photo 1)
Pro Tip #1: Soaking pinto beans softens their texture, which shortens the cooking time but don't soak them for too long. Otherwise, they will get mushy when cooking and may not be as flavorful. I typically pour water over the beans right before going to bed to cook them the following day.
Step Two: Chop up the bacon while you warm up a large cast iron skillet then cook the bacon to your desired level of crispiness--I prefer mine really crispy. Note that the bacon will soften while cooking with the beans later. (Photo 2)
Step Three: Remove the bacon from the pan then cook down the aromatics and spices in the bacon grease. (Photo 3)
Pro Tip #2: Cooking the spices in oil with the peppers, onion, and garlic is a technique known as "blooming." This deepens and better distributes the flavor in the final dish!
Step Four: Stir in the chicken broth and remaining ingredients. Bring them to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. (Photo 4)
Step Five: Turn off heat then add beans and bacon to the skillet and carefully stir. (Photo 5)
Step Six: Cover the pan and place in the oven to bake for about two hours or until beans are tender and cooked through and sauce is thick and gooey. (Photo 6)
Pro Tip #3: Cook the beans uncovered for the last 30 to 45 minutes to help the sauce get nice and thick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. To make this recipe with canned beans, just skip the soaking step and start checking the beans for doneness after 45 minutes in the oven.
You can make Texas style baked pinto beans up to four days ahead of time as long as they are stored properly.
Store country style baked beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will keep for up to seven days.
Yes, you can freeze baked beans after the cookout. These will keep for up to six months but might not maintain the same flavor beyond three months. So I recommend eating them sooner rather than later.
How to Serve
These beans are best served hot, great with rice, and perfect for summer cookouts and barbecues. I particularly love them next to a generous scoop of Soul Food potato salad.
With some juicy grilled peanut ribs or slices of smoked brisket. And a piece of fresh peach cobbler for dessert.
Don't forget ice cold hibiscus sweet tea to wash everything down. Or for the grown folks only, a sweet tea margarita!
Check out my entire Black summer cookout menu for even more amazing pairings!
More Favorite Southern Side Dishes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy Texas style barbecue baked beans soon and very soon. And sharing is caring so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Texas BBQ Baked Beans
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 knife
- 1 large cast iron skillet or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pinto beans or four 15-ounce cans of pinto beans
- water
- ½ pound bacon or andouille sausage
- ½ sweet yellow onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- sea salt to taste
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup Dr. Pepper or root beer or coke
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or ¼ cup tomato sauce or ¼ cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard I recommend spicy brown mustard
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons water
Instructions
- Add beans to a large bowl and cover by about two inches in water. Soak the beans for 8-12 hours (overnight is fine) then drain and set aside.*If using canned beans, skip this step.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat up cast iron skillet over medium flame and chop bacon into small pieces.
- Cook bacon to desired level of crispness. Meanwhile, dice the onion, seed and dice the bell pepper, and jalapeño, and mince or crush the garlic.
- Remove bacon from pan then chopped onion, bell pepper, jalapeño, smoked paprika, chili powder, black pepper, and sea salt. Cook until fragrant and onions are almost translucent (about 4 minutes) then add garlic and cook one minute more.
- Mix in chicken broth or stock, Dr. Pepper, apple cider vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire smoke, mustard, and liquid smoke and bring the mixture to a boil (takes about 5 minutes) then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in two teaspoons water then stir into pan.
- Turn off stove top heat then add the beans and cooked bacon to the skillet and carefully stir. Cover the pan with foil or a lid and transfer to the oven to bake for about two hours or until beans are tender and cooked through and sauce is thick. Bake uncovered for the last 30-45 minutes to help the sauce thicken.*If using canned beans, start checking for doneness after 45 minutes.
Nikki says
How is one can of beans equal to 1 pound of dried beans? I would’ve thought it would be more like four cans of canned beans even though I make the dried ones haven’t tasted it yet but will circle back.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks for your note, Nikki! You are correct that it should be four cans--I made a mistake in the recipe card and have updated it. Hope you enjoy!
Marta says
Texas is Dr Pepper land and since it's my favorite soda, I knew I would love these BBQ baked beans. The flavor did not disappoint. I'm serving these at a Juneteenth gathering tonight and I know they'll be a hit.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Yes, Dr. Pepper land! Happy Juneteenth!
Marcus Avery says
I would have never thought to add Dr. Pepper in my baked beans. The beans were so tasty, sweet and smokey! These will be a staple at any bbq from now on.
Krys says
These BBQ baked beans are my favorite! It was my first time using dried pinto beans. Definitely going to make again. I've always relied on the canned stuff but these are legit.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Yes, dried pinto beans are definitely worth the time! Thanks, Krys!