Favorite BBQ smoked brisket bean recipe?

[jjdbike]

Hello Pitmasters,

I’m smoking some ribs this coming weekend for a neighborhood barbecue.

I want to make some beans and use a smoked brisket point I have in freezer.

Heath Riles recipe looks like a decent start. He used 3 large cans of Bush’s Original baked beans drained, 1/2 bag Dominos light brown sugar, 1 onion, 1/3rd each yellow, red & green bell pepper, 1 - 1 1/2 on smoked brisket point, 1 1/2 bottles bbq sauce, hot bbq rub, smoke at 300 for 5 hours.

Changes I’d make:
I believe 5 hours at 300 would turn already cooked bean to mush.

I think that too much brown sugar.

I’d replace 1/2 bottle of bbq sauce with bourbon.

I’m considering adding a dried chili or two for depth of flavor.

Thoughts, suggestions or advice?

Thanks in advance,
JD

[Ace]

I think you're correct on cooking the beans that long. When I make a BBQ Beans dish, I add the meat (in my case it's Chuck. Brisket would be great) already cooked in the pot, then add the other ingredients and bring it all up to temp. Your other thoughts are a matter of individual taste so if you reduce something you can always add more at the end if needed.

[Sid P]

Sweet Lord that’s a lot of sugar, especially if the BBQ sauce is also sweet. The recipe I like has 1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s for two large cans of beans.

[jjdbike]

Sweet Lord that’s a lot of sugar, especially if the BBQ sauce is also sweet. The recipe I like has 1 cup of Sweet Baby Ray’s for two large cans of beans.

Hello Sid P I fully agree.

Too much sugar and too much BBQ sauce.

I think I’d add more onions & peppers, perhaps a hot pepper.

Ace , Sid P & friends, what are your thoughts on adding a couple dried chilies for depth?

JD

[Sid P]

Sure, why not? The recipe I referenced above lists jalapeños as an optional ingredient, but I haven’t used them because the LW doesn’t like ANY heat.

[Ace]

Sure. I add (just a bit) of dried Jalapeno to mine, and what Sid P said. 😎

[Hulagn1971]

I'd add some yellow mustard as well. I agree with the others that is a ton of sugar.

[dpearce]

Yeah, very sweet sounding, and that long of a cook? Seems like pre-cooked beans might turn into "refried beans" at that point. Like Ace mentioned you'd probably do better just to bring them up to temp maybe on the smoker with the meat added.

[CRO]

We love this recipe, it's always a hit.
I smoke for several hours. You may to add water to loosen them up. I always put several slices of bacon across the top.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/threads/recipe-beans-for-a-crowd-pic.99606/

[HawkerXP]

Thanks. Those guys are a hoot!

[CRO]

HawkerXP That recipe is from Patio Daddio. His site is no longer. I googled the recipe and found it on bbq-brethren.
I've used it for years, I didn't want to lose it.

[jjdbike]

Hey CRO,

That recipe sounds great, especially for pork.

Thanks!

[Duanessmokedmeats]

I take a recipe, then fine tune it to my tastes.

[jjdbike]

Hey everyone,

Thank you for contributing to this thread. Beans are fun, like chili. So many different directions you can take them. I like Matt Pitmen's recipe for "pit beans". I like Malcum Reed's recipe, but that's more suited for pork in my opinion. Heath Riles seems like an excuse to sell and lot of his products.

I find myself looking for a different flavor profile with beef than with pork. I like beans with pork to be sweet and tangy, while I like them more savory with beef. The risk I find w/ savory beans with beef is, it's easy to have them taste too much like chili with beans. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, just not what I am looking for with this cook. I'm looking for a compliment and contrast to the smoked "comp style" St. Louis ribs, while offering an option that doesn't contain pork (for certain individuals that are attending).

A side note, my wife accidentally bought me a handle of "Honey Bourbon". It's too sweet for me. This recipe may be a good excuse to use some of it. I normally wouldn't use honey in this recipe, but brown sugar instead. I can cut out the brown sugar and add some molasses to get that brown sugar profile.

I would like to try (as an experiment) using a couple dried anchos. Just a couple as not to turn this into chili. One recipe I saw suggested simply adding them as is. That doesn't sound good. I treat them as if I was using them in chili. I'll toast them on my pellet cooker, remove stem, seeds & veins. Rehydrate them w/beef stock. Blend them and add that puree.

I'm still kicking around ideas for this recipe. Please keep the ideas coming. I'm really enjoying reading how you guys build your flavor profiles.

Best regards!
JD

[fzxdoc]

If you don't want too much of a chile spicy taste, you could slit the peppers and add them to the mixture before cooking, the way that many Indian cooks recommend for keeping their dishes on the more mildly spicy end of the spectrum.

A dash of chipotle hot sauce might also do the trick,too, since you'd get spicy, tangy and smoky in one go.

Kathryn

[jjdbike]

I noticed that none of the well known pit masters selling products are recommending starting with dry beans.

None of the replies here are either.

Do any of you feel that starting with dry beans makes a big enough difference to justify the extra time & work?

Respectfully,
JD

[klflowers]

I have used dried beans, but they were left overs from previous cooks. I haven't tried making them specifically for baked beans though. The cans are convenient, and I never plan ahead lol

[TomfromtheSoo]

As far as time goes, I’m now retired and it is easier to schedule. Sometimes choose the worst weather day of the week to be inside.

My current dried bean inventory is navy, mayocoba, black, pinto, and pinquito. Sugar and salt are two things I don’t want too much of.

If I was making beans for an event I would make them the day before.

[klflowers]

My ex made some of the best baked beans ever. She used a brand called Showboat pork and beans, and she used a mixture of ground beef and turkey. She used everything you listed with the exception of brown sugar; she used garlic powder and onion powder along with the chopped onion, and she used a bottle of Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce. And she topped the beans with slices of bacon before putting the pan in the oven. I asked her about measurements and she laughed at me . As for the timing, she said they are done when they are done.

She told me that Bushes would work, and she likes the idea of brisket, but she would adjust the amount of bbq sauce since bushes beans are already kind of sweet.

[fzxdoc]

I like the way your ex thinks, with respect to beans, anyway.

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

I think that starting with dry beans is a great idea for you and maybe your family and dinner party people, but in my experience, the crowd you feed won't notice. Personally I prefer starting with dry beans because I can control how toothy they are before adding everything to turn them into BBQ beans and cooking them a little longer to achieve beans with creamy insides.

I prefer start with cooking the dried beans the day before and refrigerating overnight. That way I'm able to get some smoke on the (cold) bean mixture more effectively. I also like adding some of the bean broth into the BBQ bean mixture for more depth of flavor.

In the FWIW category --or maybe the WGaF (Who Gives a Flip) category--I'm not a fan of sweet BBQ beans except on occasion with pork, turkey or chicken, and even then I like to have more like a hint of sweet to balance the savory elements a bit. I dislike eating candy-like beans with my savory meats, but that puts me pretty much in the minority. I think that when you say BBQ beans, that typically means a very sweet bean concoction.

About bean recipes not specifically calling for starting with dried beans, Meathead has said that writing recipes starting with canned beans makes the recipe more universally acceptable to the audience of cooks. It takes one time consuming thing out of the equation, I think he may mean.

So you do you, as everyone used to say a few years back. Keep us posted.

Kathryn

[HawkerXP]

"toothy" man. The things we learn here.

[jjdbike]

I think that starting with dry beans is a great idea for you and maybe your family and dinner party people, but in my experience, the crowd you feed won't notice. Personally I prefer starting with dry beans because I can control how toothy they are before adding everything to turn them into BBQ beans and cooking them a little longer to achieve beans with creamy insides.

I prefer start with cooking the dried beans the day before and refrigerating overnight. That way I'm able to get some smoke on the (cold) bean mixture more effectively. I also like adding some of the bean broth into the BBQ bean mixture for more depth of flavor.

In the FWIW category --or maybe the WGaF (Who Gives a Flip) category--I'm not a fan of sweet BBQ beans except on occasion with pork, turkey or chicken, and even then I like to have more like a hint of sweet to balance the savory elements a bit. I dislike eating candy-like beans with my savory meats, but that puts me pretty much in the minority. I think that when you say BBQ beans, that typically means a very sweet bean concoction.

About bean recipes not specifically calling for starting with dried beans, Meathead has said that writing recipes starting with canned beans makes the recipe more universally acceptable to the audience of cooks. It takes one time consuming thing out of the equation, I think he may mean.

So you do you, as everyone used to say a few years back. Keep us posted.

Kathryn

Thanks so much fzxdoc, klflowers & friends,

I agree that I don’t want bean candy, especially with savory brisket in the mix. The ribs I’m serving with be sweet enough.

Once again, the challenge of savory beans w/ onions, peppers, chilis, beef and a little heat, is the risk of them turning into chili. Once again second thought, I suppose that would not be awful. Though not sure how well bourbon would fit in that mix.

Kathryn you’ve inspired me to consider starting wits dry beans. I like the idea of controlling the bite, and sugar.

Kathryn, do you have a bbq bean recipe that would work w/ smoked brisket as an ingredient that you’d be willing to share?

I’ll report back.

Respectfully,
JD

[klflowers]

I forgot to mention she used seeded jalapeños. And she removed the veins because we always had kids around. I thought about not getting divorced because of those beans lol

[jjdbike]

Thanks,
That’s awesome. Shared custody of the beans🤣
Yes I do like a little heat. I also remove seeds & veins with hopes that my wife might like them. She never does,🤦♂️

[fzxdoc]

I make BBQ beans by the seat of my pants, JD, (@jjdbike ) so I don't really have a written recipe. Usually I find a recipe that sounds good and then riff off of it, eliminating sugar and molasses, relying on the BBQ sauce itself to bring the sweetness to the party, which I add to taste. I also add a teaspoon or two of BBQ rub to enhance the BBQ flavor without adding more sugar. Coffee, Guinness, Bourbon, Texas Pete hot sauce are also known to go into the mix, depending on my mood. And always a pepper, a mild poblano or a spicier jalapeno depending on who's eating it.

One of these days I'll get around to writing down a BBQ Bean recipe that turns out just the way I like it.

Kathryn

[HawkerXP]

Will need to change "member discription" to:

fzxdoc
Founding Member, Pit Barrel Cooker & Bean Queen
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 8180

[jjdbike]

I make BBQ beans by the seat of my pants, JD, (@jjdbike ) so I don't really have a written recipe. Usually I find a recipe that sounds good and then riff off of it, eliminating sugar and molasses, relying on the BBQ sauce itself to bring the sweetness to the party, which I add to taste. I also add a teaspoon or two of BBQ rub to enhance the BBQ flavor without adding more sugar. Coffee, Guinness, Bourbon, Texas Pete hot sauce are also known to go into the mix, depending on my mood. And always a pepper, a mild poblano or a spicier jalapeno depending on who's eating it.

One of these days I'll get around to writing down a BBQ Bean recipe that turns out just the way I like it.

Kathryn

Thanks so much Kathryn

I love the new handle!

I poked around on the inter webs and landed on this one. Of course I doubled it and made my own changes to keep it pork free.

This is adapted from Chef Tom - All Things BBQ

SAVORY SMOKED BRISKET BEANS
Ingredients:
Frijoles de la Olla ingredients:

• 2 lbs. dry pinto beans
• 2 gallons water
• 6 spring onions (Mexican grilling onion)
• 6 cloves garlic
• Stems from bunch cilantro
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 springs rosemary
• 3 bay leaves

Savory Brisket beans ingrediants:

• 4 - 5 lbs. smoked brisket (point & flat)
• ½ cup Honey mustard
• 2 lbs. Frijoles de la Olla
• 16 ounces diced brisket point
• 1 large yellow onion or 2 small onions
• 2 Poblano chilis
• 2 Anaheim chilis
• 1 – 2 habanero chilis (depending on size)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 4 tbs BBQ rub (e.g. Meat Church Gospel)
• 4 tbs Bear & Burtons W sauce
• 2 quarts no salt beef stock – 2 more reserved if needed
• ½ cup Head Country Hickory BBQ sauce

Directions:
Directions for Frijoles de la Olla:

• Rinse & soak 2 lbs. pinto beans overnight and drain soaking liquid,
• Add to the 2 lbs. soaked pinto beans to stock pot
• Sandwich 6 springs of fresh thyme, 3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary, stems from bunch of cilantro in the 3 bay leaves and tie bundle with butcher twine & add to stockpot
• Cut green stems from 6 spring onions, cut in half, and add to stock pot
• Crush 6 cloves garlic and remove skins & ends & add to stockpot
• Pour 2 gallons of water, cover, bring to a boil then turn down to simmer.
• Simmer for 45 – 60 mins till beans are just barely tender but not easily crushable or falling apart at all
• Drain beans (reserving some of the cooking water to add back later), remove herbs and onions
• Cover and refrigerate overnight

Preparations:

• Dice brisket point into small pieces that will render and break down
• Cube brisket flat into ½” pieces
• Dice vegetables: large yellow onion {or two small yellow onions} 2 Poblano chilis, 2 Anaheim Chilies, 2 jalapenos & remove all seeds and veins

Cooking:

• Set up pellet cocker and preheat to 275
• Lightly grease bottom of large steam pan w/ Ghee
• Add diced brisket point to steam pan & cook until fat renders and meat starts to break down
• Add onions & chilis, stir occasionally until veggies soften
• Add sliced garlic, precooked beans, 4 tablespoons Meat Church Gospel rub, ½ cup honey mustard, 4 tablespoons Bear & Burtons W sauce, 2 quarts beef stock, and cubed brisket point, ½ cup Head Country Hickory Smoke BBQ sauce, and incorporate well
• Smoke uncovered at 275, stirring occasionally, until reach desired creamy consistency, add bean cooking water if needed
• Check for seasoning, may need salt
• Add hot sauce to taste

What do you all think, look good?
JD

[SheilaAnn]

Looks great from here! You got this!!!