Baked beans with drippings question

[Henrik]

Esteemed pit members, I need your help on improving my baked beans with drippings.

I'm talking about putting a drip pan with beans underneath a large slab of meat like brisket, chuck roast or a boston butt.

The whole idea is to bake the beans slowly, catching drippings from the meat and soaking up smoke flavor.

I've done it very few times, and don't have my process down yet. What typically happens is the beans dry out and stick to the bottom of the drip pan.

I know I shouldn't leave them in there for 10 hours (if that is the time it takes to cook a brisket), but what do you guys do? And for how long? Last time I placed the drip pan (disposable aluminum pan) with beans directly on the heat deflector in my Big Green Egg, and of course they dried out. The direct heat transfer from the deflector to the pan is too efficient. I need to 'suspend' the drip pan somehow.

So, how do you guys do to:
A) avoid drying the beans out, and
B) for how long (and during what phase) do you smoke them? First 3 hours, middle 3 hours, last 3 hours?

Any suggestions appreciated.

[Chuck in Charlotte]

Hi Henrik, I've only tried this 3-4 times, here's where I am in the evolution. I use the Ceramic Grill Store's adjustable rig with the bean pan on the bottom rack. You have to lift out the whole rig to get the beans in and out. I put the beans under my butt (PORK butt) after the internal temp gets above 120 so I know the fat is rendering, but well before the stall so I can still wrap if I need to. I only leave them on for about an hour, then I've kept them above 140 degrees until the pork was ready. I guess you could shock and chill them and re-heat as well.

Thanks for the topic, I'm anxious to hear how the more experienced folks make the magic.

[HouseHomey]

Great reply!

[Frozen Smoke]

I do it all the time with all kinds of meats. My pit beans are my most requested item I’m asked to cook. I generally do 1 or 2 half pans full. I put them on the last 2 to 3 hours of the cook and stir occasionally.

They are just heating through catching some smoke and drippings.

[FireMan]

Very good suggestion.

[Hulagn1971]

I've done them on the WSM quite a few times and left them on during the entire cook. I just add water as needed. I'm also interested in others experiences as well.

[Randy-Phx]

I haven’t made beans on the smoker. But, why don’t you catch the dripping with a foil pan (empty), and then add them to your beans once they are ready to go on the pit?

[SmokeyGator]

Maybe use a double boiler type thing for the beans? Put a pan with some water on the heat diffuser then put another pan with the beans in it to catch fhe drippings.

[JeffJ]

Do you have a warming rack? It sounds like the bottom of your drip pan resting directly on top of the heat deflector is one of the variables that is causing problems for you. Setting it on top of a warming rack/grate should obviate that problem.

[CaptainMike]

"Obviate" Cool word of the day.

[Thom Emery]

Esteemed pit members, I need your help on improving my baked beans with drippings.

I'm talking about putting a drip pan with beans underneath a large slab of meat like brisket, chuck roast or a boston butt.

The whole idea is to bake the beans slowly, catching drippings from the meat and soaking up smoke flavor.

I've done it very few times, and don't have my process down yet. What typically happens is the beans dry out and stick to the bottom of the drip pan.

I know I shouldn't leave them in there for 10 hours (if that is the time it takes to cook a brisket), but what do you guys do? And for how long? Last time I placed the drip pan (disposable aluminum pan) with beans directly on the heat deflector in my Big Green Egg, and of course they dried out. The direct heat transfer from the deflector to the pan is too efficient. I need to 'suspend' the drip pan somehow.

So, how do you guys do to:
A) avoid drying the beans out, and
B) for how long (and during what phase) do you smoke them? First 3 hours, middle 3 hours, last 3 hours?

Any suggestions appreciated.

we foil our beans
Not individually ;0)
Once they are thick foil the pan

Thus obviating the bean problem
;0)

[FireMan]

Wow, did you just send a flash pic of the mind. Wrapping beans "not individually" would be something to see.

[HouseHomey]

You could use a rack or foil wrap paper towel tubes and lay your pan across that. Smash them a little to level them out.

Im not familiar with the BGE, what the clearance under there. How about bricks or stones?

[FireMan]

Not individually? 🕶

[SierraBBQGuy]

For BGE, I have an aftermarket thingy that holds a pizza stone as the heat deflector. On top of that are 2 level grates, meat on top, beans below. I go for 2-3 hours.

[Ahumadora]

Just use firebricks under the beans. Make sure they are cold when you put them in the pit so they take on more smoke and will take longer to dry out. Also add the last 1" of warm beer from your beer bottles as your'e cooking.

[FireMan]

Oooohhh so nice!

[jgreen]

Switch to your kettle/SNS? No direct heat under the beans that way.

[Thom Emery]

Obviate individually

[CaptainMike]

Hahahaha, you said "Obviate". Twice. Well, technically once. Still a cool word.

[Thom Emery]

individually

[JGo37]

Henrik, I do this with a large CI skillet under a leg of lamb 3-4 times a year. You can maybe transpose this to your larger quantities.

I do it for the last 2 hours of the smoke, the IT climb from pretty warm up to 165F (you can figure out Celsius, right?). It's only under, catching drippings, while smoke is in play. I use, along with spices, 1 part bourbon with 1 part (A. Molasses, B. Maple Syrup, C. unrefined honey - B. is my favorite) and 3 parts water. I usually have another grill doing something else, and move the skillet to the indirect zone there for however long it takes for the beans 'broth' to reduce to the consistency I want while the lamb breaks the stall and finishes. - i.e. for the water to continue evaporation until the beans are in a medium density sauce. The 'other' grill usually has stuff like veggies on the upper deck, not in the sear. To give the beans a unique lamb / other flavor profile, I put bacon back in the beans from the start, and pull it out before serving. There's an Appalachian hillbilly twist for you!

The next morning I dice the bacon back and make myself scrambled eggs.

Were you just bored? You're a way better cookeroo than I...

[texastweeter]

i do it almost every time i cook ribs, butt, or brisket. i have a different recipe for sweet pork than i do for the cowboy beans that go under my beef. First , i start out with them overly "wet". Second, i double up on the pan they are in to kind of insulate them on the bottom (layer of damp papertowrls between the foil pans). I add them once the fat starts to render and drip. Stir every 45 minutes to an hour to keep the top from burning. I skip the last stir on the sweet baked ones that go under pork so it gets a kind of crust on top. Under salt at first, so your end product isnt too salty. i use a vert cab smoker or an offset stick burner, so i dont have as much direct heat transfer as you.