Baked Beans are my all time favorite side to go with my barbecue. My dad had a couple of signature dishes that were requested at family gatherings. He made a queso that we dubbed Granpa Dip that we all still talk about today. The other dish was his baked beans that he mixed up himself. We normally left the party with empty dishes because everyone loved his baked beans.
Even though he didn’t cook by recipe I watched him add a little of this and a little of that so many times I didn’t need a recipe. The great thing about his beans besides the taste, was that you really could make the dish your own. My oldest daughter also loves to cook and eat these beans and she has her own flare for her baked beans. I have adapted the original beans my dad cooked with a little bit of my tastes as well. We stay true to the base of Dad’s beans but we do add a couple of different tastes.
The biggest difference to my baked beans compared to my Dad’s beans is the choice of mustard and the addition of chopped garlic. My Dad used French’s Yellow Mustard and I will float between Gulden’s Spicy Brown Mustard and Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard. I also add some chopped garlic versus using garlic salt. Sometimes I will even season with some BBQ rub from my spice cabinet.

Baked Beans Ingredients
- Pork and Beans
- BBQ Sauce
- Brown Sugar
- Mustard
- Onion
- Bacon
- Garlic
- Honey
Choose your favorite brand of pork and beans, bbq sauce, mustard and bacon. I normally don’t choose a sweet bbq sauce since I’ll be adding a pile of brown sugar anyway. But, if that’s all you have on hand you’ll be just fine. Think of it like a blank canvas allowing you to add your own taste and style.
This is one of those dishes that you don’t really measure anything. You just start building with the beans stirring in the other ingredients tasting along the way. I do drain my beans before pouring them in. You get enough liquid from the bbq sauce, bacon fat, mustard and honey in my opinion. I like my baked beans to be thick almost like a casserole.
I cut my onion into rings and place them on top of the beans. Some folks will chop them and stir them in. I like that method too but I have some family members that don’t like onions so the rings allow them to spoon around the onions. I bake them at 325 until they are bubbly and the bacon is done.

Whether you need a small batch or you have a big group of friends and family to feed you can easily adjust the ingredients. You can even take them up a notch if you have some leftover brisket. Just chop it up and stir it in before you top it with the bacon. In my opinion Baked Beans are the perfect side for any kind of cookout or barbecue.

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