Baked Beans Get A BBQ-Worthy Upgrade With This Flavorful Cut Of Beef

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Baked beans are a classic Southern BBQ side, but if you haven't tried pairing them with a good smoked or slow-cooked beef brisket, you're in for a treat. This iconic BBQ protein can bring baked beans — whether homemade or straight out of a can — to life through complementary flavors and textures. So it makes sense that adding leftover brisket will upgrade baked beans the next day in a way that makes any meal a barbecue-worthy one.

Brisket baked beans (or brisket beans), are a classic in Texas, where the slow-smoked cut of meat reigns supreme. The dish has become such a go-to that Sam's Club even sells Member's Mark BBQ Baked Beans With Brisket. Beef brisket is a tough but incredibly flavorful cut of meat from the muscular breast of the animal. Cooked in a smoker for the better part of a day, both the fatty, moist chunks from the brisket's point cut and the crispy burnt ends from the flat cut create contrast and complexity in the beans. It's the same reason adding bacon helps make restaurant-quality baked beans.

At its most basic, you can toss leftover burnt ends from your favorite smokehouse into a large skillet or saucepan with a can of baked beans, doctoring it up with BBQ sauce, onions, or mustard. In 30 minutes you'll have a tasty, hot dish. Often, brisket baked beans is made in the oven, cooked for about an hour. But if you want to go all in, setting the casserole in a smoker for a couple of hours or more will give you a whole new appreciation for the delectable interplay between barbecued meat and sweet-and-tangy legumes.

For this recipe, set your smoker fairly high, about 300 or 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The meat and beans are already cooked, so you're blending flavors, infusing smoke, and adding depth. If you want to work at a lower temperature, simply cook everything longer. You can use whatever amount of beans and brisket you have, but for a crowd pleaser, use a 9-inch by 12-inch foil baking pan or cast iron pan. 

Fill the pan with two large cans of baked beans or your own homemade beans. Next goes the meat and any veggies. This can be just a pound or two of Texas-style brisket, but you can add whatever other proteins you like. Toss in diced onions, bell peppers, jalapeños, even sweet potatoes. If needed, add healthy amounts of your favorite barbecue sauce and yellow mustard to bolster flavor and moisture throughout the casserole. You can also spice it up with hot sauce, or deepen it with Worcestershire or soy sauce. Add brown sugar if you want things on the sweeter side, or vinegar if you like more bite. Finally, add plenty of seasonings — chili powder, your favorite barbecue rub mix, oregano, cumin, whatever feels good. This is a flexible and forgiving recipe — feel free to experiment.

When everything is mixed together, pop it onto the preheated smoker and let it smoke, uncovered, for two or three hours. At higher temperatures, stir every 20 or 30 minutes to keep the sides from burning. And if you still have leftover brisket, you're in luck: It's a good upgrade in mac and cheese.