Course: Accompaniments
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: baked beans, pinto beans
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours hours
bean prep: 1 day day 2 hours hours
Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 8
Prepared with dried beans, you'll need to begin this recipe a day in advance.
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Dried Beans
- 1/2 pound (2 cups) dried pinto beans sorted and rinsed
- 4 cups cold water (plus more as needed)
- 1 small white onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
Baked Beans
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 pound pork sausage
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large white onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, sliced (optional)
Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce
- 1 12 ounce can Dr Pepper
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Meat Spice Blend (link below)
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Prepare the Dried Beans
Place the sorted and rinsed beans into a large bowl and cover the beans with the cold water. Allow the beans to soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
Pour the beans and their soaking water into a large stockpot. Add more water (if needed) to cover the beans at least 3 inches.
Add the white onion halves, garlic, and the bay leaf to the pot and simmer the beans for 1-2 hours, or until they are al dente.
Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid for later.*Pour the beans into a lightly-greased roasting pan, then set them to the side while you make the BBQ sauce.
Make the Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce
Assemble and Bake the Beans
Once your BBQ sauce has thickened, pour it over the beans in the roasting pan.
Stir the sauce into the beans, cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 1 hour.
Remove the pan from the oven and stir the beans well. Return the pan to the oven and continue baking- covered- for an additional 1-2 hours, or until the sauce is very thick and the beans are tender. (If you want a sauce that is extra-thick, cook the beans uncovered for the last half-hour.)
Serve the beans while hot.
*The beans can be prepared, drained, then frozen (after soaking and simmering) for later use.
**The BBQ sauce may be made a day, or two, in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to use.
The finished beans can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to a year.
Substitute Dr. Pepper with your favorite cola, or use beef stock instead. If using beef stock, increase the brown sugar to a 1/2 cup.
Canned Texas Baked Bean Recipe:
To make the recipe using canned baked beans, skip the soaking and simmering step and use 4 15-ounce cans of drained pinto beans instead. Reserve the drained liquid for thinning the BBQ sauce, if necessary.
Reduce baking time to 1 1/2 hours, stirring after 45 minutes.