Killer Smoked Beans

I really like these beans; so does everyone else. I made a batch of these for the 4th of July and had a few requests from family for the recipe. The mixture of soft canned beans and firmer rehydrated dry beans give this a nice texture. The sweet and smoky flavor is awesome. Roasted peppers and bacon take these beans to the next level of awesomeness. Enjoy. 


Prep. Time: At least 8 hours

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry mixed beans
• 8 cups water
• 6 cups water
• 2 15 oz cans black beans
• 1 15 oz can dark red kidney beans
• 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 5 strips of bacon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 barbeque sauce
• 1 large disposable aluminum pan
• Spray cooking oil

Preparation

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups mixed dry beans and the 8 cups water. Place in the refrigerator and let the beans soak overnight. Stir the combination every few hours during the soaking process to allow all the beans to soften.

After the beans have soaked overnight, drain the beans by placing them in a colander and then rinse the beans under water. Pour the beans and the 6 cups water in a large pot and place on the stove. Apply medium to medium high heat and allow to cook for 30 minutes. If the water gets too low during the cooking process, add more water so the beans do not burn.

After the 30 minutes of cooking the beans are complete, combine everything together in the pot except for the bacon, jalapeno pepper, and poblano pepper. Stir thoroughly and continue to cook over medium heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

In a saute pan, place the 5 strips of bacon and cook over medium high heat. Turn the bacon once the side facing down is fairly brown. We want to cook the bacon until it is extra crispy. Not burnt. Just extra crispy. You may have to turn it more than once to get it as crisp as possible. It always cooks a little more once you take it out of the pan.

Once the bacon is extra crispy, place it on a plate with paper towels on it to soak up any remaining grease. The beans only need 4 strips of bacon. So, eat one of the pieces of bacon to make sure it taste good. It will. Because it is bacon. But, you know, you have to be sure. I always cook an extra piece of bacon. Let the bacon cool for 5 - 10 minutes. Once the bacon is cool, place it in a ziplock bag and basically crush the bacon with your hands until it looks like large bacon bits. Add this to your pot of beans while it is still on the stove cooking.

After about 1 hour of cooking the beans are complete, it is time to start the fire.

Fire Time

With your charcoal grill, prepare a nice charcoal fire. I use the main part of the grill, not the side fire box for this recipe. Once the charcoal is ready, add 2 or 3 chunks of hickory. The grill should be around 225 - 250 degrees F.

Spray the jalapeno pepper and the poblano pepper with oil. Place both of these peppers on the grill. Cook the peppers until they are fairly black and blistered and the skin is starting to pull away from the peppers. It is okay if they look burnt. That is what we are going for. Take the peppers off the grill and let cool for 5 - 10 minutes.

Once the peppers are cool, use your hands to remove the stem, seeds, veins, and skin from the peppers while running them under cold water. This is the best technique I have used. Some people will place the cooked peppers in a plastic bag first to allow the peppers to steam. This has never worked for me. Just saying. Cold water and my hands seem to work for me.

Once the peppers are prepared, use a knife to remove any additional veins. Also, you might want to wash your hands with soap and water after preparing the peppers. The pepper oils tend to stay around. And, please, don't rub your eyes. Unless you really like the feeling of pepper spray. Dice the peppers and then stir them into the pot of beans.

Keep the fire going, as you will be adding the beans to the grill next.

After two hours of cooking the beans on the stove top, go to your grill and add 3 - 4 chunks of hickory to the coals. Then, pour the beans into the large disposable aluminum pan and place on the grates in the main compartment of your grill. You should start getting some good smoke from your grill. We want to infuse the smoke flavor into the beans.

Let the beans cook on the grill for about 1 hour at 225 - 250 degree F. You will need to stir in about a cup of water every 15 minutes to keep the beans moist. The heat from the grill tends to dry them out fast. Be sure to add some hickory chunks to your coals if you notice the smoke dying out. Remember, if the hickory flares up, close the lid, side draft, and chimney to snuff out the fire. Once you see good smoke again, go ahead and open your chimney and side draft back up.

After about 1 hour of cooking on the grill, your beans should be ready to go. Carefully, remove the aluminum pan from your grill. I suggest a quick taste, especially of one of the dry beans. If it is still too hard, you can always cook your beans further on the stove top again in the same pot you used before. Keep in mind, the dry beans will always be fairly firm.

Transfer your beans to another container and serve to your favorite people. You could also gives these beans to people you don't like, they might start to like you.