Brisket Baked Beans

May 15, 2019

“Like barbecued brisket, baked beans have deep roots in American food culture. Native Americans cooked them with maple sap and bear fat, using fire-scorched stones for heat. European colonists adopted the dish, adding salt pork for fat and molasses as a sweetener. Today, baked beans are inextricably woven into the fabric of American barbecue and they’re about to get a lot better. With brisket. Lots of brisket. This is a great place to use up all those burnt ends and brisket trimmings. Sweet, salty, smoky, and, above all, meaty, these are everything you hunger for in baked beans—and more.”

Ingredients

4strips thick-sliced artisanal bacon, such as Nueske’s, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slivers

1large onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

3jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and diced

2cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 cupchopped fresh cilantro

1 can (15 ounces)baked beans (preferably organic) with can juices

1 can (15 ounces)black beans (preferably organic), drained

1 can (15 ounces)red kidney beans (preferably organic), drained

1 can (15 ounces)navy beans (preferably organic), drained

1 1/2 cupsyour favorite sweet red barbecue sauce

2/3 cuppacked brown sugar, plus extra as needed

1/2 cupdark beer, plus extra as needed

1/3 cupDijon mustard

2 cupschopped barbecued brisket

Coarse salt (sea or kosher) and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Place the bacon in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Place over medium-high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until sizzling and golden, 3 minutes.

2. Add the onion, poblano, bell pepper, jalapeños, garlic, and 1/4cup of the chopped cilantro and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned 3 to 4 minutes more.

3. Stir the beans into the bacon mixture. Stir in the barbecue sauce, sugar, beer, mustard, and brisket. You can cook the beans in the Dutch oven, or transfer them to a large heavy-duty aluminum foil roasting pan.

4. Set up your smoker following the manufacturer’s instructions and heat to 275°F. Smoke the beans, uncovered, until thick, concentrated, and richly flavored, 1 1/2to 2 hours. If they start to dry out, stir in a little water or more dark beer and put the lid on the Dutch oven or cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

5. Correct the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, or sugar to taste. The beans should be very flavorful. Sprinkle the remaining ¼cup chopped cilantro on top. Dig in!

Brisket Baked Beans will keep, in a sealed container in the refrigerator, for at least 3 days.

Variations

Grill method: Set up your grill for indirect grilling and heat to medium. If using a charcoal grill, toss 11/2cups wood chips (soaked in water to cover for 30 minutes, then drained) or 2 hardwood chunks on the coals. If using a gas grill, place wood chunks under the grate over the heat diffusers. In step 4, smoke-roast the beans, uncovered, until they are thick, concentrated, and richly flavored, 40 to 60 minutes.

Oven method: Preheat the oven to 275°F. In step 4, bake the beans, uncovered, until thick, concentrated, and richly flavored, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Makes 12 cups; serves 10 to 12