Masterpiece Bbq Beans

These slow cooker beans start with canned baked beans and doctor them up into something unrecognizable. Golden raisins, chopped Granny Smith apples, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and chunked onion all go into the crockpot together, with raw bacon strips laid across the top to render and crisp during the long cook.

The Granny Smith apples are the surprise ingredient that makes this recipe stand out. Their sharp tartness cuts through the sweetness of the brown sugar and barbecue sauce, keeping the beans from being one-note sugary. They soften during the 4 to 5 hours of cooking but hold their shape enough to give you distinct bites of apple in every spoonful.

Golden raisins plump up in the sauce and burst with concentrated sweetness. They add a different kind of sweet than the brown sugar, more fruity and complex, that layers the flavor rather than just making it sweeter.

Pro Tips

• Use a thick, smoky barbecue sauce rather than a thin, vinegar-heavy one. The beans already have liquid, and thin sauce will make them soupy.
• Lay the bacon strips across the top without submerging them. The exposed surface crisps slightly while the underside flavors the beans with rendered fat.
• These are even better reheated the next day. The sauce thickens and the flavors deepen overnight.

Variations

• Swap golden raisins for dried cranberries for a tangier dried fruit option.
• Add a tablespoon of yellow mustard or a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce for more savory depth.
• Use thick-cut bacon for meatier strips that hold up during the long cook.