Name: Grilled Bourbon Baked Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp salted butter ((substitute olive oil to make vegan)); 2 stalk celery (including the leafy tops, diced); 1 medium onion (diced); 56 oz vegetarian baked beans ((two 28 ounce cans)); 1 cup brown sugar; 1/2 cup your favorite BBQ sauce; 1/4 cup honey; 1/4 cup molasses; 1/4 cup bourbon; jalapeno peppers (optional)

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There is something about cooking food outside. It just tastes better. Meat browns better, the smokiness can’t be done inside without liquid smoke (shudder), and of course fire is involved. So I took my wife’s baked beans recipe, cranked it up with some bourbon and cooked it outside on the grill in a cast iron pot to make grilled bourbon baked beans. Since I had just pulled my brisket from the grill, I took a few tablespoons of fat from the brisket drip pan to sauté the vegetables.

Grilled Bourbon Baked Beans Ingredients:

2 tbsp butter (substitute olive oil to make vegan)
2 stalks celery including the leafy tops, diced
1 medium onion, diced
56 ounces vegetarian baked beans (two 28 ounce cans)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup bourbon
jalapeños (optional)

I brought the grill up to just under 400 degrees with a chunk of apple wood in the coals. Place the cast iron pot on the grill and let it get hot.

I realize that most people don’t have brisket fat laying around, so I put butter into the ingredients list, but you can add the fat of your choice and let it melt. Substitute olive oil to make this a vegan recipe

Then add the diced celery and onions.

Cook until tender, about five minutes:

Add the beans, brown sugar, BBQ sauce, honey and molasses:

Don’t forget the bourbon. Some say everything is better with bacon, but same goes for bourbon! Be careful adding bourbon to a pot on a grill with hot coals. Remove the pot from the fire for this step.

I typically chop up some jalapeños and add to the pot, but some of our guests didn’t care for spicy food so I left the peppers out this time.

Open the grill and stir every 30 to 45 minutes until the beans are thick and delicious for a total of about two hours depending on the heat of the grill:

Plated the grilled bourbon baked beans with the previously mentioned brisket. That recipe is a primer that simplifies grilling the hardest of meats in a post we call Brisket Made Easy. The brisket, by the way was the best I’d ever had! And easier than you might think.

The beans pick up the smoke wood from the grill to add to the flavor profile along with the splash of good bourbon added a wonderful richness to each bite.

Here’s another grilled baked beans recipe with BACON!

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