You’re guests will love this Beans, Bacon and Chipotle side dish at your next summer BBQ.
This recipe is brought to you by MJ at MJ’s Kitchen
MJ can make chiles 10 ways from Sunday, she has a real flair for Southwest cooking.
While she enjoys a wide variety of local chiles in New Mexico, she is always keen to help source these flavors for ourselves in her Kitchen Notes following each recipe.
Easy recipes with a Southwestern flair is exactly the reason I began following MJ’s Kitchen, her neighborly style made me a fan.
Be sure to visit MJ’s Kitchen for more recipes like Black Bean & Shiitake Enchiladas or Pinon (Pine Nut) Biscotti.
Beans, Bacon and Chipotle Side Dish – What’s not to love?
Hello to the readers and friends of Savoring Today! I’m MJ of MJ’s Kitchen, a spicy little blog in New Mexico, USA.
In deciding what to share with you today, I was looking for something that reflected my love of sweet and spicy and as fate would have it, along came these sweet and spicy beans.
Beans, Bacon and Chipotle evolved as the solution to a pot of overcooked navy beans. About twice a month I pressure cook a simple pot of dried beans and then use the beans in a variety of dishes.
Because I’ll be recooking the beans in another dish, my normal process is to undercook the beans just a bit and then finish cooking them in the final dish. Last week when I cooked up a pot of navy beans, I overcooked them; therefore, I had to come up with a dish with a short cooking time.
The recipe I’m sharing with you today did the trick.
Beans, Bacon and Chipotle is a relative simple dish with flavors similar to those of baked beans, but better in my opinion. It’s not near as sweet as baked beans and if you have the beans cooked already, it takes less than 30 minutes to make.
Chipotle powder gives the dish the “spicy” as well as provides a nice smoky complement to the bacon. Maple syrup is added to provide the “sweet”. Serve a bowl of these beans with a nice salad or piece of cornbread for a complete meal, or as a side to baked ham, grilled chicken or your favorite sandwich.
Beans, Bacon, and Chipotle
Ingredients
- 4 ounces slab bacon* , diced
- 2 to 3 cups cooked navy (or any white) bean, drained (reserve the liquid)
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
- ¼ tsp. crushed dried thyme
- ½ tsp. crushed dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp. bourbon , or Apple cider
- 2 Tbsp. ketchup
- 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ tsp. chipotle powder*
- Salt to taste
- *See Kitchen Notes
Instructions
- Add the diced bacon to a hot skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until the bacon starts to turn brown and gets somewhat crispy on the edges. Carefully drain all but about 1-2 Tbsp. of the drippings from the skillet.
- Return the skillet to the heat, reduce heat to medium low, and add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté for about 6 to 8 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
- Stir in the thyme and oregano.
- Add the bourbon and stir quickly to incorporate it with the bacon and vegetables. (Most of the bourbon will burn off.)
- Add the ketchup, maple syrup and chipotle powder. Stir to combine well.
- Add the beans and stir to coat with the sauce. Reduce heat to low. Add ½ cup of the reserved liquid (or ½ cup water). Stir and continue to heat through.
- Let the beans heat through for about 3 to 5 minutes. If they start to get too thick, add a little more water.
- Taste. Add salt if needed.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Kitchen Notes
Bacon – Slab bacon may be hard to find, but it’s well worth the hunt. The little diced pieces give you something to bite into. If you can’t find slab bacon then use a thick, sliced bacon and cut into small pieces.
Don’t worry about trimming the fat. You’ll be rendering it and then pouring off most of the fat once cooked. Diced smoked ham can also be used in placed of bacon. However, if you use ham, you don’t need to render the fat, just add the ham about a minute before you add the beans.
Chipotle Powder – Chipotle powder is quite common in my area but I understand that in some places, it’s hard to find. As a substitute you could use one to two chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. (Two peppers yield a very spicy bean dish!)
If you can’t find chipotle of any kind, then any smoked chile pepper would work. Smoked paprika would provide the smokiness of the chipotle but without the heat. Smoked serrano or ancho powder would provide both heat and smoky flavor.
The Liquid – If the beans are too thick for your preference, add a little more liquid. I usually end up adding about ½ cup of the liquid from the beans. Hope you enjoy these Sweet and Spicy Beans!
Thank you again Judy for having me as a guest. I hope that your recovery is quick and that you’re
April @ The 21st Century Housewife says
What a lovely post, MJ! And I love your Beans, Bacon and Chipotle. They sound like such a wonderfully comforting and nourishing treat!
Minnie@thelady8home says
Headed over from MJ’s…..great place that you have. And of course I love the beans, looks so good,what’s not to love!
ChgoJohn says
Hope you continue to recover, Judy, and that you’re feeling better with each passing day. This truly sounds delicious, MJ. It’s so good to see a pot of beans that is actually homemade, not to mention quite flavorful. Far too many start with a can of baked beans. Huh? They’re usually far too sweet and without character. That is so not your beans. I’ve pinned this one for future reference. Thanks.
Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says
I adore baked beans but quickly become disheartened by the loads (and loads) of sugar that are typically added to the recipes I come across – it turns me right off. Not only does this version look gorgeous, it is loaded with goodness and wholesome flavour (love the addition of chipotle) and just a touch of maple syrup – yay! finally :). With MJs clever spicing choices, there’s no need to bog it down with junk. I too love a little bacon with beans ~ I can’t wait to try this version MJ! Thank you ladies.
Debra says
Hope things are better for you now. Love MJ and I am pinning this recipe for summer BBQs. Glad I made it over here from her site.
Hotly Spiced says
I hope you’re making a good recovery, Judy. I love the look of this bean dish. I can buy slab bacon just down the road from where I live so I’d love to make this dish. I love how it’s not as sweet as baked beans but how there’s a little sweetness from the maple syrup xx
John@Kitchen Riffs says
I always buy a pound of chipotle powder every year mail order from New Mexico — which just barely lasts me! I love that stuff, and it’s so good combined with bacon. Really nice twist on baked beans — and perfect for the upcoming cookout and picnic season. Great guest post! Thanks.
mjskit says
A pound of chipotle! I’m not surprised John. 🙂 I’m still thinking about those shrimp with chipotle that you made. YUM! Thanks for your comments!
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz says
Love MJ’s blog and so true she can cook chiles like no one else. I like my beans served to me in restaurants, well just to lazy to ever try and make some. This recipe may get me in the kitchen though.
mjskit says
Thanks so much Evelyne!! When you make your own beans, you can control the texture of the beans (most of the time) to your liking. I never buy canned beans anymore. Home cooked are so much better!
Bill says
McCormick Chipotle Chile Powder is widely available and should be in the spice rack of most major stores. I have no trouble finding it here in central Illinois.
mjskit says
Thanks Bill. Yes, I have seen the McCormick brand here in the states. Unfortunately, chipotle powder is hard to find outside of the U.S. A friend of mine in Canada has to order it from New Mexico, so that’s why I offered the alternative chile powders to use.
Mimi says
I love that there’s so little sweetener in these beans. Don’t understand overly sweet beans. Love the chipotle addition!!!
mjskit says
Thanks so much Mimi! I agree – I never liked baked beans because they were just way too sweet.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
I love you both so much and now that you’ve joined forces, there’s just more to love. This is a dish that I could pick out as MJ’s easily. Love it.
mjskit says
Thanks Maureen! Awe – so what gave it away as my dish? Ha Ha