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If you grew up eating baked beans and hot dogs, these Smoked Beanie Weenies are about to bring back some memories. This homemade version takes the childhood classic and loads it up with ground beef, crispy bacon, sweet onions, colorful bell peppers, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, and plenty of smoky flavor.
Slow cooked on the smoker until thick, glossy, and caramelized, this homemade beanie weenies recipe is an easy meal that’s perfect for backyard BBQs, game day, potlucks, or feeding a hungry crowd. Serve it as a hearty side dish alongside your favorite smoked meats, or grab a bowl and turn it into a complete meal.
A Childhood Favorite Made Even Better
Traditional beanie weenies are about as simple as it gets—a can of beans combined with sliced hot dogs and heated until warm.
There’s nothing wrong with that version, but we’re taking this childhood favorite to another level.
Instead of simply heating beans and hot dogs together, this beans recipe starts with crispy bacon and ground beef. Sweet onions, green and red bell peppers add texture before everything gets coated in a sweet and smoky mixture of barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, BBQ seasoning, and optional hot sauce.
The entire pan then heads onto the smoker, where all those flavors have time to come together.
It’s still the childhood classic you remember, just with a serious backyard BBQ upgrade.
Why You’ll Love These Smoked Beanie Weenies
This is one of those great recipes that delivers a ton of flavor without requiring much work.
You only need about 15 minutes of prep before the smoker handles most of the cooking process. It’s easy to scale up for a large gathering, and leftovers taste just as good—if not better—the next day.
While I typically serve these beans as a side dish, the combination of ground beef, bacon, beans, vegetables, and hot dogs makes them hearty enough to become a complete meal.
Add some cornbread on the side, and you’ve got a great meal without much effort.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The complete measurements can be found in the recipe card, but this dish comes together with easy-to-find ingredients.
Baked Beans
Instead of making homemade baked beans completely from scratch, we’re starting with three large cans of baked beans.
Drain the beans before adding them to the pan. Starting with prepared beans saves time while the additional ingredients make the finished dish taste much more like a homemade version.
Ground Beef and Bacon
Ground beef makes these beanie weenies extra hearty, while crispy bacon adds richness and another layer of smoky flavor.
Cooking the ground beef in the leftover bacon grease is one of the easiest ways to add even more flavor.
Vegetables
Sweet onions and both red and green bell peppers add color, texture, and a little natural sweetness.
As everything slowly cooks, the vegetables become tender while soaking up all that barbecue flavor.
The Sauce
The sauce is made with:
- Barbecue sauce
- Brown sugar
- Yellow mustard
- Hot sauce
- BBQ rub
The brown sugar adds sweetness and helps the beans caramelize, while mustard balances everything with a little tang.
Use your favorite barbecue sauce and adjust the hot sauce depending on how spicy you want the finished dish.
How to Make Smoked Beanie Weenies
Step 1: Cook the Bacon and Ground Beef
Preheat your smoker to 350°F and set it up for indirect cooking.
Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the diced bacon. Cook until crispy, then remove the bacon and set it aside.
Add the ground beef to the same large skillet and brown it in the bacon grease, breaking it apart as it cooks.
Drain any excess grease before moving on.
Step 2: Build the Beans
Add the drained baked beans to a large cast iron skillet or disposable foil pan.
Stir in the cooked bacon, ground beef, onions, bell peppers, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, yellow mustard, hot sauce, and BBQ rub.
Give everything a good stir so all the remaining ingredients are evenly distributed.
Step 3: Smoke the Beans
Place the pan uncovered onto the smoker and cook at 350°F for approximately one hour.
Give the beans a stir after about 30–40 minutes.
Leaving the pan uncovered allows the beans to absorb plenty of smoky flavor while the sauce slowly reduces and thickens.
Step 4: Smoke the Hot Dogs
After the beans have been smoking for about an hour, place the whole hot dogs directly onto the grill grates.
Smoke them for 10–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until they’re heated through and develop some color on the outside.
Remove them from the smoker and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
Step 5: Finish the Beanie Weenies
Stir the sliced hot dogs directly into the beans.
Continue smoking uncovered for another 45–60 minutes until the onions and peppers are tender and the sauce has become thick, glossy, and caramelized.
Let everything rest for about 5–10 minutes before serving.
Can You Make Beanie Weenies in a Slow Cooker?
Absolutely.
If you don’t have a smoker, a slow cooker is a great alternative.
Cook the bacon and ground beef first, then transfer them to your slow cooker with the beans, vegetables, sauce ingredients, and sliced hot dogs. Cook on low heat for approximately 4–6 hours.
You won’t get quite as much smoky flavor as you would from the smoker, but you’ll still end up with an easy meal packed with sweet and savory BBQ flavor.
Tips for the Best Flavor
Don’t rush the cooking process. Allowing the beans to cook uncovered gives the sauce time to reduce and develop the thick consistency that makes this dish so good.
Grilling the hot dogs separately is another simple step worth taking. Putting them directly on the grates adds char and smoky flavor before they’re sliced and mixed into the beans.
For even more flavor, make the dish a few hours ahead and gently reheat it before serving. Like many great baked bean recipes, these Smoked Beanie Weenies are also fantastic the next day.
What to Serve with Smoked Beanie Weenies
These beans pair perfectly with just about any backyard BBQ meal.
Try serving them alongside burgers, smoked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, grilled chicken, hot dogs, coleslaw, potato salad, or cornbread.
They’re hearty enough to stand on their own but also make the perfect side dish for a full barbecue spread.
Final Thoughts
Smoked Beanie Weenies take one of our favorite meals from childhood and give it the ultimate BBQ makeover. With sliced hot dogs, ground beef, crispy bacon, tender peppers and onions, brown sugar, and barbecue sauce, this hearty dish has the perfect combination of sweet, savory, and smoky flavor.
With just a few minutes of prep and a couple of hours on the smoker, you can turn a childhood favorite into a homemade beanie weenies recipe that’s perfect for feeding a crowd.
Whether you serve it as a hearty side dish or make it a complete meal, save this recipe card for your next cookout because these Smoked Beanie Weenies are one childhood classic that tastes even better grown up.
Smoked Beanie Weenies
Ingredients
- 3 28 oz cans baked beans, drained
- 1 lb bacon, diced
- 1 –2 sweet onions, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 –2 tbsp hot sauce, optional
- 2 tbsp BBQ rub
- 1 package hot dogs
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker or oven to 350°F, setting up for indirect heat if using a smoker. Cook the diced bacon in a large skillet until crispy, then remove and set aside. Brown the ground beef in the bacon grease, breaking it apart as it cooks, then drain any excess grease.
- Add the drained baked beans, cooked bacon, ground beef, diced onions, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, yellow mustard, hot sauce, and BBQ rub to a large cast iron skillet or foil pan. Stir everything together until the beans and vegetables are evenly coated.
- Place the pan uncovered in the smoker or oven and cook at 350°F for about 1 hour, stirring after 30–40 minutes. As the beans cook, the sauce will begin to reduce and develop a thicker, richer consistency.
- After the beans have cooked for about 1 hour, place the whole hot dogs directly on the grill grates. Cook for 10–15 minutes, turning occasionally, until heated through and lightly charred on the outside.
- Remove the hot dogs from the grill and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Stir the sliced hot dogs into the beans, then continue cooking uncovered for another 45–60 minutes until the onions and peppers are tender and the beans are thick, glossy, and caramelized.
- Remove the Smoked Beanie Weenies from the smoker or oven and let them rest for 5–10 minutes before serving. Give everything one final stir and serve warm alongside burgers, ribs, pulled pork, grilled chicken, or your favorite backyard BBQ dishes.
