Root Beer Beans

The deck rebuild is progressing ahead of schedule and should be complete this afternoon. The two guys doing it have been true craftsman, taking pride in their work as if they were building it for themselves.

I wanted to send them home last night with dinner. The Big Green Egg is spending the weekend in our living room, so I rolled out the Brinkmann SnP offset smoker and smoked a batch of chickens, ribs, and beans. Meanwhile, Alexis cooked a half steam pan full of her mac and cheese.

The BBQ beans were something new that I wanted to try after seeing them on Pages, Pucks, and Pantry earlier this week. Mrs. L had adapted hers from Southern Living and I adapted hers to cook on the smoker.

Smokey Root Beer Beans
Source: Adapted from Mrs. L's adaptation of Southern Living's Root Beer Beans

2 28 oz cans Bush's Country Style Beans
1 small onion, diced
1/3rd ea red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3rd ea green bell pepper, seeded and diced
6 sliced bacon, cooked until almost crisp and then chopped
1/3rd cup smoked brisket, chopped
1 cup root beer (I used Jones Soda Company brand)
1/2 cup BBQ Sauce (I used Pork Barrel BBQ)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp of hot sauce (I used Fire Ant Juice)

Combine all ingredients in a half steam pan and cover tightly with foil. Place in the smoker (in your hot spot if you have one). The temps of the smoker could range from 225 to 300f. Cook for 90 minutes. Uncover, stir, and cook for another hour. Stir every now and then as the top will start to thicken.

I was tentative about making this one because I wasn't sure how the root beer flavor would come through. I probably wouldn't have made it if Mrs. L hadn't been so vocal about how much she had liked this recipe. We loved them! They were sweet, a little spicy, and had just the right smokiness. We will absolutely make this again.

We packed up 4 orders "to go" for our deck builders as they finished and they were very grateful.
Smoke Notes for the BBQ Enthusiasts (not written in English):

Fire - Used Minion method. Base fire of Kingsford briquettes and chunks of cherry wood. Adding hickory splits, cherry, and lump through the cook as needed. Ran hot the first 90 min @ 275f even w/ vents shut down. Mostly 250f after that. (Grate temps run 25f lower for the main level)

The ribs were St. Louis trimmed spare ribs. I rubbed one with Billy Bones Competition rub and one with a batch of Southern Succor rub that I had made. I cooked them 3-1 1/2-1 at 250f. Glazes were Pork Barrel BBQ on the Succor rib and Smoky Mountain Smokers on the Billy Bones rib.

The chickens were brined (3/4 c kosher salt, 1/2 c sugar, 1/4 c rub) and rubbed with Poultry Perfect Rub. Mopped them every 30 minutes with my chicken mop sauce. Smoked them for 3 1/2 hrs until the FINALLY hit 160f in the breasts.