Today we're going to make some Lo 'n Slo Smoked Baked Beans on a smoker. These are extremely good with any BBQ main entree. My kids absolutely love these baked beans and they're really easy to make. It's gonna take a minimum of about 5 hours from start to finish.

I'm using a smoker but this same recipe could easily be done over the campfire.

One of the nice things about these beans is that the meat is optional.

This is my first Instructable. I appreciate all advice, comments, and encouragement.

Step 1: What You're Going to Need - Beans...

What you're going to need:
2 cans of Six Bean Medley or Mixed Beans
1 can of Black Beans
1 medium onion
1 can of kernel corn (optional)
1 cup of ketchup
1 cup of fancy molasses
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
half to three quarters a pound of bacon (optional - you can use your favourite meat or leave the meat out entirely to make it a vegetarian meal).

Note: You'll want a pot that can get dirty from the smoker. I have a black camping pot that I use and dedicate to smoking.

B.T.W. - the word 'vegetarian' in some nomadic cultures/societies means "bad hunter"...

Step 2: Dice the Onion and Add Your Meat.. Don't Cry

Dice the onion and meat

Take your medium onion and dice it up fairly small. Add the onion to the pot. If you are adding meat to the recipe then cut your meat into meduim size pieces. Add this to the pot. I decided to add some bacon to my beans today but I have also used left over BBQ'd pork and beef.

I don't think you need a picture of that...

Step 3: Drain and Add the Beans

Drain and add the beans

Open your cans of beans and drain the excess liquid. Add the beans to the pot. You can optionally add whole kernel corn to the recipe. My kids love corn so I added it... your call really...

Step 4: Time to Make the Sauce

Time to make the sauce

To the pot you are going to add 1 cup of ketchup, 1 cup of molasses, and 3 tablespoons of brown sugar.

Step 5: Mix It All Together With Love

All of your ingredients should now be in the pot. Take your favorite utensil and slowly mix the beans, ketchup, molasses, onion, brown sugar together.....

Mix everything thoroughly. That should look and taste good enough to eat rght now... in fact.. You could eat it now but it's better smoked..

Step 6: Start the Smoker

Get that fire going (or smoker)!

You're going to need to set up your smoker to provide a 250F - (120C) temperature for about 5 hours. Ideally you want to cook these beans using indirect heat. If you put them directly over the coals they might very burn (and we don't want that!).

Set up your charcoal using the minion method or whatever suits your fancy really. I have a simple Master Forge Kettle smoker that works just fine.

Note: If you don't have a smoker, you can also cook these beans in your BBQ and simply add hickory chips to the BBQ. Again, you want to use indirect heat to avoid burning. We want to cook these beans lo 'n slo and get some nice smokey flavor in there..

Step 7: Occasionally Stir and Monitor Temperature

Monitor your heat and stir occasionally

Keep an eye on your temperatures and try to keep that heat at a steady 250F. Every hour or so we will want to give the beans a nice gentle little stir... The smoke is going to slowly get infused in there... I'm getting hungry....

Note: It goes without saying that the longer we smoke the beans, the smokier they're going to taste... Too much smoke can add a bitter flavor to the dish so I usually only keep the lid off for 2-3 hours and then cover for the duration of the cooking time.

Let those beans cook for about 5 hours.... there is no hard set time.. When your other main dishes are done then the beans are ready.

Important: Keep some oven mitts handy when touching the pot. It will be HOT! Just saying...