These Dutch oven baked beans are a hearty and comforting side dish or meal to make over the campfire. For this classic campfire cooking recipe, navy beans, bacon, and onion are cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce that's so good everyone will be clamoring for more.
So long, Bush's. When you can make campfire beans as good as these, there's no reason to ever go back to the ones out of a can. I know I never will.
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Why This Recipe is Great for Camping
- It's a hearty side dish or meal that will feed plenty, making it great for multiple meals, or for serving a crowd.
- This campfire baked beans recipe only requires one pot!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Navy beans--For ease of preparation, I use canned navy beans for this recipe. You could soak and cook dried beans, but that will add a few hours of cooking time. Be sure to rinse and drain your canned beans before using them.
- Bacon--This adds a salty, savory flavor to the beans. If you want to keep them vegetarian, you can omit the bacon, and use a little oil to cook the onion.
- Maple syrup and brown sugar--These give the sauce its signature sweetness. This recipe isn't overly sweet, but you can adjust the sweetness to taste after it has finished cooking with extra sugar or maple syrup.
- Vinegar--I use apple cider vinegar because the flavor works well here, but you could swap in white vinegar or white wine vinegar, if necessary.
How to Cook Baked Beans on a Campfire
- Cook the bacon in the Dutch oven over hot coals or very low flame.
- When the bacon is mostly cooked and the fat has rendered, stir in the onion and cook until softened.
- Add the remaining ingredients and enough water to cover the beans.
- Cover the Dutch oven and let the beans simmer until tender and thickened, stirring occasionally. Thin with additional water, if needed.
FAQs
Yes. Use a regular Dutch oven, and follow the recipe directions, cooking the bacon and onion over medium or medium-low heat. Once covered, simmer the beans over low heat until thickened.
Definitely. Once the beans are completely cool, store them in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a pot or Dutch oven over low heat until warmed through. Take care when reheating as the softened beans can split easily.
These beans are a great side dish to go along with make-ahead camping ribs or seared steak and corn on the cob, or you can enjoy them as a meal with a side salad and some campfire garlic bread.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- To get ahead, drain and rinse your beans before heading out on your camping trip. Store them in a sealed container in your cooler for up to 2 days before cooking.
- Leftover beans can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge or cooler for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage. Reheat gently over low heat.
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Recipe
Dutch Oven Baked Beans
Equipment
- Cast iron Dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 8 ounces bacon sliced into thin strips
- 1 medium onion diced
- Three (15-ounce) cans navy beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- Pinch cayenne pepper optional
- 2 to 4 cups water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare a campfire and let it burn down to a bed of hot coals.
- Set a large (5 to 7 quarts) cast iron Dutch oven over the fire. You can place the Dutch oven directly in the coals, or set it on a grate above the heat. I find having it elevated easier for replacing the coals underneath.
- Add the bacon and cook until most of the fat is rendered and the bacon is mostly cooked, but not crispy, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in the onion and cook until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the beans, ketchup, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard powder, and cayenne, if using, and mix well. Pour in enough water to just cover the beans.
- Cover the Dutch oven and bring the beans to a simmer. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, and replacing the coals as needed, until the sauce is thickened and the beans are tender, about 1 ½ hours. If the beans begin to look dry or start sticking while cooking, pour in extra water. You want them to be in a thick sauce.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.
Notes
- Cooking time--Cooking time will vary depending on how hot your fire is and how close your pot is to the heat. My times were based on using very hot coals with the pot set on a grate about 8 inches above the heat.
- Get ahead--Drain and rinse your beans before heading out on your camping trip. Store them in a sealed container in your cooler for up to 2 days before cooking.
- Storage--Leftover beans can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge or cooler for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage. Reheat gently over low heat.
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