This is simply the best smoky baked beans recipe! This side dish comes together easily with canned beans, peppers, onions, molasses, brown sugar, a few dashes of liquid smoke, and some pantry staples.
Fry the bacon and set aside to drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan. Add the onion and bell pepper to the bacon grease and saute 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
Set aside ⅓ of the cooked bacon. Mix remaining ingredients together, stirring well to combine. Spoon beans into a 2 quart casserole or baking dish.
Sprinkle the reserved bacon over the beans.
Bake covered for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until bubbly.
Notes
You can make this in a slow cooker but you'll have to cook the bacon, onions, and peppers in the pan first regardless. Doing it in a slow cooker will enhance the flavor of the chili overall but will take several hours. If you have the time, I recommend it, but doing it in a pan on the stove is delicious, too!