Today I'm sharing a smoky beans and chorizo recipe that starts off with frying onions and garlic in butter and oil, as all best recipes always do! Cooking on the stove top to the oven and ending up with a black pot is a sign of really good food, right?

Smoky Beans And Chorizo
An absolute treasured recipe since I practically grew up on baked beans and I think that's for most South Africans. Baked beans keep you fuller for longer, are affordable and extremely versatile. The recipe inspiration came from my Sausage and Bean Pot Recipe.
What Makes Baked Beans Delicious?
Ketchup (tomato sauce), Worcestershire sauce, sugar or some kind of sweetness like honey or maple syrup, a bit acidity like vinegar and definitely some umami like molasses.
What if I told you that you can have all that in a jar?
You would say yes please right? Pour it into the beans and wait for a taste that will quite honestly silence you into absorbing the level of flavors incorporated into this smoky beans and chorizo.

Ingredients For Smoky Beans And Chorizo Braai Recipe
The ingredients start with this easy braai sauce recipe which is the complete package of flavors needed for this smoky beans and chorizo.
Braai sauce: This is a homemade braai sauce (aka barbecue sauce) which already has all the elements of sweet and savory without any nasties making it a great alternative to store-bought sauces.
Aromatics: How all good food starts. Onion, garlic, spices, seasoning and tomato paste.
Chorizo: This is a cooking chorizo. You can get cooked (ready for eating) and raw chorizo. How do you know? Taste it.
Bacon: Bacon makes everything taste good, it's true. I used whole pieces, grilled them and chopped them before adding to the beans.
How To Cook The Bacon
You can cook the bacon first. In a hot skillet cook the bacon and continue with the recipe adding the bacon later. The other option is to cook it with the entire recipe.
What Chorizo Is Cooking Chorizo?
Normally it's tied on the ends, smaller in size and the best way to be 100% sure is to taste it! This is a sure way to tell if it needs cooking.
How To Make Smoky Beans And Chorizo
Preheat Set the oven to 190°C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Prep the ingredients: Chop the onion, mince the garlic and chop fresh parsley, set aside.
Cooking the aromatics: Start by heating the olive oil and melting the butter. Add the onions and cook until they are soft and shimmering. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Saute the chorizo: Add the chorizo and give it a minute or two with the garlic and onions before adding the other ingredients. Spices, seasoning, tomato paste go in next and you mix those up and give another a minute or so.




Key Ingredients: Baked beans, salt & pepper, braai sauce, and stock.






Give it all a mix while the pot reaches a boil, at which point you turn the srove off and transger the pot tonthe oven. Cook in the oven (lid on) for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue cooking for 15 minutes. At this point the smoky beans and chorizo is ready to be served.
Serve with a side of fresh bread, pack it to go on picnics as a side dish or serve at your weekend family braai or barbecue.
TIP A small drizzle of fresh lemon juice and a tiny pinch of sea salt for those who want to awaken the taste buds!


How To Cook The Bacon
You have THREE options on how to cook bacon for this smoky beans chorizo;
- Use the same Dutch/oven or pot to start by frying the bacon in a little fat. Remove the bacon, set it aside and continue with the recipe. When the beans are cooked add the bacon and serve.
OR
- Oven bake the bacon, air fryer or cook on the stove-top in a skillet or non stick pan, serve once the beans are cooked.
OR
- Cook part of the bacon with the beans and chorizo (as I've done in this recipe) and cook the remaining bacon seperately. Serve the crispy bacon with the beans once ready.
All these methods work the only difference would be the timing of each method and how crispy you like your bacon to be.
How To Make Smoky Beans And Bacon
This is a short method, please find the full recipe in the recipe card below.
Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius and arrange the rack in the middle of the oven.
Cook the chorizo with the aromatics: Dice the onion and cook it in an Dutch oven/pot in preheated olive oil and butter until soft and shimmering. Add the garlic, stir it in, cook for a minute or so and add the chorizo, salt & pepper, paprika, your favorite meat or vegetable seasoning, tomato paste, and mix altogether.
Key ingredients: Add the beans, braai sauce and beef stock. Taste for seasoning. Bring to a boil and then transfer to the oven, covered for 30 minutes.
Prep the bacon: Return the pot to the oven for another 15 minutes and in this time you can cook the bacon if not already done.

More Slow Cook Delicious Recipes
If you loved this recipe, then you will love these too!
- Easy Braai Sauce
- Pasta e Fagioli (Italian Pasta & Beans)
- Shakshuka With Homemade Sausage
- Overnight Slow Cooker Lamb Leg Roast
- Sausage and Bean Pot Recipe
Recipe
Smoky Beans and Choriza
Ingredients
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 200 grams chorizo
- 2 Tbsps paprika
- salt and pepper
- 400 grams bacon, divided
- ½ teaspoon vegetabale spice
- 2 Tbsps tomato paste
- 2x 400g canned baked beans, with the liquid
- ½ cup beef stock, low sodium/organic
- ½ cup braai sauce
Instructions
- Preheat: Set the oven to 190C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
- Cook the onions: In a fairly large Dutch-oven/pan or skillet heat the oil and melt the butter. Cook the onions until shimmering and soft. Add the garlic, cook for a minute and add the sliced chorizo.
- Up the aromatic flavor: Add in the remaning ingredients; paprika, vegetable spice, salt & pepper, and tomato paste.
- Combine: Mix and cook for a minute or 2 on medium heat.
- Key ingredients: Add the beans, braai sauce, and beef stock. Stir everything in together, taste for seasoning.
- Add the bacon (this one was frozen) please see below for notes on this section. Cover the Dutch-oven/pot and bring it to a boil on high heat. The minute it starts to boil, turn the stove off and transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the lid, give everything a mix and return the pot to the oven (uncovered) for 15 mintues.
- Meanwhile fry or air fry the remaining bacon. You can also place it in a sheet pan and bake it at the same time as the beans. If you place the bacon in the oven for the last 15 minutes of the beans cooking, remove the bean pot, leave it covered. Turn the stove to grill, lift the rack up one level and place the bacon sheet on to grill for 5 minutes or until as crispy as you want it. Watch the grill, it burns quickly!
- Place the bacon on a board and chop if preferred. Place it in the Dutch oven over the bean sauce and serve with fresh parsley.
- A squeeze of fresh lemon and a little sea salt is suggested to awaken the taste buds!
Notes
- Grilling the bacon first, set it aside and add it to the cooked recipe later
- Air fry the bacon or fry on the stove-top and add it to the beans later.

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