Smoky Pit Beans with Candied Bacon, Pulled Pork, and Jacket Potatoes

Smoky Pit Beans with Candied Bacon, Pulled Pork, and Jacket Potatoes

Servings: 4 Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Family Friendly Family Friendly Party Pleaser Party Pleaser Smoke & Sear Fav. Smoke & Sear Fav.
A BBQ feast in one go with smoky beans, candied bacon, pulled pork, and jacket potatoes.

We’re going all out with this one—a hearty, smoky BBQ masterpiece all done in the Ninja Woodfire Grill. Sweet candied bacon meets slow-cooked pit beans, tender pulled pork, and perfectly baked jacket potatoes. It’s not just a side dish; it’s a backyard banquet that will have everyone talking (and coming back for seconds). Fire up the grill, folks—it’s time to make BBQ magic happen!

Smoky Pit Beans with Candied Bacon, Pulled Pork, and Jacket Potatoes

Prep Time 15 mins Cook Time 2.5 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 45 mins
Difficulty: Intermediate Cooking Temp: 120  C Servings: 4 Estimated Cost: £ 20 Calories: Approximately 600 per serving Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

For the Candied Bacon:

For the Smoky Pit Beans:

For the Jacket Potatoes:

For Garnish (Optional):

Instructions

  1. Preheat the Grill:

    Set your Ninja Woodfire Grill to Air Fry at 200°C and let it preheat.

  2. Candy the Bacon:

    • Brush bacon strips with honey and sprinkle with brown sugar.
    • Air fry for 4 minutes, flip, brush with honey and brown sugar again, and air fry for another 4 minutes until crispy. Set aside.
  3. Grill the Onions:

    • Switch the grill to Grill Mode at 190°C.
    • In a foil tray, heat a little oil and cook the diced onions until translucent. (Optional: Add a spoonful of rendered bacon fat for extra flavour.)
  4. Build the Pit Beans:

    • Add garlic, ketchup, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, honey mustard rub, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper to the onions. Stir well.
    • Mix in baked beans, pulled pork, and half of the candied bacon. Combine thoroughly.
  5. Prepare the Potatoes:

    • Prick potatoes with a fork, coat with oil, and season with salt.
    • Place them directly on the grill next to the foil tray with the beans.
  6. Smoke It All:

    • Switch the grill to Smoker Mode at 120°C, adding Ninja Woodfire Pellets to the smoke box. Smoke for about 2 hours.
    • Turn the potatoes occasionally to ensure even cooking.
  7. Finish and Serve:

    • After 2 hours, stir the beans and top them with the remaining candied bacon. Smoke for another 15 minutes.
    • Remove the potatoes and beans from the grill. For serving, slice open each potato, fluff up the insides with a fork, and add butter. Top with a generous serving of smoky beans, cheese, and spring onions if desired.

Equipment

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Note

Tip 1: Check the potatoes by inserting a skewer—if it goes in easily, they’re done. Their internal temp should be 98°C.

Tip 2: Swap pulled pork with shredded chicken or brisket if you prefer.

Tip 3: Leftovers make for epic nacho toppings or a filling for loaded toast.

Optional Add-Ons: Add a splash of beer to the beans for extra depth of flavour.

Keywords: BBQ beans, candied bacon, pulled pork recipe, jacket potatoes, Ninja Woodfire Grill, smoky BBQ recipe, comfort food, BBQ feast, BBQ sides, outdoor cooking
Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year . . . 

2025 has been a huge personal challenge but with the kids by my side there is no obstacle we can’t overcome . . . and we’ve made sure we’ve had plenty of fun on the way.

I’ve been slacking off a little with the ‘U.K. BBQ scene’ lately and content creation . . . but behind the scenes I’ve been working on something honestly HUGE and within a month or two I’ll be able to share something that, well, is going to change the U.K BBQ game for sure!  I’m excited just thinking about it . . . 

I want to thank all those who’ve been checking in lately and the thousands and thousands of people who still rely on my Website and WhatsApp Community to help support their own BBQ journey . . . It still amazes me how many of you use what I’ve created.

2026 . . . Let’s do this!  It’s gonna be a wild ride!
Today marks one year since I relaunched the Smoke & Sear website — and honestly, I thought it wouldn’t survive.

With everyone jumping to AI for recipes and reviews, I genuinely expected my little BBQ site to fade away.

But you proved me wrong.

Massively wrong.

Here are 10 epic facts from the first 12 months:

🔥 Nearly 180,000 new people visited the site — enough to fill Wembley twice.

🔥 People from 100+ countries used the site this year.

🔥 The USA alone sent 51,000+ visitors.

🔥 Perfect Pulled Pork was read 32,947 times.

🔥 Ninja content smashed 100,000+ views across Woodfire & FlexFlame reviews.

🔥 Pages were loaded hundreds of thousands of times overall.

🔥 The UK BBQ Events 2025 page hit 7,200+ readers.

🔥 Brisket content pulled 13,000+ views… and I’ve only cooked TWO briskets in my entire life. 😂

🔥 Even the 404 page somehow got 8,406 views.

🔥 And my honest, unsponsored reviews were read over 92,000 times — real testing that people actually trust.

I can’t thank you enough for reading, cooking, sharing, messaging, and keeping this whole thing alive.

In a year where everyone said websites were dead . . . you showed me that real cooks, real stories, and real honesty still matter.

Here’s to year two — bigger, hotter, smokier, and even more ridiculous. 🔥❤️

www.smokeandsear.world

— Lee
Coffee-Infused Beef Short Ribs slathered in a bourbon & maple sauce that was so good I nearly licked the plate clean . . . twice.

Rich, sticky, smoky, sweet, boozy — proper grown-up BBQ that hits different.

🔥 The real star though? That sauce.

Here’s how you make it — trust me, you’ll wanna bookmark this one:

🧪 Bourbon & Maple BBQ Sauce

	•	160g Maple Syrup
	•	80g @woodfordreserve Bourbon
	•	60g Ketchup
	•	60g Brown Sugar
	•	4 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
	•	4 tsp @norfolk_smoke_pit ‘Brew & Briskets’ Rub

Chuck it all in a pan, simmer it down, and let the magic happen. It’s sticky, boozy BBQ gold.

📸 Would I make these again? Absolutely.

⏪ Did I cook these exact ribs 4 years ago to the day? You bet I did.
1 year living next door to RAF Coningsby . . . and what a year it’s been.

Didn’t miss a single Typhoon display practice, caught every Red Arrows pass I could, and those Lancaster moments over the garden will always feel special.

Here’s a little montage of just some of the magic I’ve seen this year.

Can’t wait to see what 2026 brings. ✈️🔥
Not just cooked . . . this tomahawk was forged in fire.

Reverse-cooked low ‘n slow, then straight-up dirty seared right on the coals for that primal crust. Finished with a fat slice of cowboy butter — melted over the top with a chunk of red-hot charcoal.

Flavour? Savage.
Style? Full caveman.
Crust? Absolute filth.

👉 Full step-by-step recipe now live over on the site if you’re keen to give it a go.

www.smokeandsear.world
Too early for a Christmas-themed turkey cook? Maybe.

But with Thanksgiving just around the corner and festive planning in full swing . . . now feels like the perfect time to drop this belter.

Smoked, brined, and slathered in herby garlic butter – this wood-fired turkey’s an absolute showstopper.

Full cook on the Kamado Joe. Full flavour. Full-on festive vibes. 🎄🔥

🎥 Watch the reel
📌 Save it for the big day
🖱️ Full recipe’s up on the site now

#SmokeAndSear #ChristmasTurkey #BBQTurkey #KamadoJoe #SmokedTurkey #ThanksgivingFeast #FestiveBBQ #BBQSeason #BBQLife #TurkeyDoneRight