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
🔥 WE’RE LIVE 🔥

www.fourge.uk

It’s official.

FOURGE is live.

From four lads with an idea . . . 
To a registered company.
Rubs crafted and manufactured.
Merch designed.
Festivals booked.
Foundations built.

And this is only the beginning.

On the site right now:

🔥 Our story
🔥 Events (with a sneak peek menu)
🔥 The Journal
🔥 The Shop — our first rub collection, merch and a couple of bundles to get you started

But make no mistake . . . 

We’re already working on a serious range of products behind the scenes.

Every order fuels Pass The Flame.
Every step pushes UK BBQ forward.

Go have a look.
Back it if you believe in it.

United by Flame.
Andy, Ben, Liam & Lee

#Fourge #UnitedByFlame #UKBBQ
For the past few days I’ve been glued to the forecast like some obsessed weather nerd . . . 

Low cloud.
Wind.
Rain.
Cancelled. Cancelled. Cancelled.

But today . . . blue skies 😎

Being half term, I grabbed my two youngest and headed straight for the fence line with cautious optimism . . . 

And boom 💥

First display @raf_typhoondisplayteam practice of the season, and it did NOT disappoint.

Huge moment seeing DRAGON01 tear up the Lincolnshire sky 🔥

Flight Lieutenant Tom Nation absolutely sending it.

Some things are just worth the wait.

✈️🇬🇧

#TyphoonDisplayTeam #RAF #DRAGON01 #HalfTermWin
47 today . . . Perfect excuse to chuck a rack of ribs on and get stuck in for a cheeky little birthday treat.

Back in 2024 Ninja flew me out to Nashville for the US launch of the FlexFlame, and it’s only just properly landed here in the UK. So today wasn’t about polished content — it was about getting familiar with it again and making sure everything’s running sweet.

After all . . . I did build it myself 😅

Meaty spare ribs from @thecateringbutcher coated in @harry_js_bbq Smoky Cola rub. Couple of hours in the smoke, wrapped in butter, sugar and honey, then finished off with a sticky glaze.

All while standing out there in the snow of all things ❄️🔥

Disclaimer:  The FlexFlame was sent to me by @ninjakitchenuk and I’ll be creating some official content with it very soon.
🔥 The 2026 UK BBQ Events Calendar is Heating Up! 🔥

The calendar’s been live for a few weeks now – but I’ve just dropped a bunch of cracking new events in there… and let me tell ya, BBQ season is looking like it’s kicking off with a bang in March! 💥🔥

From epic meat-ups to demo days and smoke-filled festivals – there’s already a solid lineup to get your tongs twitching.

🗓️ Free interactive calendar
📱 Subscribe straight to your phone
📍 Find it in The Smoke & Sear HUB
💡 Maps, tickets, details, it’s all there

I’m adding events as fast as they’re announced – or when you lot shout about ’em. So let me know what you’re buzzing for… or tag someone running an event I’ve missed.

👇 Which BBQ event are YOU most hyped for this year?
🔥 Drop it in the comments
♻️ Repost to help this reach more of the BBQ fam
📬 Let’s make this the go-to calendar for UK BBQ in 2026

Let’s grow the scene together. More smoke, more fire, more community. 🔥🇬🇧

👉 [Link in bio]
You’ll have seen @fourge.bbq pop up yesterday.

I wanted to take a moment to explain what that means for me — and for Smoke & Sear.

Smoke & Sear didn’t start as a plan or a brand. It started when I invested in my first smoker and fell headfirst into outdoor cooking. Along the way, I discovered a growing, supportive BBQ community on Instagram — people sharing knowledge, encouraging each other, and genuinely wanting to see the UK BBQ scene grow.

I loved it.

From that point on, Smoke & Sear became my way of giving something back. Sharing what I was learning, being honest about the wins and the mistakes, testing gear, highlighting good people, and doing my small bit to help grow UK BBQ in a positive way.

That’s never changed.

Smoke & Sear is still me. Still community-first. Still about learning, sharing, and supporting where I can.

But being one person, there’s only so much reach you can have on your own.

Being part of @fourge.bbq opens that up.

FOURGE is a separate venture built with three mates — bigger in scope, broader in ambition, and built to do things I simply couldn’t do solo. Cooking at events, building products, creating experiences, and pushing UK BBQ forward in a different way.

What matters most to me is that the values stay the same.
Supporting the community. Sharing knowledge. Bringing people together over fire and food.

Smoke & Sear continues exactly as it is.

FOURGE is the next chapter alongside it.

I’m genuinely excited about what’s coming — and if you’ve ever backed what I’ve been building here, I’d love your support over at @fourge.bbq too.

Let’s see how far we can take this 🔥