Join me as we build FOURGE — a new UK BBQ venture.

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

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

Lee - Smoke & Sear
Servings: 4 Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Family Friendly Family Friendly Party Pleaser Party Pleaser Smoke & Sear Fav. Smoke & Sear Fav.
Jump To Recipe Print Recipe
3 Add to Favorites
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

Pork
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
3 Add to Favorites
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
Author: Lee - Smoke & Sear Cooking Method: , Cuisine: Courses: , Recipe Keys: Family Friendly Family Friendly Party Pleaser Party Pleaser Smoke & Sear Fav. Smoke & Sear Fav.

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

Affiliate Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy a product using these links, we get a commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps keep the BBQ magic alive, and we thank you in advance!

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
Lee Bishop - Smoke & Sear

smoke.sear

1,017 21,796

🔥 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]

44 1
Open
🔥 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 🔥

53 3
Open
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 🔥

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!

32 6
Open
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

63 19
Open
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