Nordic Smoke BBQ Beans

Today is a special day here at The Barnyard Bistro.  I get to introduce you to some really great guys that make REALLY great BBQ! During a recent stop in Spokane, WA on my radio tour, magic happened. I put a drumstick, a rib and some peculiar looking BBQ beans on a plate expecting to have an average BBQ lunch. I won't say I'm a BBQ snob, but you know everyone from the South thinks they have the best BBQ. Hell, we even argue with eachother about which area in the South has the best BBQ! Anyway, I sat down and took my first bite of chicken, (and had to catch it as it slides off the bone) I was blown away! Equally as impressed by the incredible flavor of the fall-off-the-bone rib, I was excited to taste-test those peculiar looking beans. I had never seen BBQ beans with Butter (large lima beans), Kidney and Black beans in them. They looked delicious, and oh. my. goodness. they were...and then came the heat ::quick, short breaths::. I am a weenie when it comes to spicy food but I wholeheartedly appreciate a little kick and these are just hot enough to make your mouth tingle, and maybe grab a sip of water in between bites. The combination of all of my favorite beans in one bite was like a flavor party in my mouth! I immediately asked, (okay, it was more of a beg), the Nordic Smoke BBQ guys to send me a recipe I can share with y'all and, lucky for us, they graciously obliged. They even shared their Behind The Beans story to let us know where the recipe originated:

We found this recipe in an old family cook book that had been compiled over the years with hand written entries. Most of the recipes were dusted with flour or smudged with bacon grease so it was apparent that all of the recipes were in practice. When we started doing catering we turned to the tome of family recipes for guidance and this bean recipe jumped out at us. We modified the recipe slightly but for the most part it is the same recipe we found on that grease smudged notecard.  ~Kacy Tellessen

Meet The Guys (and girl!): 
Kacy, Dusty, Melissa and Gary Tellessen are the culinary masterminds behind the family operation. Kacy sweetly referred to his wife Mellissa as the 'queen of the side dishes." While he and his brother Dusty focus on the centerpiece of every carnivore's entree...the meat. He says that their dad Gary is the inspiration behind most of the recipes and still lends a hand from time to time.

If you live or wind up in the Spokane area, give these guys a shout! You can find Nordic Smoke BBQ on Facebook, just click here. They have a "roving BBQ trailer" that they roam around in making taste buds happy all over Spokane! They'll post on Facebook when they are out and about. If you are not lucky enough to be anywhere near Spokane, you should still make a pit stop at their Facebook page to thank them for sharing this recipe with us. 

1 pound bacon cooked to a crisp

1 cup chopped onion

1 jalapeño diced (we don't seed it)

1 15 oz can of Van Camps pork and beans

 1 can of kidney beans (rinsed)

1 can of black beans (rinsed)

1 can of butter beans (rinsed)

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup Brown sugar

1 T liquid smoke

3 T apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

First crisp up the bacon until it is hard and crunchy. The liquid in the beans will re-hydrate the bacon so in order to avoid chewy bacon it is a must to crisp the bacon to the verge of burning. Dice the onion and jalapeño, if you like spicy don't seed or stem the jalapeño. Mix all of the ingredients together and the hard part is over. If you have a smoker I prefer to cook the beans uncovered at 225-250 for approx 3-4 hours or until the temperature of the beans reaches 165 degrees, but a conventional oven dutch oven or crock pot will work just about as good.

Enjoy! XOXO~