Stubb’s BBQ Sauce Makes Baked Beans Now—But Are They Good?

Stubb’s makes one of our top five favorite BBQ sauces, and that’s really saying something given the sheer amount of BBQ sauce there is in the condiment aisle at the grocery store. The Austin, Texas, BBQ restaurant-turned-national brand must have confidence in its products, because they’re entering another crowded market: baked beans.

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Now, you could argue that Bush’s has cornered that market. In fact, they currently occupy seven of the ten spots in our ranking of the best baked beans at the grocery store. But Stubb’s is not deterred! They recently released canned baked beans in two flavors inspired by Stubb’s sauces. I busted out a skillet and tried both to find out whether they’re worthy of your summer BBQs.

New Product!

Stubb’s Original Baked Beans

Hy-Vee

Pros: The can describes these beans as “sweet and tangy” and that’s exactly what they are. There’s a very pronounced tang in this can of beans, along with plenty of sugar and brown sugar and a subtly smoky flavor. There’s some mild, simmering heat, too. The beans are pleasantly creamy. I’d certainly eat a big bowl of these with some ribs at the cookout.

Cons: The tang will definitely be too much for some people. There’s vinegar listed in the ingredients, but there’s also citric acid. They really leaned into the pucker and it’s probably not for everyone.

Credit: Liv Averett / Hy-Vee

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

New Product!

Stubb’s Sticky Sweet Baked Beans

Hy-Vee

Pros: With 15g of sugar in every half-cup serving, yep, these are sweet. But there’s balance, too. They’re salty and have vinegar in the mix for a more subdued tang. These aren’t made with citric acid, so if the other variety sounds like too much and you happen to like your beans as sweet as a tall glass of Southern iced tea, give ‘em a shot.

Cons: This may vary from can to can, but the white beans were much denser and more crumbly than the Original beans. I wasn’t in love with the texture at all. And they’re just way too sweet for my taste.

Credit: Liv Averett / Hy-Vee

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

About the Author

Howdy! I’m Gwynedd, Sporked’s managing editor. I live in Los Angeles and have access to the best tacos the U.S. has to offer—but I’m a sucker for a crunchy Old El Paso taco night every now and then. I’ve been at Sporked since 2022 and I’m still searching frozen mozzarella sticks that can hold a candle to restaurant sticks. Why you should trust me: I’ve been a journalist for 20 years (yikes), a consumer of food for 40-plus years, and I’m truly hard pressed to think of foods I don’t like (or that I can’t tolerate at the very least). Oh and one time I cooked my way through Guy Fieri’s cookbook and wrote about the journey through Flavortown. What I buy every week: Trader Joe’s Original Savory Thins. Fat free plain yogurt (usually Fage or Nancy’s). Honeycrisp apples. Sweet cream coffee creamer for my at-home Americanos. A frozen cauliflower crust pizza and some jarred mushrooms to top it with. Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells and Gardein Ground Be’f, even though I think “be’f” is a nightmarish contraction. Favorite ranking: Stouffer’s frozen dinners. I don’t own a microwave (I get my cancers the old fashioned way!), so I love taste testing things that I don’t really buy to eat at home. Least favorite ranking: Soy sauce. Don’t get me wrong, I love soy sauce—but consuming that much sodium in one sitting is probably illegal in some countries. Our frozen enchilada taste test was a close second; the smell of microwaved corn tortillas still haunts me.