Air Fryer BBQ Pit Beans & Cornbread Cobbler Pots

AF-200 Crew BBQ Recipe

Air Fryer BBQ Pit Beans & Cornbread Cobbler Pots

This is proper Southern smokehouse comfort food. Rich smoky pit beans bubbling underneath a golden layer of cheesy cornbread that soaks up all the barbecue juices while staying crisp around the edges. Every spoonful gives you smoky beans, crispy bacon, melted cheddar and fluffy cornbread all in one bite. Serve this beside brisket, ribs or pulled pork and watch it disappear.

Air Fryer BBQ Pit Beans & Cornbread Cobbler Pots
Air Fryer BBQ Pit Beans & Cornbread Cobbler Pots preparation stage

You’ll Need

For the Pit Beans
2 x 400g tins baked beans
6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp smoky BBQ sauce
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cracked black pepper

For the Cornbread Topping
200g prepared cornbread mix (or homemade cornbread batter)
80g mature cheddar, grated
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp melted butter

Optional but dangerous
Jalapeño slices
Crispy onions
Chopped chives
Hot honey drizzle
Extra mature cheddar

Method

Preheat your air fryer to 190°C.

Place the chopped bacon into a foil tray or heatproof dish and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring once, until beginning

to crisp.

Add the onion and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes until softened.

Stir in the baked beans, BBQ sauce, tomato purée, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, garlic

powder and black pepper.

Cook for 8 minutes, until the beans are bubbling and beginning to thicken.

Stir the grated cheddar and spring onions into the prepared cornbread batter.

Spoon the cornbread mixture evenly over the top of the hot beans without stirring it in.

Brush the top lightly with the melted butter.

Air fry for 12–15 minutes at 190°C, until the cornbread is golden, cooked through and lightly crisp around the

edges.

Finish with jalapeños, crispy onions, chives or an extra sprinkle of cheddar if using.

Serve immediately while the beans are bubbling underneath the fluffy cornbread topping.

Lad Tip: Leave the pot alone for five minutes before digging in. The beans thicken, the cornbread settles, and every spoonful comes out as one perfect smokehouse-loaded bite instead of a volcanic landslide.

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