These beans are great served with smoked meats and potato salad.  To make vegan/vegetarian, omit the bacon.  There’s so much flavor in these beans, removing the bacon barely affects the overall taste.  Most of the flavor comes from smoking the beans for several hours in a smoker.  No smoker?  Consider soaking some mesquite or applewood chips and adding them to your BBQ.  Another option would be to add some liquid smoke and simmer indoors over the stove for 3 to 4 hours.  It won’t be quite the same but similar. I’ve taken them to many big group BBQ’s and they are always a hit.  While this is a recipe…