Description
Hearty cowboy beans bring rustic southwestern charm to dinner tables across North America. Packed with smoky bacon, robust spices, and slow-simmered pinto beans, you’ll savor each rich, comforting spoonful of this classic cowboy-style dish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground beef
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can pork and beans (do not drain)
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can butter beans or navy beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ⅓ cup ketchup
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
Instructions
- Bacon Preparation: Render chopped bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until golden and crisp. Transfer bacon to a side plate, reserving bacon drippings in the pan.
- Meat and Aromatics Sauté: Brown ground beef and diced onion in the bacon-infused skillet, cooking until beef is thoroughly caramelized and onions turn translucent. Eliminate excess fat from the pan.
- Garlic Infusion: Introduce minced garlic and toast briefly to release its aromatic essence.
- Combining Ingredients: Consolidate beef mixture into a large pot or slow cooker, incorporating all beans, barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes. Thoroughly blend components.
- Cooking Methods:
Stovetop: Gently simmer uncovered, stirring periodically, for approximately 35 minutes until flavors meld and sauce thickens.
Slow Cooker: Maintain low heat for 4-6 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours, allowing ingredients to develop rich, deep flavors.
- Final Touch: Sprinkle crispy bacon fragments over the completed dish just before serving, creating a robust and textural finish.
Notes
- Cook bacon slowly to achieve perfect crispiness without burning, ensuring maximum flavor and texture in the dish.
- Drain excess grease carefully to prevent the beans from becoming too oily or heavy, maintaining a balanced consistency.
- Add spices and sauces gradually, tasting as you go to create a rich, complex flavor profile that enhances the cowboy beans.
- Adjust simmering time based on desired thickness – longer cooking develops deeper flavors, while shorter times keep ingredients more distinct.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 7
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg