Have a hankering for barbecue but aren’t able to make it to your favorite BBQ restaurant? This delicious recipe for Cowboy Baked Beans will fit the bill.
Ingredients:
• 1 lb. bacon applewood smoked
• 1 large yellow onion chopped
• 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 48 ounces baked beans, don’t drain
• 32 ounces kidney beans drained
• 16 ounces cannellini beans, drained
• 32 ounces black beans, drained
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
This recipe can be cooked in a slow cooker or baked in the oven using a deep casserole dish or large pot, like a Dutch oven. While slow cookers are great for parties to keep the dish warm for several hours, I prefer to use a large heavy cast iron pot so I can cook in it and finish baking all in one.
Chop the sliced, uncooked bacon into small pieces. Over medium heat, brown the bacon in a heavy cast-iron skillet or a large Dutch oven on the stovetop using a wooden spoon to stir.
Tip: you can cut the bacon into small pieces with clean kitchen scissors right into the pot -- I find this faster.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the crispy, cooked bacon to a small bowl. Don’t remove the bacon drippings from the pan. Next, add the chopped onion and brown for 5-6 minutes until translucent. Then, add the minced garlic and stir for one minute.
Brown the ground beef and cook for 6-8 minutes. Next, add the bacon into the cooked ground beef, onion and garlic. Next, add three cans (undrained) of baked beans, two cans (drained) of kidney beans, one can (drained) of cannellini beans and two cans (drained) of black beans.
Add the remaining ingredients, brown sugar, cider vinegar, ketchup, and yellow mustard. Stir everything well to combine.
Place into the slow cooker, large Dutch oven or large, deep casserole dish. The baked beans usually don’t all fit in one standard 9 x 13 dish -- you’ll need a deeper dish.
Cook in slow cooker on low for two hours or bake at 350 degrees for one-and-a-half hours in a large, covered dish. Serve hot.