Years ago we went to a BBQ at a friend’s house. My husband sampled the beans she had made and kept offering them to me.
Well, full disclosure: I don’t really love beans.
I kept declining to try them, and finally did (just to shut him up. Y’all know the feeling!). Well, I’ll be! I actually liked these beans!
She called them Settler’s Beans and gave me the recipe. I’m not sure where it originally came from, but over the years, I’ve tweaked it and we now call them Cowboy Beans since I added BBQ sauce and chili powder to the recipe.
These are hearty enough to be a meal, but will also be a great compliment to lots of main dishes. They are also great to bring to a potluck. I’ve taken them to my church picnic for the last several years and the bowl is all but licked clean.
You can make them in a pan or in a slow cooker if you want them to stay warm for a while.
Feel free to halve the recipe if you aren’t making beans for a crowd. But at our house, the more Cowboy Beans, the better.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
- 12 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 15-ounce cans pork n’ beans
- 2 15-ounce cans each great northern beans and red beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- Dash of hot sauce (more if you like them spicy)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients and simmer over medium heat until flavors are blended and beans are warm. If putting in a slow cooker, you can keep them on low for 4-6 hours.
