Slow Cooker Cowboy Beans
These slow cooker cowboy beans combine bacon, ground beef, sausage and three kinds of beans in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. Serve them as a main dish or a hearty side for cookouts and gatherings.
Servings: 18
Equipment
- Baking Dish Large
- Pot Large
Ingredients
- 1 Pound bacon
- 1 yellow onion large, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 Pound ground beef
- 1 Pound sausage
- 3 Cans baked beans 16-ounce cans, not drained
- 2 Cans kidney beans 16-ounce cans, drained
- 2 Cans black beans 16-ounce cans, drained
- 1 Cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 Cup brown sugar
- 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a large pan with tinfoil and lay the bacon in the pan. Bake for 20 minutes then chop it into 1-inch pieces.
- In a large pot, cook the onion, garlic, beef and sausage until the meat is no longer pink. Drain the grease from the meat.
- Add the baked beans, drained kidney beans, drained black beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, chili powder and mustard to the slow cooker. Add the cooked beef and sausage mixture and chopped bacon, then stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
Drain off the excess grease before adding the meat to the slow cooker so the finished beans aren't overly oily.
Taste your barbecue sauce before adding all the brown sugar. If the sauce is already quite sweet, you can reduce the sugar.
Notes
Choose your barbecue sauce carefully: Since the recipe also has brown sugar and sweet baked beans, I prefer a smoky or tangy barbecue sauce rather than an especially sweet one.
Drain the meat well: Ground beef and sausage can release quite a bit of fat, so drain the excess before adding them to the slow cooker.
Adjust the sweetness at the start: If your barbecue sauce and baked beans are both quite sweet, use less brown sugar. You can always adjust the flavor later.
Freeze some for later: This recipe makes 18 servings, and I usually freeze some in smaller portions rather than trying to use the whole batch at once.
Drain the meat well: Ground beef and sausage can release quite a bit of fat, so drain the excess before adding them to the slow cooker.
Adjust the sweetness at the start: If your barbecue sauce and baked beans are both quite sweet, use less brown sugar. You can always adjust the flavor later.
Freeze some for later: This recipe makes 18 servings, and I usually freeze some in smaller portions rather than trying to use the whole batch at once.
Nutrition
Calories: 624kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 954mg | Potassium: 815mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 5mg
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