The Best Cowboy-Calico Beans

BecR's Note:

These are the BEST! I've been making this recipe for over 20 years now, and it's always a HIT with my family and friends! Great for BBQ's, potlucks, camping etc. Can be made in the oven or in the crockpot, and it freezes and reheats well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 1/2 lb ground beef (round or sirloin)
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 (16 ounce) cans pork and beans, undrained
• 1 (16 ounce) can butter beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup catsup
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I use Hunt's original or hickory)
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard (Coleman's)
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (do not add any salt)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Brown beef, bacon and onion in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
3. Add beans and remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
4. Pour into two (1 1/2- quart each) buttered baking dishes.
5. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until beans reach desired thickness (do not stir---a nice chewy, crispy crust will form, which is my favorite part--yum!).
6. Alternatively, place in a buttered crock pot and heat on low for about 4 hours, uncover during the last hour of cooking if you like your beans thick.
7. Freezes/reheats well.

Reviews

[NYAmy]

I made these for a Fourth of July BBQ. They were a big hit! SO DELICIOUS! I only used 1/4 cup of each of the sugars and they were still very sweet. This has become a family favorite. Thank you BecR!

[Marie]

This goes directly into my "WOW" cookbook. Made these as part our July 4 cookout and everyone loved them, especially me! I would use a little more ground beef next time and the only other change I made was to exclude the mustard. Also, cooked these in a slow cooker on low for four hours. Would decrease this time a little in the future because my crockpot cooks a little hot. This is a fabulous recipe and one I will make many many more times. Thank you so much for sharing it.

[internetnut]

I gave this recipe 4 stars. I made these beans for a gathering at my future mom-inlaws. I got several raves on these beans. I had a lady even ask for the recipe. When I made these beans I made a couple minor changes to the recipe. I used 1 pound ground beef, 5 slices of bacon, 1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend, 1/2 cup Splenda brown sugar, bulk pantry dry mustard and I added 1 package chili powder (trying to reinvent a tried dish). Overall I'll make these beans again! Thanks for posting a yummy recipe! Christine (internetnut)