The Best Cowboy-Calico Beans

Submitted by BecR2400

"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."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 12

ingredients

• 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.

 

[carolinespa]

This recipe is the Best! I don't change the recipe at all. I've made them in the oven and in the crock pot. I've made them in my roaster for large gatherings using the food.com multiplier for the ingredients. (50 servings fit in my roaster, but probably serves more like 75 people as a side dish) They are a perfect balance of sweet, thick, and have lots of flavor. This is my go to bean recipe!

 

[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)