Cowboy Calico Beans Recipes

COWBOY BAKED BEANS RECIPE (OVEN OR SLOW COOKER)

Steps:

• Decide if you are going to make them in a slow cooker or bake in the oven. You can use a deep casserole dish or large pot like a dutch oven. I like a large heavy cast iron pot so I can cook in it and finish baking all in one. Slow cookers are great for parties to keep them warm for several hours.
• Chop the sliced uncooked bacon into small pieces, over medium heat, brown the bacon in a heavy cast-iron skillet or a large cast iron dutch oven on the stove top using a wooden spoon. Tip, you can cut the bacon into small pieces with clean kitchen scissors right into the pot-I find this faster!
• Remove the crispy cooked bacon to a small bowl with a slotted spoon. Don't remove the bacon drippings from the pan. Next add the chopped onion and brown for 5-6 minutes until translucent, add the minced garlic, stir for one minute.
• Next, brown the ground beef, cook for 6-8 minutes. Next, add the bacon, back in with the cooked ground beef, onion, and garlic.
• Next, add 3 cans of baked beans (don't drain), 2 cans of kidney beans (drain), 1 can of cannellini beans (drain), and 2 cans of black beans (drain).
• Add the remaining ingredients; brown sugar, cider vinegar, ketchup, and yellow mustard. Stir all the ingredients well to combine.
• Place into the slow cooker or large dutch oven or large deep casserole dish. The baked beans usually doesn't all fit in one standard 9 x 13, you need a deeper dish.
• Cook in slow cooker crockpot on low for 2 hours OR bake 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours in a large covered dish. Serve hot.

THE BEST COWBOY-CALICO BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brown beef, bacon and onion in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add beans and remaining ingredients, stirring to combine.
• Pour into two (1 1/2- quart each) buttered baking dishes.
• 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!).
• 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.
• Freezes/reheats well.

CALICO BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
• Place bacon and ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
• In a four quart casserole dish, mix together the bacon, ground beef, pork and beans, kidney beans, butter beans, lima beans, ketchup, onion, vinegar, dry mustard and celery.
• Cover and bake for 1 hour.

COWBOY CALICO BEANS

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain., Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine the brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar and mustard; add to meat mixture. Stir in the beans. Cover and cook on low until heated through, 4-5 hours.

COWBOY BACON BEANS

Steps:

• Rinse the beans under cold water, sorting out any rocks/particles. Set aside.
• In a heavy pot (cast iron), saute the bacon pieces until halfway cooked and the fat is rendered. Add the green peppers and onions to the pot and cook until starting to get brown, about 3 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and then add the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic. Reduce the heat to a simmer, place on the lid and cook until the beans are tender and the liquid is thick 3 to 4 hours.

COWBOY CALICO BEANS

Steps:

• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and set on a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Drain the bacon fat from the pot, leaving about 1 tablespoon.
• Add the ground beef, onion, garlic powder, and a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, breaking apart the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is cooked through. Drain the fat from the pot and return the ground beef mixture. Stir in the ketchup through molasses.
• Add the beans to the pot, including the liquid from 1 can and draining the rest. Stir carefully. Let the mixture heat through, stirring often (carefully so as to not mush up too many beans). Crumble the bacon and return it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the other sauce ingredients as needed, too.
• Serve immediately, or transfer to a slow cooker on low to keep warm until serving. You can also prepare a day ahead of time and then warm them up and place in a slow cooker on low or warm until serving.
• If you find your beans are too dry, add a little water as needed.

CALICO BEANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes, breaking up beef into crumbles; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. cast-iron pan or baking dish. , Bake, uncovered, until the beans are as thick as desired, 45-60 minutes.

HOMESTEAD COWBOY BEANS

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and crumble when cool enough to handle.
• At the same time, heat another large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
• Place bacon, ground beef, onion, ketchup, and brown sugar in a slow cooker; mix well. Add baked beans, Great Northern beans, pinto beans, and pork and beans.
• Cook on Low, stirring often, about 4 hours.