Eat*Drink*Cleveland: Cowboy Style Baked Beans

4th of July Recipe - Cowboy Style Baked Beans

Happy 4th of July everybody!

I hope everyone is enjoying the day in spite of the gloomy weather.

We're headed to a parade watch party/breakfast bash to kick off the day, then a cook-out later.

What am I bringing to the cook-out? It's my favorite kind of recipe - dump and go and it won't heat up your whole house. It's super easy and incredibly delicious - Cowboy Style Baked Beans. If you need a last minute recipe, this is perfect. Consider it a guideline because you can easily add or omit ingredients to your liking or depending on what you have on hand. Like it spicy? Add some jalapenos or chipotle peppers. Like it sweeter? Add some honey. Other additions are smoked paprika, chili powder, hot sauce - your imagination is the limit. I've even added jelly to it when I didn't have any brown sugar.

Cowboy Style Baked Beans

Ingredients

1/3 lb bulk pork sausage
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bacon
2 large cans of Bush's baked beans, pick your favorite flavor
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can cannellini beans
one large sweet onion
1 carrot
1 clove garlic
1/2 c BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/2 c ketchup
4 T mustard
4 T molasses
1/3 c brown sugar
1 t salt
1 T pepper

Instructions

Place beans in crock pot or slow cooker. Brown and drain sausage. After cooked, place in food processor and process until finely chopped. Add to beans. In same pan, brown ground beef and saute with onions, carrot and garlic. Drain and add to beans. In same pan, cook bacon until crisp. Chop and set aside.
Add BBQ sauce, molasses, ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and seasonings to beans. Mix well.
Add 1/2 the bacon, stir again and cook on high for 2-3 hours or on low for up to 8 hours. You can also cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Just before serving, top with remaining bacon. Enjoy!