Crockpot Cowboy Beans
These hearty Crockpot Cowboy Beans are made with 2 kinds of meat, lots of beans, and they’re crockpot simmered in a tangy and sweet sauce made of molasses and brown sugar. A great dish for potlucks or outside cool weather gatherings!
When I picture a plate of Cowboy Beans, I picture a cowboy sitting around a campfire on a chilly night, a large black pot of beans hanging over the fire, and a starving cowboy savoring each and every bite of the beans. A hearty comforting meal that will stick to his ribs for several hours. I picture Matt Dillon and Festus, oh never mind, I’m telling my age. Shut up, Cindy!
Getting real for a moment, can you imagine what a cowboy’s beans really tasted like back in the day? I mean, they didn’t have access to much sugar, spices, etc. Their beans came from cans that were heated over the fire. I can’t imagine what canned beans tasted like back then either. Needless to say, we are so spoiled today.
Let’s talk about today’s Cowboy Beans and how easy and delicious they are…
Today’s Cowboy Beans have a ton of flavor and require very little work in the kitchen. I wish a cowboy from back in the day, could taste these Cowboy Beans. They start with combining two kinds of meat, ground beef and bacon. The ground beef gets browned with a lot of onion and the bacon gets cooked and crumbled up. Both get added to a crockpot with lots more delicious ingredients.
These ingredients include three kinds of beans, lots of them, brown sugar, molasses, ketchup and mustard. Leave them in a crockpot for 4 hours on high and voila!!!
This recipe was updated on 1/18/20.
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Crockpot Cowboy Beans
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 4.5 hours, includes cooking the meat
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 15 large servings 1x
Description
Two kinds of meat are combined in these hearty filling beans and they’re crockpot simmered in a tangy and sweet sauce made of molasses and brown sugar. A great dish for potlucks or outside cool weather gatherings!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 large onions, diced
- 1 pound bacon
- 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings
- 3 cans light or dark kidney beans, 15 ounces (I used dark)
- 3 cans pork and beans, 15 ounces
- 3 cans white beans, 15 ounces
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup molasses, regular or robust
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
Instructions
- Add the ground beef and onions to a large skillet and brown until the meat is done. Drain and set aside.
- Cook the bacon and crumble into small pieces, reserving 2 tablespoons of the drippings.
- Open and drain all of the beans except for 1 can of the pork and beans. Add all the beans, including the can of undrained pork and beans, and meat to the crockpot, followed by the remaining ingredients. Use a large wooden spoon to mix the ingredients together.
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- Serve hot by itself or with some good cornbread muffins on the side.
- Recipe adapted from Barefeet In The Kitchen
Notes
You need to use a large crockpot for this recipe, see my pictures above recipe. It makes a huge amount of beans.
Ok… I know I’m gonna love these beans ! With cooler weather comin soon, yeah, I printed this out 😉 .. one question… what do ya do with that unopened can of pork n beans ? lol..
Hi Pat,
I edited the recipe to make it more clear. You use the last can of beans. You just don’t drain them. 🙂
Thank you ! 🙂
Can you make this in a roast pan in the oven!? Thank you!
Yes, but I would definitely check it after 1 1/2 hours.
Hi Cindy
My Mom used to make cowboy beans with pork but she would use dried beans. The tinned beans we have here are already cooked and quite soft so normally just need heating up… I was wondering if I cooked these type of beans for 4 hours if they would just be bean soup or if they keep there shape?
Sorry – seems like such a silly question.
Please let me know
Thanks
Hi Liesl, That’s an excellent question, and you would think they would be mushy, but they’re not. They turn out perfect.
Since you are draining the liquid from most of the beans doesn’t the finished product come out dry?
Hi Stephanie, No, not at all. They are actually perfect and a big hit every time I make them. These are great for outdoor fall gatherings.