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A spoonful of cowboy baked beans is being held up on a spoon under is a casserole dish.
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Cowboy Baked Beans

You love this must-have Cookout and BBQ side dish. Cowboy beans with ground beef, bacon, molasses, onion, red pepper, brown sugar, Bush's baked beans, and Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8

Equipment

  • Heavy Bottom Pot or Skillet
  • 9x13 Baking Dish, Foil Pan, or Crockpot
  • Rubber spatula
  • Metal Spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef, 90/10
  • 6 slices Bacon, sliced into strips
  • 1 medium Onion, chopped
  • ½ Red Bell Pepper
  • 2 28oz Baked Beans, Bush's Original (recommended)
  • ¼ cup Dark Brown Sugar, extra for topping
  • ½ cup BBQ Sauce, Sweet Baby Rays (recommended)
  • ½ cup Ketchup
  • 2 tablespoon Molasses, unsulfured
  • 2 tablespoon Dijon or Yellow Mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Onion Powder
  • 1 tablespoon Garlic Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a pot or skillet on low-medium heat, add the bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove from the pot with slotted spoon, onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
  • Drain the liquid pork fat. Raise the heat to medium. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, and crumble into small pieces.
  • Add chopped onion and red pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mix and Bake

  • In a 9x13 baking pan (Foil Pan or Crockpot) add both cans of baked beans, undrained.
  • Top with BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, and molasses. Mix well.
  • Add the ground beef mixture (optional: I like to reserve some for the topping) and ½ of the bacon. Mix until combined.
  • Top with the remaining half of the bacon and brown sugar. Top with ground beef, if you reserved it.
  • Place uncovered in oven and bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly.
    Cooking Options: Crockpot High for 2 ½ hours or Low for 5 hours.
    Smoker - Place beans into a Foil Pan, Cover with foil. Temperature 200°F, for 2 hours.
  • Carefully remove from the oven. Let cool for 20 minutes, mix, and Enjoy.

Notes

Recommendation: To balance out the sweetness, add a touch of vinegar.