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Homemade baked beans with crispy bacon and caramelized onions in a rich sweet and smoky sauce, served in a white baking dish for a classic Southern comfort food side dish.

cowboy beans

Hearty cowboy beans loaded with crispy applewood-smoked bacon, browned ground beef, and a mix of baked beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, and black beans in a sweet-tangy sauce. Perfect for cookouts, holidays, and feeding a crowd.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 28 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 58 minutes
Servings: 12
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb applewood-smoked bacon chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 48 oz baked beans undrained
  • 32 oz kidney beans drained
  • 16 oz cannellini beans drained
  • 32 oz black beans drained
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Equipment

  • Large skillet or Dutch oven, slow cooker or deep casserole dish, slotted spoon, wooden spoon

Method
 

  1. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook chopped bacon until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon; leave drippings in the pan.
  2. Add onion and cook until translucent, 5–6 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.
  3. Add ground beef and cook until browned, 6–8 minutes. Return bacon to the pan.
  4. Stir in undrained baked beans, drained kidney beans, cannellini beans, and black beans.
  5. Add brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and mustard. Mix well.
  6. Transfer to a slow cooker and cook on low 2 hours, or bake covered in a deep dish at 350°F for 1½ hours.
  7. Stir and serve hot.

Notes

Do not drain the baked beans. Applewood-smoked bacon adds excellent flavor. Beans improve with time—make ahead if possible. Use a deep dish; a standard 9×13 is often too shallow. Adjust sweetness or tang to taste.