Why The Boston In Boston Baked Beans
Ever wonder why Boston baked beans are called Boston baked beans?
Its the molasses.
Boston has been tied to molasses since colonial days when the city was a trade center for rum from the Caribbean. Molasses is used for rum production and is a by-product of sugar refining and was easily available to the colonists.
And then theres the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919, when a huge tank of molasses exploded and sent a sea of the gooey stuff flooding the streets of the North End. I lived in the North End of Boston in the early 80s and at the time you could still pick up a faint scent of molasses on a hot summer day.
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What Beans To Use For Cowboy Beans
As for the beans? You can use any of these beans for cowboy beans or a combination:
- White navy beans
For this recipe, we are cooking our beans from scratch, starting with dry pinto beans. If you want, you can use canned beans instead. You’ll need four 15-ounce cans, drained.
Want to make your beans from scratch? Here’s how to make them on the stovetop or in a pressure cooker.
Can Cowboy Beans Be Made In The Oven
Absolutely! Basically they become baked beans. First youll need to follow the first three steps in the instructions below using a dutch oven or large oven safe pot. Next, youll add all of the remaining ingredients, stir, and place in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. Finally, just serve as you would chili!
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Crockpot Baked Beans Faq
How long do you cook baked beans in the crockpot?
When cooking baked beans in a crockpot, you want them to cook long enough for all of the flavors to develop and the sauce to thicken. If you want your beans done faster then cooking them on HIGH for 3.5 to 4 hours will work. Otherwise, 5 to 6 hours on LOW is perfect.
Since youre using canned beans that have already been softened you run much less risk of overcooking your beans and ending up with a refried bean situation. Weve all seen the pot of baked beans at the end of the cookout- its not always pretty but those beans are hearty and not falling apart!
What is the difference between Boston Baked Beans and Baked Beans?
Both Boston Baked Beans and Baked Beans are dishes made with beans in a thick, savory but sweet sauce.
- Traditionally, Boston Baked Beans are made very similar to baked beans, with the exception of using much more molasses and no other sweet items, like sugar or cola. The end result is a more caramelized sauce after many, many hours of cooking.
- Baked beans also use molasses, but a little less, and incorporate brown sugar and cola for a sauce that cooks faster. As a result, baked beans can be enjoyed much sooner than Boston Baked Beans can.
How Do You Rinse Salt Pork
You need to soak and rinse your salt pork to get rid of the excessive amounts of salt it has on it:
- Start by scraping off any salt you see on the surface.
- Place the piece of salt pork in a container with clean water and let soak for a minimum of 2 hours, changing the water two or three times. Some allow the pork to soak overnight, with a few changes in the soaking water as well, but 2 hours seems to be enough to get rid of the excess sodium.
- Once soaked, give it a quick rinse under running water and pat dry before slicing.
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Tools For Making Cowboy Homemade Baked Beans:
Heavy Bottom Frying Pan this will be one of your most used kitchen tools. Having something that is heavy bottom will distribute heat better and prevent burning whether you are using an electric or gas range.
Cast Iron Skillet Yes they are heavy, yes they take a little extra TLC. Are using cast iron pans worth it? YES!!! Just buy one and youll thank me later! I have both pre-seasoned and unseasoned. I like them both for different reasons.
How To Make Crockpot Baked Beans
This is the kind of recipe that gives the term set it and forget it its meaning. I like using Bushs Grillin Beans, but you use whatever kind you like. Dump them into the slow cooker, along with the remaining ingredients, close the lid, and set the timer to cook.
- Stir. Add the beans, ketchup, mustard, paprika, and sugar to the crockpot and stir until combined.
- Set it and forget it. Cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or on high for 2 hours. Add bacon crumbles at the end and serve warm.
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What Smoked Meat To Use For Cowboy Beans
For the smoked meat, bacon works, in this version we use a smoked ham hock. Traditionally, you’d use the odd, slightly burnt ends of Texas barbecue brisket or tri-tip.
The key is to add a smoky flavor from meat that can handle being cooked for a long time.
Don’t have smoked meat available? You can use ground beef and add some liquid smoke.
Storing Freezing & Reheating
- To store: Once cooled, store beans in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge.
- To freeze: These freeze well for up to 3 months. Keep stored in an airtight container making sure to leave a little extra room for expansion.
- To reheat: Thaw in the fridge overnight if frozen, and reheat on the stovetop on low-medium heat until heated through. If youve got an entire batch you made ahead of time, feel free to use the slow cooker to warm it through and serve right from there.
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How To Make Slow Cooker Steakhouse Cowboy Baked Beans Recipe
Youll want to start out by cooking up some bacon until crisp, then set it aside and brown some ground beef and onions in a skillet. This is probably the most laborious step and it literally takes 5 minutes to do. Youre welcome.
Once your beef is browned just toss it along with the beans, A.1. Sauce and other seasonings into the slow cooker.
Preparing Slow Cooked Beef And Beans
Place a large skillet over medium heat.
Then add the hamburger meat once it is hot. Stir regularly with a wooden spoon along with the green pepper and onions. Cook ground beef until lightly browned.
Place in a crock pot, Dutch oven or large saucepan. Add Worcestershire, vinegar, mustard, BBQ sauce, garlic, and ketchup to the cooked ground beef and mix in.
Cut the bacon into small pieces and place on top of the beans. Cook on low in slow cooker or the covered pot for 3 to 4 hours.
After a few hours in the slow cooker, the beef and beans looks like this and is ready to serve.
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Tips For Storing And Reheating
For leftovers, store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.
Crock Pot Baked Beans is also a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. After making the recipes, let the beans cool, then place them in a freezer-safe container. The baked beans can be stored in the freezer for up to three months. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator, then warm in the crock pot or on the stovetop.
Ingredients For Cowboy Beans
- Ground beef I like to use lean ground beef, but any kind can be used. Just be sure to drain the grease before continuing with the recipe.
- Bacon The bacon adds a savory, smoky note that completely elevates the finished dish.
- Onion 1 small onion, diced fine.
- Pork & Beans Van Camps brand, specifically, is the only brand I use. Use the whole can, including the sauce.
- Canned beans I used a 3-bean blend but any 15-ounce can of beans will work, like kidney beans, butter beans or black beans.
- Liquid Smoke This liquid seasoning is made from condensing smoke from burning wood. It adds a smoky flavor without any smoke.
- Barbecue Sauce use your favorite bottled sauce or make some Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- Garlic powder or minced garlic. Add some chili powder or paprika for a little bit of heat.
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What Are Cowboy Beans
Cowboy beans are baked beans cooked with ground beef, bacon, and onion. They have a slightly sweet flavor from brown sugar. This recipe calls for some mustard, which adds fabulous flavor to the beans. But you could also stir in some BBQ sauce as well.
Why are they called cowboy beans? The story goes that beans were an easy, nutritious, protein-packed food for cowboys to carry with them, as all they needed to prepare them was water. The ground beef and seasonings were likely added later to give more flavor and substance to the meal.
Southern Baked Beans With Ground Beef
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Easy baked beans with ground beef are the best Southern-style BBQ side dish. Spice up canned baked beans with ground beef, onion, and spices and simmer in the slow cooker for a hands-free potluck recipe. No one will ever know these arent homemade!
You dont need to make baked beans from scratch to enjoy a good BBQ. Instead of soaking baked beans and all of that prep work, this semi-homemade version is an excellent shortcut to Americas favorite summer BBQ side dish! Its the best way to dress up canned baked beans and keep your menu simple.
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Tips For Cooking Dry Beans
The one problem that people can encounter when cooking beans from scratch in a recipe like this is that the beans don’t soften up, even with long cooking. Many things can cause this. Beans like to be stored in a cool, dry environment. If you store beans in a humid, warm environment, they’ll get harder. Calcium can firm up beans, so if you are cooking with hard water, that can cause beans to be too hard as well. Finally, old beans take longer to cook. So, what to do?
- Soak the dry beans overnight in plenty of water. This will help “open up” the beans before cooking them.
- Add a teaspoon of salt and/or a quarter teaspoon of baking soda to each quart of soaking water. Either will replace some of the minerals that cause the beans to be hard.
- Add BBQ sauce only after the beans are soft enough to eat. BBQ sauce has sugar and calcium in it that will keep the beans from softening.
Everything Youll Need To Make Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Trust me when I say these homemade baked beans are the BEST youll ever taste. Deliciously saucy, sweet and a little spicy if youd like. Heres what youll need to make them from scratch:
- Bacon: I love the savory element that bacon adds to the baked beans.
- Veggies: were also cooking down some onion and garlic for extra flavor.
- Beans: the three beans I like to use are pinto beans, kidney beans and northern white beans. Feel free to use any combination youd like, including black beans. Many baked beans recipes use navy beans!
- Sauce: that sweet & spicy flavor comes from ketchup, BBQ sauce , Worcestershire sauce and some yellow mustard .
- Sweetness: add some extra sweetness with dark brown sugar and a little molasses.
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Ingredients Youll Need To Make Baked Beans
- Baked Beans I have used Bushs Baked Beans. You can use Pork and Beans or dry Navy Beans or Kidney Beans as well. Remeber to soak dry beans overnight in water before using them.
- Onion & Garlic Just for that depth of flavor, I saute Onion and Garlic in a pan and then dump it in the slow cooker. Its gives a deeper depth of taste and a sweetness because of the onion. You can dump raw onion and garlic as well.
- Olive Oil To saute the onion and garlic and to grease the inside of the Slow Cooker
- Ketchup Ketchup is the most important ingredient in baked Beans. I use Heinz Ketchup to make Heinz Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker. So yummy!!
- Barbeque Sauce I just love the addition of Barbeque sauce to this dish. Gives it an edge and taste so good.
- Worchestershire Sauce For depth of flavoes
- Franks Red Hot Sauce This gives a kick of spicy taste and balances out the sweetness of maple.
- Andouille Sausage This is already precooked and is for delicious smokey flavors.
- Maple Syrup Maple and bacon are a match made in heaven and here it works like a charm!
- Salt & Pepper To season the Baked Beans
See the recipe card below for quantities. Also, make sure you watch the video for a quick visual.
Country Style Baked Beans
Country Style Baked Beans are sweet, saucy, and oh so delicious with both ground beef and bacon. Weve got you covered with instructions for both the oven and slow cooker!
Country Style Baked Beans are sweet, saucy, and oh so delicious with both ground beef and bacon. Weve got you covered with instructions for both the oven and slow cooker!
Baked beans have always been a favorite. Even before we really liked beans, we would still always go for a hefty helping of baked beans at family BBQs. Really, who can resist? Theyre savory and sweet and always have bite-sized pieces of crunchy bacon. Whats not to love?! Weve perfected this recipe by adding in ground beef, making it even more amazing. Even bean haters will love our country-style baked beans!
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How Do You Thicken Baked Beans
If you prefer thicker baked beans, add in a spoonful of tomato paste or a cornstarch slurry .
Here are some other ways to thicken beans:
- Remove the excess liquid with a ladle.
- Mash the beans with a potato masher or ricer.
- Remove the lid of the slow cooker to allow steam to escape. Stir frequently.
- Consider adding barbecue sauce or ketchup in small amounts until desired thickness is reached.
The thing to remember about adding in additional flavors is to do this slowly and in small amounts. If you add too much of anything, the flavors and textures could change past repair.
If you thicken the dish too much, simply add a little water and stir.
Why Are They Called Cowboy Beans
Lets talk about the cowboys/girls we all know Davy Crockett, Calamity Jane, Annie Oakley, Butch Cassidy, and Jesse James. Lets imagine how it was in their day when they were out on their horses or horse-drawn carriages with a pot and a few cans of beans. Thats what they ate because they were cheap, lasted forever, provided protein, and were filling. Love me some Cowboy Beans too, and Im definitely NOT a cowgirl!
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How To Make Crock Pot Cowboy Beans:
Brown up your hamburger and cook up your bacon and drain both of the grease.
Spray your crockpot with a nonstick spray. I used my 8-quart crockpot to create this, so I would have a lot of room for mixing the ingredients.
Open your cans and dump all the beans in your crockpot.
Next, add in the rest of the ingredients and stir.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours and serve!!
What do you like to make with Bushs beans? Whats your go-to dish?
What To Serve With Loaded Beans:
Questions You Might Have About How To Make Cowboy Baked Beans:
Can baked beans be made ahead of time? Sure! Beans are such a sturdy ingredient and can withstand a lot, including being made ahead and reheating. However, as with most recipes, they best eaten within 24 hours of cooking.
How do I reheat baked beans? Like I said above, they are pretty sturdy, so you take your pick of how to reheat them. Saucepan, crock pot, skillet, cast iron, baking dish, oven or even the microwave. It is pretty hard to hurt them!
Can I freeze baked beans? You can freeze cooked baked beans. Place them in an airtight container or plastic bag, trying to get out as much air as possible. They will stay good for up to 4 months.
Can I use a different type of bean? You can substitute whatever type of beans you want! Here are the best beans for baked bean recipes:
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Cowboy Barbecue Baked Beans
Cowboy Homemade Baked Beans are smoky, spicy and sweet. The perfect side dish recipe for BBQ, potlucks and parties. This dynamic duo is well-known in the foodie world for being the only chuck wagon chefs, teaching us all to cook like a cowboy courtesy of Certified Angus Beef ® brand .
Ingredients. 1 lb. ground beef 1 medium onion, diced and divided in half 2 jalapeno peppers, deveined, seeded and diced 2 28 oz. cans of baked beans