Cowboy Beans

A popular dish in the southwestern United States, cowboy beans are a big pot of comfort. Not quite baked beans and not quite chili, this dish is a marriage of beans, bacon, and beef in a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce. What could be better? Flavored with smoky spices, peppers, and onions, these beans are a perfect side dish for any barbecue, cookout, or potluck. Pair with spicy smoked brisket, a big bowl of cool and creamy potato salad, some crunchy coleslaw, and all your favorite summertime desserts for Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or anytime you get a hankering for barbecue classics. Dig in!

What's in cowboy beans?

As with any great dish, this recipe starts with bacon; thick cut, preferably. After getting it a little crispy and rendering that precious fat, the bacon takes a break from the pot and makes room for lots of onions and bell peppers. Once those are soft and golden, lean ground beef and garlic get cooked down and flavored with smoky chili powder and paprika. 

Then, the star of the show: beans. Lots of beans. 4 different kinds of beans, in fact! Not only do they take a fraction of the time (compared to dry), canned beans open up the possibility of multiple types of bean! Usually, cowboy beans are made up of pinto beans or even the nifty pork n beans. For a variety of colors and textures, this recipe calls for pinto, cannellini, kidney, and black beans. Feel free to substitute anything that suits your fancy, as long as it ends up being 4 (15-ounce) cans. 

One of the most prominent flavors in this dish is a homemade barbecue sauce mixture. This is made of the usual ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce. Feel free to add an extra dab of mustard or hot sauce if the mood strikes. Mix it all up with the reserved bacon and pop it in the oven. This is very important: Don’t. Forget. The Bacon.

Why are they called cowboy beans?

According to internet lore, the answer to this question is a big ol' shrug. Beans are economical, filling, delicious, and great for traveling long distances. This dish is likely named for the cowboys and pioneers that traveled across the land, fueled by the musical fruit.  

Can cowboy beans be made ahead?

Cowboy beans are an excellent dish to make ahead of time. They will do especially well when warmed in a slow cooker for a potluck. As the old adage goes, stews and chilis only deepen in flavor over time so feel free to whip these beans up the night before. Stir in 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of water to loosen the sauce, if desired.