Crockpot Cowboy Calico Beans with Bacon and Beef Tips, FAQ & printable recipe

Tips for success

Brown the beef hard, not gently. High heat and a dry skillet produce the dark crumbles that carry the pot; if a lot of fat renders off, pour it away before the meat goes into the insert.

The same skillet then crisps the bacon, which saves a pan and lets the bacon pick up the fond left by the beef.

Resist the urge to raise the heat. LOW for four hours is what lets the pork-and-bean sauce reduce slowly while the kidney and butter beans stay whole.

If the pot runs on the thin side at the end, twenty to thirty minutes uncovered on HIGH tightens it without disturbing the beans, and a final stir before ladling evens everything out.

Variations

• Extra smoky pot: Stir 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp chili powder in with the ketchup and brown sugar for a deeper campfire flavor and a gentle warmth that builds over the long cook.
• Three-meat calico: Add 8 oz browned bulk sausage to the skillet alongside the beef for a heartier pot; increase servings to ten and keep the sauce quantities as written.
• Molasses depth: Swap a quarter of the brown sugar for molasses to darken the sauce and push it toward classic Boston baked-bean territory while keeping the cowboy mix of beans.
• Garden pot: Fold in one diced green bell pepper and half a diced yellow onion with the beans so they soften into the sauce over the four hours and sweeten the base naturally.

Storage and make-ahead

Fridge

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in airtight containers; they keep 4 days and thicken as they chill.

Freezer

Freeze up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers, leaving an inch of headroom. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Reheat

Reheat on the stove over medium-low with a splash of water, or microwave in 90-second bursts, stirring between each, until steaming hot throughout.

Cool the leftover beans at room temperature no longer than two hours, then transfer them to shallow airtight containers and refrigerate.

The sauce continues to thicken as it chills and the flavors deepen overnight, which makes the second-day pot arguably better than the first. Keep the diced sweet onion separate and add it fresh at serving so it stays crisp.

Brown the beef and crisp the bacon up to two days ahead and refrigerate them in a sealed container; the fat re-firms and lifts off easily if any remains. The sauce ingredients can be measured and whisked together a day in advance.

On cooking day, load the insert with the beans and meats straight from the refrigerator, stir in the sauce and extend the first hour on LOW slightly to bring the pot back up to temperature.

Serving ideas

Ladle the beans into warm rustic bowls or mugs, letting the sauce pool generously, and crown each portion with a spoonful of finely diced sweet onion. The onion's clean crunch against the smoky-sweet sauce is the whole point, so do not skip it.

At a cookout, set the slow cooker on warm with the lid ajar and a ladle beside it; the beans hold for hours alongside grilled burgers, hot dogs or smoked sausage, and cornbread or thick toast turns the pot into a full main course.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe card

Crockpot Cowboy Calico Beans with Bacon and Beef

Prep 20 minCook 4 hTotal 4 h 20 minServes 8

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb bacon, chopped
• 28 oz canned pork and beans in tomato sauce
• 15 oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 15 oz canned butter beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbsp smoky mustard
• Sweet onion, diced, for serving

Instructions

1. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef, breaking it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Keep the heat high enough that the meat sizzles rather than steams, and let the crumbles pick up color on every side. Draw off excess fat if a lot accumulates.
2. Chop the bacon into bite-size pieces and cook it in the same skillet until the edges are crisp and the fat has rendered. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon and let them drain briefly on a paper towel. Pour off all but a thin film of fat, then fold the drained beef and bacon together.
3. Tip the pork and beans with their sauce into the ceramic insert of a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and butter beans in a colander, then add them on top. Keeping the pork and beans sauced thickens the pot naturally while the other two beans stay intact.
4. Scatter the browned beef and crispy bacon over the beans. Add the ketchup, packed brown sugar and smoky mustard, then stir everything together with a wooden spoon until the sauce coats every bean evenly and no streaks of sugar or mustard remain.
5. Cover the slow cooker and set it to LOW for four hours. Lift the lid once, halfway through, to stir from the bottom up so the sauce moves evenly. Keep the lid on the rest of the time; every peek costs heat and stretches the cook.
6. At the four-hour mark, take off the lid and stir. The sauce should cling to a spoon and bubble thick and rich around the meat and beans rather than pooling thin. If it seems loose, cook uncovered on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once, until it tightens.
7. Scoop the beans into warm bowls with a ladle, letting the sauce run generously over each portion. Dice the sweet onion finely and pile a spoonful on top of each serving. Set the remaining onion at the table for anyone who wants more.

Contains: mustard, milk

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories

380

Protein

16 g

Carbohydrates

42 g

Fat

15 g

Automatic estimate from the ingredient list, not laboratory-verified.