Best Smokey Barbecue Calico Beans Recipe

Cowboys love smokey calico beans made with colorful canned beans and barbecue sauce. And we bet you’ll love them, too! This barbecue calico bean recipe is easy, affordable to make, and super yummy! Make the best calico baked beans for your next picnic or camping with our easy barbecue cowboy beans recipe. It’s a great dish to fill you up, but would be even better if you pair it with our country-style ribs and fried shrimp.

Tips on Making Barbecue Calico Beans

Our slow cooker beans recipe is awesome as it is. But if you want to tweak it a little bit, there are many ways you can change this cowboy calico beans recipe to your liking. Get your way around with these helpful tips on how to make calico beans.

Use any kind of beans. Great northern beans, red kidney beans, black beans, lima beans, a mix of two, or a mix of everything will work. Dried beans are an even more affordable option! Just cook them ahead and you’re good to go.
For a healthier option, use ground turkey or chicken. On the other hand, some people like to use tasty pork sausages. We’re using lean ground beef because it’s less oily. Whatever works for you is totally fine.
Make this cowboy beans recipe in a crockpot, on the stovetop (on medium-high heat, stirring constantly), or in the oven (350 degrees F for 45 to 60 minutes). The baked bean casserole dish is best when you have to feed a crowd on a busy day.
Serve it with delicious toppings such as cheddar cheese, sour cream, jalapenos, and green onions. Barbecue calico beans work well as a chip dip or as a rice topping, too!

How To Make Barbecue Calico Beans

An easy crockpot calico beans recipe made of sweet tangy sauce and combined with a smokey kick of barbecue. It’s a hearty chili-like concoction worth sharing.

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 4 hrs

Total: 4 hrs 15 mins

Serves:

Ingredients

1 lb ground round beef, 90% lean
5 strips bacon, sliced into 1-inch squares
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
14 oz butter beans, (1 can) drained
14 oz kidney beans, (1 can) drained
14 oz cannellini beans, (1 can) drained
14 oz pork and beans, (1 can)
17 oz Hickory Smoked Barbecue Sauce, (1 bottle)
¼ cup prepared mustard
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat a large skillet on high heat.
Brown the bacon and ground beef to render the fat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to break up the beef.
Add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Transfer the beef and onion mixture into the crockpot leaving the rendered oil behind.
Add all the remaining ingredients. Mix well.
Cook everything on High for 3 hours or until everything is all heated through.
Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Sugar: 33g
:
Calcium: 167mg
Calories: 648kcal
Carbohydrates: 92g
Cholesterol: 59mg
Fat: 18g
Fiber: 18g
Iron: 9mg
Monounsaturated Fat: 7g
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g
Potassium: 1357mg
Protein: 34g
Saturated Fat: 6g
Sodium: 2115mg
Trans Fat: 1g
Vitamin A: 246IU
Vitamin C: 6mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Recipes.net Team Modified: February 18, 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

What meat goes well with calico beans?

The smokey sweet tangy taste of these cowboy beans goes well with any kind of grilled meat. You can serve calico beans with sirloin steak, with grilled chicken breast, or even with some grilled bratwurst.

Why are they called Cowboy Beans?

Cowboy beans are said to have originated in South America. There were many different kinds of beans available which on their own were not palatable. But these beans were filling and protein-packed. So cooks made a way to make a delicious meal by adding meat, sauces, and other ingredients. The cooked beans were served to the Old West cowboys, hence its name.

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Best Smokey Barbecue Calico Beans Recipe - Recipes.net (2024)