Feijão Cowboy
Cowboy beans are the potluck heavyweight of the American cookout: three kinds of beans simmered with browned ground beef, crisp bacon, and a sweet-smoky ketchup and brown sugar sauce. Browning the beef and bacon first builds a deep, savory base, and a long uncovered bake concentrates the sauce until it turns glossy and lightly caramelized on top. The result is thick, spoon-coating, and just sweet enough to stand up to anything off the grill.
Crisp 225 g (8 oz) chopped bacon in a 5-quart Dutch oven, remove it, and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat. Brown 450 g (1 lb) ground beef with a chopped onion in that fat, add garlic, chili powder, and smoked paprika, then stir in 180 ml (3/4 cup) ketchup, 70 g (1/3 cup) brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, cider vinegar, and 120 ml (1/2 cup) water. Fold in one undrained 28 oz can of pork and beans plus drained, rinsed pinto and kidney beans and the reserved bacon, then bake uncovered at 165°C (325°F) for about 60 minutes until bubbling at the edges and thick enough to mound on a spoon. Rest 10 minutes before serving so the sauce sets.
- Drain and rinse the pinto and kidney beans, but add the pork and beans can with all its sauce — that liquid is the backbone of the gravy.
- Take the time to brown the beef hard and cook the onion in bacon fat; the browned bits are where most of the savory flavor comes from.
- Bake uncovered the whole time. If the beans still look soupy at 60 minutes, give them 10-15 more minutes rather than adding anything to thicken.
Equipment
- 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or deep oven-safe skillet
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Colander for rinsing beans
- Can opener
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
Ingredientes
Meat and aromatics
- 225 g thick-cut bacon, cut into 1 cm (1/2-inch) pieces
- 450 g lean ground beef (90/10)
- large yellow onion, finely chopped
- garlic cloves, minced
Beans
- 2 × 425 g cans canned pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 × 425 g can canned red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 × 794 g can canned pork and beans (or original baked beans), undrained — the sauce goes in
Sauce
- 180 ml ketchup
- 70 g packed dark brown sugar
- 30 ml yellow mustard
- 15 ml Worcestershire sauce, contains anchovies; pick a certified gluten-free brand if needed
- 15 ml apple cider vinegar
- 8 g chili powder
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 1 g freshly ground black pepper
- 120 ml water or low-sodium beef broth
Modo de preparo
- ETAPA01
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 165°C (325°F). Put the chopped bacon in a cold 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, set it over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pieces are browned and crisp, 10-12 minutes. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon onto a paper-towel-lined plate and pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat.
- ETAPA02
Raise the heat to medium-high, add the ground beef and onion to the bacon fat, and cook, breaking the meat into small crumbles, until the beef is deeply browned and the onion is soft, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Spoon off excess fat if there is more than a light coating on the bottom.
- ETAPA03
Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, cider vinegar, and water, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the pot. Let the mixture come to a gentle simmer and bubble for 2-3 minutes so the sugar dissolves and the raw ketchup edge cooks off.
- ETAPA04
Turn off the heat. Fold in the drained pinto and kidney beans, the entire can of pork and beans with its sauce, and about three-quarters of the reserved bacon. Stir gently so the beans stay whole, and level the surface with the back of the spoon. It will look loose — that is correct; the bake thickens it.
- ETAPA05
Slide the uncovered pot into the oven and bake at 165°C (325°F) until the edges are bubbling steadily, the top is darkened and lightly caramelized, and the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon, about 60 minutes. If it still looks soupy, keep baking and check every 10 minutes — depending on your pot's width it can take up to 75 minutes.
- ETAPA06
Take the pot out and let the beans rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes; the sauce tightens noticeably as it cools slightly. Taste and adjust with a splash more vinegar if it reads too sweet or a pinch of salt if flat, then scatter the remaining bacon over the top and serve straight from the pot.
Make ahead
These beans genuinely improve overnight as the smoke, sugar, and vinegar settle into each other, so making them a day ahead is a smart move for a party. You can also fully assemble the pot (through the step where the beans go in), refrigerate it covered for up to 24 hours, then bake straight from the fridge, adding about 15 extra minutes to the oven time.
Storage
Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water to loosen the sauce, which thickens as it chills. For longer keeping, freeze in portioned containers for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
Vegetarian cowboy beans
Skip the bacon and beef, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of neutral oil, and boost the smoke with an extra teaspoon of smoked paprika plus 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle powder. Use vegetarian baked beans instead of pork and beans and a vegan (anchovy-free) Worcestershire, and the dish also becomes vegan with no other changes.
Smoky chipotle and coffee
Stir in 2 minced chipotles in adobo plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the adobo sauce with the ketchup, and swap the water for 120 ml (1/2 cup) of brewed black coffee. The coffee reads as barbecue-pit depth rather than coffee flavor and keeps the sweetness in check.
Sausage and jalapeño
Replace the ground beef with 450 g (1 lb) of bulk hot breakfast sausage or chorizo-style sausage and add 1-2 seeded, diced jalapeños with the onion. Cut the brown sugar back to 50 g (1/4 cup), since most sausage brings its own sweetness and salt.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Perguntas frequentes
What makes cowboy beans different from regular baked beans?
Cowboy beans are heartier and meatier. Where classic baked beans are usually a single bean in a sweet molasses or tomato sauce, cowboy beans add browned ground beef, bacon, and a mix of beans — here pinto, kidney, and pork and beans — with chili powder and smoked paprika pushing the flavor toward the barbecue pit. They are sweet-smoky rather than dessert-sweet, and substantial enough to serve as a main dish.
Can I make cowboy beans in a slow cooker?
Yes. Do the stovetop work exactly as written — crisp the bacon, brown the beef and onion, and simmer the sauce — then combine everything in a slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours. Reduce the water to 60 ml (1/4 cup), because a slow cooker traps steam instead of evaporating it. Prop the lid slightly ajar for the last 30 minutes if the sauce needs tightening.
Can I use dried beans instead of canned?
You can, with planning. Soak 340 g (about 2 cups) of dried pinto and kidney beans overnight, then simmer them in salted water until fully tender, about 60-90 minutes, before using them in the recipe — beans will not soften further once they hit the sweet, acidic sauce. You will still want the can of pork and beans (or 2 cups of prepared baked beans) for the sauce it contributes.
How do I fix watery cowboy beans?
Almost always the answer is more uncovered oven time; evaporation and the starch from the beans do the thickening, and a wide, shallow pot works faster than a tall, narrow one. Check at 60 minutes and keep baking in 10-minute increments until the sauce mounds on a spoon. Remember they also tighten up noticeably during the 10-minute rest, so pull them when they are just slightly looser than you want.
Are cowboy beans spicy?
As written, no — the tablespoon of chili powder adds warmth and earthiness rather than real heat, so they are family- and potluck-friendly. If you want a kick, add diced jalapeño with the onion, a minced chipotle in adobo with the ketchup, or a few dashes of hot sauce at the end. Any of those can be scaled up without unbalancing the sauce.
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