Weber Kettle Club Forums

Cooking & Food Talk => Charcoal Grilling & BBQ => Topic started by: teerhardy on May 21, 2014, 05:38:07 AM

Title: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: teerhardy on May 21, 2014, 05:38:07 AM
I made these last week for a picnic.  By far the best beans I've ever made.  If you let the sit overnight they are even better!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cowboy-bacon-beans-recipe.html (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cowboy-bacon-beans-recipe.html)

(http://foodnetwork.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/food/fullset/2013/6/19/1/WU0502H_cowboy-bacon-beans-recipe_s4x3.jpg.rend.sni12col.landscape.jpeg)

Who doesn't love 2lbs. of bacon?
(http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab354/teerhardy/Grilling/D4299612-C2A0-4E12-B161-3CC303E7CA63.jpg)

I used red  bell peppers instead of green.
(http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab354/teerhardy/Grilling/B105C971-A1A7-4DBC-82CD-D42FFCE563D8.jpg)

(http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab354/teerhardy/Grilling/7E0E5AE5-9196-44EB-87DA-3486F5810358.jpg)

Almost done!
(http://i879.photobucket.com/albums/ab354/teerhardy/Grilling/C7DC51FC-E3D7-4F7D-B21A-29F8A3B4ADDB.jpg)




Ingredients
4 cups dry pinto beans
1 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into pieces
2 whole green bell peppers, diced
1 whole onion, diced
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons mustard
1 tablespoon chili powder, optional
2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
2 teaspoons black pepper, more to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced

Directions
Rinse the beans under cold water, sorting out any rocks/particles. Set aside.

In a heavy pot (cast iron), saute the bacon pieces until halfway cooked and the fat is rendered. Add the green peppers and onions to the pot and cook until starting to get brown, about 3 minutes. Add the beans and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and then add the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic. Reduce the heat to a simmer, place on the lid and cook until the beans are tender and the liquid is thick 3 to 4 hours.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: DirectDrive on May 26, 2014, 06:43:41 AM
Looks like a great recipe !
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: teerhardy on May 27, 2014, 03:34:50 AM
These are killer!  I will never buy beans in a can ever again!  Super easy, minimal prep time, fool proof!
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: DirectDrive on May 29, 2014, 12:43:49 PM
I liked this recipe the minute I read it because it uses ingredients that you likely have in the kitchen already.
I've made two batches so far and they are both great !

The first batch has the sugar amount cut in half.
Even 1/4 the amount of sugar would be enough for my taste.
This one was done in a stock pot.


With the second batch I took out all of the sugar.
I did two medium-size red bell peppers and two average size Jalapeņos.
I bumped the black pepper up to 1 TBSP.
For the chili powder, I used Chipotle Chili Powder.
I love this batch but it would be too spicy for some...try adding just one Jalapeņo as they vary in strength.
This one was done in a crock pot.

They are at their best the next day, for sure.

Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: 1buckie on May 29, 2014, 02:08:38 PM
Nice recipe.........good additions & adjustments by everyone, too !!!

Maybe when you get to this point:  " Reduce the heat to a simmer" they could move to the kettle, go for part of the simmer time & then remove the lid & smoke 'em?


(http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd520/1buckie/BBQ%208-28-2011/Carolynsdresserproject066.jpg)
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: DirectDrive on May 29, 2014, 03:19:13 PM
Nice recipe.........good additions & adjustments by everyone, too !!!

Maybe when you get to this point:  " Reduce the heat to a simmer" they could move to the kettle, go for part of the simmer time & then remove the lid & smoke 'em?


(http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd520/1buckie/BBQ%208-28-2011/Carolynsdresserproject066.jpg)

That is an excellent idea !
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: 1buckie on May 29, 2014, 03:47:04 PM

Pulled, smoked clod, punctured w/ garlic when cooked, extra garlic, Great Northern & pintos from dry,
some reserved beef goo from the original cookup, smoked w/ plum & apple on the beans.... .....personal favorite of mine......decided not to add any peppers or onions, but would have been about like the recipe above..................

(http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd520/1buckie/BBQ%208-28-2011/Carolynsdresserproject081.jpg)
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: DirectDrive on May 29, 2014, 05:28:42 PM
Looks tasty !
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: Tim in PA on May 30, 2014, 06:03:43 PM
I have this cooking right now for tomorrow!
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: teerhardy on June 02, 2014, 03:27:15 AM
These things were even better if you let them sit a day.  A meal in themselves.  I like the idea of adding more heat to them.  They are sweet but not too hot.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: Tim in PA on June 03, 2014, 04:34:19 AM
Wow. These are pretty awesome. I made them Friday night because you guys mentioning that they are better the next day. I reheated them slowly on the grill for dinner on Saturday. I also only put half of the sugar in based on your comments as well. Thanks for that. Next time I want to add more heat. I only put half the required chili powder. I also want the beans to be runnier next time so I think adding more water will help with that.

Here they are getting reheated:

(http://i.imgur.com/MgAjUq8.jpg?1)
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: teerhardy on June 03, 2014, 04:54:24 AM
The problem with the water is that the amount added will vary depending on the pot or DO you use.  I used a stock pot for mine and it worked out well, but I would imagine if I was using a wide but shallow pan the amount of water added would be less.

Those do look awsome!  I want to try this with a mix of beans instead of just pintos.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: Tim in PA on June 03, 2014, 04:59:59 AM
Yeah, that makes sense. I used a DO which I think is 5qts. I'll just use the same pot and remember how much I added the previous time.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: DirectDrive on June 03, 2014, 08:26:43 AM
They do stiffen up the next day like I would guess.
Must be the beans absorbing all the moisture that they need.
Easy fix with water or beer.

I made a quick and easy bean dip with them last night by simply stirring in some Pace Picante Sauce (hot) and heating.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: Tim in PA on June 03, 2014, 09:30:35 AM
That is a great idea.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: OoPEZoO on June 03, 2014, 10:27:03 AM
Yup, the beans soak up all of your extra moisture when they sit over night.  It ends up doing two things.......it really allows the flavors to blend, but it can also soften the beans and give them a bit more of a pasty consistency.  A little liquid and some stirring while reheating will bring them back closer to their original glory.  I like the texture of the fresh beans, but always prefer the taste of day old beans.  Both are excellent, just different. 

I've also been known to smash my leftover beans into turn them into a demented version of refried beans.  Nothing like a little heat and smoke for fajita night  ;D
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: teerhardy on June 03, 2014, 04:44:56 PM
I like where your head is Pez with the demented beans. I will definitely give that a try.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk and fat fingers
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: DirectDrive on June 06, 2014, 04:23:21 PM
Just re-heated my first batch which had 50% of the sugar taken out.
Very good.
Next time I'll do 50% of the sugar and the two jalapenos for a little heat.
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: teerhardy on June 10, 2014, 02:38:20 AM
Just re-heated my first batch which had 50% of the sugar taken out.
Very good.
Next time I'll do 50% of the sugar and the two jalapenos for a little heat.

I am planning to make these for my son's birthday party.  I'm thinking 1 batch with 50% of the sugar, and the other with 50% ofthe sugar and 2 jalapenos
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: rivercityjeff on July 27, 2014, 01:33:27 PM
Think this might just work as drip beans after bringing them to a boil.  Definitely in my future.  8)
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: Metal Mike on July 29, 2014, 10:34:08 AM
Looks like a great break in my new DO.
Do we count & stack coals on lid for temp control or will setting the 2 zone coals in the kettle work well enough, I see 1buckie had a fuse of sorts setup
Title: Re: Cowboy Bacon Beans
Post by: 1buckie on July 29, 2014, 11:03:18 AM


 Here's another D. O. thread with some extra info:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/dutch-ovens/

I put a link to the Boy Scouts page that has # of coals per temp there...........

On lid coals is more for actual cooking / baking, so if you start with par-boiled, but not almost finished beans, that's a way to go.....

for canned beans that are pretty much cooked, or par-boiled & simmered for awhile before kettled up, what I do is more like doctoring them up with spices, honey, sauce, etc. then smoking them to add another  flavor layer.....so it really is sort of a "pick your starting point" kind of thing......am I describing this well enough?

You can place coals all around or bank & go opposite & just rotate the pot a few times 'cause it will heat more on the side closest by a bit............