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Let’s talk baked beans—but not just any baked beans. We’re talking stick to your ribs Cowboy Beans. They’re sweet, sticky, and smoky, packed with the goodness of bacon and ground beef, and perfect for a summer barbecue!
(I promise not to make a joke about beans being the magical fruit…)
The Ultimate Cowboy Beans: Sweet, Smoky, and Stick-to-Your-Ribs Good
There’s something about these cowboy beans that just screams comfort. They’re the kind of dish that takes you back to simpler times—think campfires under the stars, hearty meals shared with friends and family, and the smoky-sweet aroma of bacon sizzling in a cast-iron skillet.
These aren’t just any baked beans though – they’re cowboy beans which means we’ve made them extra stick-to-your-ribs hearty.
Every bite is a sweet, sticky mess of tender beef, crispy bacon, smoky beans, and saucy goodness.
I love these because they’re hearty enough to stand alone as a main (serve with some veg and a salad!) or use them to top a hot dog (seriously, please try this) or just dish them up as a side at your next cookout!
♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
Simple & Delicious: No fuss (hello, canned beans) with big flavor.
Hearty and Filling: A side dish that eats like a main.
Perfectly Balanced: Sweet, smoky, savory—everything you’re craving.
Ingredient Notes:
Beans – We’re keeping this simple by starting with with canned baked beans! We prefer Bush’s Grilling Beans but any kind will do. We also use a can of pork and beans in tomato sauce!
Seasoning – I’m using a flavorful mix of chili powder, salt, cracked pepper, brown sugar, and yellow mustard.
Ground Beef – This is a pretty hearty dish (What else would Cowboys eat?) so we’re using a whole pound of ground beef. We go for a lean ground beef.
Bacon – I like a smoky bacon, but maple bacon would add some extra sweetness.
Sauce – These cowboy beans are going to slow cook in a simple, tasty sauce made from ketchup, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar! I’d recommend using my homemade bourbon BBQ sauce, but any kind works fine!
Jalapeno & Onion – A little bit of jalapeno will add just the right amount of spicy kick to this, and the onion will of course add its own flavors! We also add some minced garlic too.
My Favorite Dutch Oven!
This gorgeous Dutch oven is perfect for making soup, pot roast, and more. It goes from stove to oven as needed and looks pretty enough to leave out on your stovetop as decoration.
Step by Step:
Dice the bacon and fry it until crispy. Remove the bacon to a plate for later, but don’t drain the grease from the dutch oven.
Brown the beef in the bacon grease, crumbling it up as it cooks. When it’s about halfway done, stir in the onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Drain off the excess grease.
Add half of the bacon back to the pot, sprinkle in the seasonings, and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot and stir well to combine the savory sauce and beans with the meat.
Sprinkle on the remaining bacon and then place the pot into the oven and bake uncovered for 45 minutes! When the cowboy beans are ready serve them hot.
Helpful Tip!
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You can keep leftover cowboy beans stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for about 4 to days!
Although I have not tried freezing this recipe I think it would work pretty well. Let the beans cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container or bag. They should last up to a few months.
Serving Suggestions:
These beans were made for summer BBQs but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them all year long! They are an excellent and versatile side dish that pairs well with all kinds of great main dishes and other sides.
Summer Barbecue: A pot of beans, our smash burgers or the best turkey burgers, and some crockpot corn on the cob are a perfect summer meal.
Holiday Meal: We love to make a crockpot ham for holiday meals and it goes great with these beans and our Jiffy corn casserole or some Instant Pot mashed potatoes.
More Bean REcipes:
- Instant Pot Ham & Bean Soup
- Refried Bean Dip
- Tuscan White Bean Soup
- Slow Cooker Cajun Sausage & Bean Soup
- Drunken Beans
- Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
This recipe was originally published in 2017 to use dried beans. We made the switch to canned beans in our home and updated the recipe here in 2025. It’s so much easier with a sticky, sweet, smoky sauce. We consider this one majorly new and improved!
Cowboy Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound thick sliced bacon
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 small jalapeno minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 45 ounces canned baked beans see notes
- 15 ounces canned pork and beans
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Dice the bacon into bite-sized pieces and place in a 4-6 quart dutch oven over medium heat. Fry the bacon until crisp, stirring often, and remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Drain off about half of the bacon grease and then add the beef to the pot. Brown the beef in the bacon grease, crumbling the meat up as it cooks.
- Once the beef is about halfway cooked through, add the onion, jalapeno, and garlic and continue cooking until the beef is cooked through.
- Drain any excess grease from the pot.
- Add half of the bacon to the pot with the beef and sprinkle on the chili powder, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat in the seasonings.
- Add the canned beans, ketchup, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, and vinegar to the pot and stir well to combine.
- Sprinkle the remaining bacon over the top and place in the oven. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Terry Brooker says
I wanted to really love it but it was just too sweet for me. Ended up freezing the left overs hoping for an inspired future use.
Karly Campbell says
Ah, sorry to hear that! Try stirring in another can or two of beans and it should taste less sweet. You can also add a bit more vinegar or mustard to give it some extra tang. 🙂