Cowboy Beans

Here's a good one from the Western Horseman magazine. It's a great meal to make ahead in your crock pot, especially on these chilly fall evenings.

1 lb. ground beef
1 c. chopped onions
1/2 lb. bacon
1 16oz. can pork & beans, liquid retained
1 16oz. can pinto beans, rinsed
1 c. ketchup
3 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke
1/4 c. brown sugar

In a skillet, brown the beef, bacon, and onions. Put in your crock pot, along with the pork & beans and pinto beans. Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl, then pour on top of beef/beans mixture and stir. Cook on low for 5-10 hours.

Ruth's notes: I was lazy & in a hurry, so I didn't brown the beef & onions before I put it in the crock pot. I just threw it all in there raw. It turned out just fine. And I left out the bacon this time, because let's face it, I'm not getting any skinnier. But we've made it before with the bacon, and it's pretty good.

If you don't know what Liquid Smoke is, I found it by the BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, things like that. It's just a smoke flavoring that smells really yummy.

Also, I think the original recipe called for two cans each of the pork & beans and the pinto beans, but I modified it for my small family. It still made plenty with one can each.