Cowboy Beans and Cornbread

Nothing quite like a bowl of beans. Heartwarming, nutritious and filling, they're darn near perfect Friday night food fodder. They can hold almost forever in the oven, they can fill a crowd or just a couple and they're great leftover. Need I say more?

We've shared this particular effort with you before adapted from the Ladies at the Best of Bridge cookbook series in Calgary, Canada and I daresay we'll make 'em again too. Also known as Old Settler's Beans, they're too good to pass up. Loaded with lots of bacon, onion, green pepper and garlic, this time I added ground pork instead of ground beef to the mix. After all, it's nearly $2.00 a pound cheaper here than beef but really any ground meat would do in this case. I've even added Italian sausage in the past. The only thing is maybe I should change the name of the dish to something other than "cowboy" beans because I'm almost certain no authentic pure bread rope toting hat wearin' cowboy would be caught dead without beef in his beans. Just sayin'. 

Anyway, combine all that good stuff with canned pork 'n beans, chili beans and sweet stuff like molasses and brown sugar; tarted up with vinegar and barbecue sauce, the sweet sour taste's darn near addictive. Then throw in a wedge of crunchy crumbed cornbread fresh from the cast iron pan and a hot oven and you've a match made in heaven.  Try and see if I'm not right ...again!

Cowboy Bean Stuff adapted from Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks

6 slices bacon, chopped

1 pound ground pork or beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons molasses (or maple syrup)

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice

14 oz. can chili beans with sauce

28 oz. can pork & beans

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce & red chili flakes to taste

In dutch oven, fry bacon until crisp. Remove and drain. Remove all but 2 Tablespoons bacon fat from pan. Add onion, green pepper and garlic and sauté until vegetables are soft (5 minutes). Add ground pork  and cook until no longer pink. Add all remaining ingredients, heat until bubbling.

Bake uncovered in a 300 oven for 2 hours. 

Simple Cornbread  (an original from JBug's Kitchen)

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons for pan

Preheat oven to 400. Place approximately 2 tablespoons oil in bottom of cast iron pan and heat in oven until almost smoking. Meanwhile whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a smaller bowl beat egg, oil and buttermilk together. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing with a fork only until just combined. Pour into hot pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

A year ago - Creamy Swiss Onion Soup

Two year's ago -  Vegetable and Sausage Bolognese with Polenta

Comments

[Lorraine]

Well, you knew you would have me at bacon, but there really isn't anything better than a big bowl of beans to chase the fall weather away. Love the "cowboy bowl".

[June]

Lorraine - Big Guy bought me a set of 4 of the bowls at the Harney County Fair in Burns the week before we were married. They're treasures.

[Shaun]

I'm all over this, love beans, but my son wont eat them so looks like wednesdays tea when he works late. I'll have to use my local canned beans, its a mix of cannellini, flageolet, adzuki. Also we dont do corn bread here so its polenta, pasta or most likely a savoury rice. I'll be using the maple gold...cant leave that sat in the fridge..lol!

[Shaun]

Ah they do kidney beans in chilli sauce so they will go in, looking forward to this!

[June]

Shaun - so glad you're trying this. It really is yummy and it sounds like you'll be all set re the beans (and the maple gold). Tortillas are great with it too, or flatbread or the spoon rolls posted earlier would be wonderful too or a nice rich dark brown bread. It makes enough for an army, but freezes well - so be prepared for some leftovers.

[Lea]

What a wonderful hearty Fall repast! I bet that cornbread went perfectly with the creamy beans! I don't blame you for using the ground pork - either from the cost saving perspective or from the flavor profile perspective - which is a nice change of pace - to be sure! I'm with Lorraine - Love, love, love the "cowboy bowl"!!!!

[June]

Lea - I don't know how your weather's doing at the moment, but our introduction to fall has been more triple digit temps. Darn it all, but it is slightly cooler in the mornings, so beans, soup and stews are back on the menu. LOL. Thanks re the bowl - I love, love, love 'em too!