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Posted By Katie On May 22, 2012 5 Comments

Smoky Maple Bacon & Beef n’ Bean Recipe

Filed Under: Uncategorized 5 Comments

It’s picnic and barbecue season and with that comes beans as one of our family’s favorite side dishes. I put this four bean or sometimes five bean recipe together ahead of time in the slow cooker and then it is ready for either a noon picnic, afternoon barbecue or evening supper. A social media friend told me her family calls it Calico Bean Casserole. I think my grandma makes three bean casserole. All are similar recipes. I call it good and a picnic necessity. 

Start with baking or frying 1 lb. of bacon. I bake bacon for 15 minutes at 400F for crispy. If like less crispy, 325F for 20 minutes works.

Ingredients include:
2 lbs. lean ground beef, browned and drained
1 lb. bacon, 1/2″ cut pieces, fried or baked
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cans (28 oz.) pork and beans
1 can navy beans or Great Northern beans
1 can black beans
1 can butter beans or kidney beans
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp season salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Red hot pepper sauce, to taste, if you would like

 Brown the finely diced onion with the lean hamburger while the bacon bakes.

This time I made four bean calico bean casserole but three bean, five bean, whatever variety of beans you would like works. Kidney beans are not my favorite so I add more white beans. Living on the North Dakota prairie, I must tell you there is a one in two chance you are eating North Dakota beans if you are eating edible beans like pinto beans, navy beans, black beans and more.

On our GriggsDakota family farm, we grow and harvest pinto beans which you find in pork and beans. See what a pinto bean field looks like in bloom in the summer and you will know where your beans comes from next time you cook with them.

I rinse the canned beans other than the pork and beans before adding to the slow cooker. Use at least a 5.5 quart slow cooker or Crock Pot. This makes a large recipe to feed at least a dozen people. It saves beautifully and even freezes well. Or cut the recipe in half for a smaller batch.

Add all the beans to the slow cooker and add 1/4 cup of maple syrup. You can use brown sugar as a replacement but I prefer the maple syrup.

 Add 1/2 cup ketchup to the bean mixture and 1/2 cup water.

Add Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, season salt and store. Add bacon. Add black pepper and red pepper sauce to taste.

 Add browned hamburger with onion and stir together. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Stirring occasionally.

Our family plus Nana and Grandpa Eldon had Smoky Maple Bacon & Beef n’ Beans with brats and fruit salad the other night. I’ve served huge crowds with this recipe at family gathering, barbecues and picnics.

Thank you to my grandma for being the inspiration whenever I make a version of this recipe. I love making food the reminds me of her. I’m not a tenth of the cook she is but I can make mix together canned beans to make a casserole. And I am grateful for farmers like my parents who remind us all where the beans come from, family farms.

What’s your favorite summer picnic recipe?
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Comments

  1. LindaG says

    May 22, 2012 at 12:02 pm

    I don’t really have a favorite recipe for any time.

    I want to thank you for this recipe. It looks really good!

    I keep trying to work beans into my diet. (Hubby grew up in the South and loves them. I grew up in the North and only like green beans.)

    I want to give this recipe a try and see if it ends up being something I would like.

    It looks like it would be fantastic with a biscuit or piece of corn bread. :o)

    Reply
  2. GBBL says

    May 22, 2012 at 10:48 pm

    Huh, wow! I have nearly the same recipe from my Mom.

    Replace the smoke, syrup, season salt, and Worcestershire with brown sugar, onion powder, and mustard powder and you have the variation (more or less) that has been in my family for 50 years (and that isn’t even an OLD recipe).

    Reply
  3. Katie @Pinke Post says

    May 23, 2012 at 1:20 am

    Yes I have seen many, many variations to this recipe. It’s a classic and staple for many families! We love it.

    Reply
  4. Michelle says

    May 23, 2012 at 2:24 am

    A great recipe and I don’t think I have made a version of it before! I confess that I love good potato salad in the summer.

    Reply
  5. Stephanie Carlson says

    May 25, 2012 at 10:55 pm

    Hello! I found you and your website via Gooseberry Patch Recipe Round-Up. I grew up knowing these beans as calico beans and they are wonderful! Thank you for sharing the recipe and reminding me how really great they are – especially for picnics!

    Reply

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I am a mom of three kids and a wife to Nathan. Together we live on the North Dakota prairie, 97 miles from a Starbuck's. I share about family, food, farming and the prairie that I love. I used to commute 98 miles one-way to work but it required too much coffee. So now I am home, consulting, speaking, writing and primarily, juggling family life.
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