# Barbecued Cowboy Beans



## BakersDozen (May 19, 2005)

* Exported from MasterCook * 

Barbecued Cowboy Beans (Cook's Country)

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Beans, Legumes {posted}

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound dried pinto beans -- (or navy beans), washed and picked 
clean of any debris
6 cups water

4 slices bacon -- chopped fine
1 medium onion -- chopped fine
4 medium garlic cloves -- minced
4 1/2 cups water
1 cup black coffee -- (strong)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared brown mustard -- (such as Gulden's)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
-- PLUS --
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper

1. QUICK-SOAK BEANS. Place beans and 6 cups water in large Dutch oven.
Bring to boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove pot from heat, cover, and allow beans to sit for 1 hour.
Drain beans. Clean and dry pot.

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.
Add bacon to pot and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Stir in onion and cook until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add drained beans, water, and coffee. Bring to simmer over high heat and cook 
for 10 minutes.

4. Add brown sugar, mustard, 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, Tabasco sauce, and 2 teaspoons 
salt.
Return to boil over high heat, cover pot, and transfer to oven.

5. Cook until beans are just tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Remove lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has 
thickened to syrupy consistency, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer.

6. Remove from oven, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, and season to 
taste with salt and pepper.
(Beans can be refrigerated for several days.)

Makes 4–6 servings.

Source: Matthew Card, “Rustle Up Some Beans!,” Cook’s Country Magazine, May 2005, 
page 22.

Cuisine:
"USA - Southwest, Texas"
Source:
"Matthew Card, “Rustle Up Some Beans!,” Cook’s Country Magazine, May 2005, page 22."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 358 Calories; 3g Fat (8.5% calories from fat); 
18g Protein; 66g Carbohydrate; 19g Dietary Fiber; 4mg Cholesterol; 308mg Sodium. 
Exchanges: 3 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

NOTES : A heavy-bottomed Dutch oven prevents the beans from cooking too rapidly or 
scorching. If you're thinking ahead, you can soak the beans in 6 cups of water 
overnight (then skip step 1). Adjust the heat, smoke, or salt by stirring in more 
Tabasco or barbecue sauce at serving time.

This article did not suggest a brand-name for the bottled barbecue sauce, but the top 
picks in the magazine's "Food Shopping" section were (1) Texas Best Barbecue Sauce, 
Original Rib Style, which has a good sweet/tart balance, and (2) Bull's-Eye Original 
BBQ Sauce, which is heavier on the smoke flavor.

CHUCK WAGON CUISINE
The fabled chuck wagons of Old West fame first hit the trail shortly after the 
Civil War. Charles Goodnight, a larger-than-life cattle baron of the Texas 
Panhandle, had a surplus army cart outfitted with reinforced fittings and enough 
cabinetry to store the requisite dry goods, equipment, and fuel for a crew of cowboys 
on the trail. A back flap flipped down to serve as the cook’s countertop, on which 
he prepared a never-ending stream of beans, biscuits, steaks, and coffee.
Chuck wagon cooks — always called Cookie by the cowboys — led as hard a life as 
those they fed. Cooks were up for hours be-fore the sun rose, whipping up breakfast, 
and stayed up long into the night cleaning dishes. They also had to keep the wagon 
stocked with food, fuel, and water — easier said than done on the open plains.
To keep on the good side of Cookie, cowboys followed an unwritten code. If 
riding close to the wagon, they always stayed down-wind so the dirt and dust they 
kicked up wouldn't get into the food. The same rule applied when it came to 
dismounting their horses. Cowboys never crowded the cooking fires for warmth, and 
under no circumstances would they ever help themselves to the last serving without an 
OK from Cookie. - M.C.


Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0


----------

