Three Meat Cowboy Beans
1 16-oz. bag 9 bean dried beans
Dashes of thyme, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and paprika
6 cups water
1 large onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. cottage bacon (or regular bacon), diced into pieces
1 lbs. smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces
1 ½ cups BBQ sauce
1 cup ketchup
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup brown sugar
3 tbsp. spicy brown mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Add beans, with dashes of thyme, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, paprika and water to a large crock pot. Cover and cook on high heat 4-5 hours, or until beans are tender.
Meanwhile, add ground beef to a large skillet and season with salt and pepper. Break up meat. Add diced onion and continue to cook until meat is browned and onions are tender. Set meat aside.
In a separate skillet, add cottage bacon and cook until heated through. Remove bacon from pan drippings and set aside. Add smoked sausage pieces to the skillet and brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
Once beans are tender, ladle out any excess liquid (if there is any); set aside to use later if needed. Add remaining ingredients, including the ground beef, cottage bacon and smoked sausage. Gently stir to combine. Add reserved liquid from cooking the beans, ½ cup at a time, if needed to ensure the contents of the crock pot have a nice, thick sauce. Continue cooking 1-2 hours on low or until everything is hot and bubbly.
