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1800s-present - Cowboy cooks, campers, and American barbecue cooks adapting bean pots for outdoor meals

Campfire Beans

Name: Campfire Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 6 slices bacon, chopped; 1 onion, diced; 12 ounces smoked sausage or 1 pound ground beef, optional; 3 cans beans, 15 ounces each, drained, such as pinto, kidney, or baked beans; 1/2 cup barbecue sauce; 1/4 cup brown sugar; 2 tablespoons cider vinegar; 1 tablespoon yellow mustard; 1 teaspoon chili powder; Black pepper, to taste

Campfire beans belong to outdoor American cooking: beans simmered near a fire or baked in a Dutch oven for campers, hunters, ranch hands, and backyard cookouts. The modern version often uses canned beans and smoky meat for a quick, filling side.

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Difficulty

Easy

Prep time

15 minutes

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 minutes

Servings

8 servings

Region

American camps, cabins, ranches, and cookouts

Era introduced

1800s-present

Introduced by

Cowboy cooks, campers, and American barbecue cooks adapting bean pots for outdoor meals

Recipe tools

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The Story

Beans were practical camp food because dried beans traveled well, canned beans made the job even easier, and a pot could feed a group with minimal fuss. Campfire beans overlap with cowboy beans and barbecue beans: sweet, smoky, a little tangy, and sturdy enough to sit beside grilled meat or cornbread. A Dutch oven over coals is ideal, but an oven or stovetop works too.

Ingredients

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, diced
12 ounces smoked sausage or 1 pound ground beef, optional
3 cans beans, 15 ounces each, drained, such as pinto, kidney, or baked beans
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
Black pepper, to taste

Equipment

Dutch oven
Large pot
Skillet
Grill
Smoker
Oven
Cutting board
Chef's knife

Directions

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp.
Add onion and sausage or beef if using and cook until browned.
Stir in beans, barbecue sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, chili powder, and pepper.
Cover and simmer gently over low heat or campfire coals until thick, 45 to 60 minutes.
Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if beans get too thick.
Serve hot.