Tag: beans

Slow Cooker Beans ‘n Wieners

When I was a kid bean n’ wieners were one of my favorites. Here I am many years later and well, nothing much has changed because I still love them. I still eat most of the sauce first, saving the hot dogs for last. My grown-up version is slow cooker beans ‘n wieners. Cooked for hours so that that great sauce flavors the beans and hot dogs just perfectly. A big bowl can chase away the cold weather, and quick. I call it the perfect dish after shoveling the snow off the driveway! Heck, it’s perfect without going outside. Looking out the window on a cold winter’s day is enough to make me want a big bowl!

Slow Cooker Beans 'n Wieners

This recipe for slow cooker beans ‘n wieners is perfect as it is, but you can add a bit of heat if you want. Just add a small can of chopped roasted jalapenos in at the start and let that great heat get slow cooked into the rest of the ingredients. Starting with quality canned pork and beans gives you a better end result, but you can get by with your store’s generic too (I did)!

Also try my quick fix BBQ beans!

Slow Cooker Beans 'n Wieners
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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Beans ‘n Wieners

When I was a kid bean n’ wieners were one of my favorites. Here I am many years later and well, nothing much has changed because I still love them. 
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword beans, crockpot, hot dogs, slow cooker
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 193kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a slow cooker.
  • Stir and cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 544mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Buffalo Cowboy Caviar

Anita can attest to my (somewhat) shocking addiction to all things Buffalo wings, so she wasn’t surprised when I served up this Buffalo Cowboy caviar. What was surprising, though, was just how much we both absolutely loved it. Beans, peas, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, all good things. But the crunch of the corn and the smoothness of the avocado, along with spicy Buffalo wing sauce pushed this side up a few notches on the ‘love it’ scale.

Buffalo Cowboy Caviar

For a twist, use corn-on-the-cob that has been roasted on a grill or under the broiler until lightly charred. Cut the kernels from the ears (or better, use a corn peeler!) and add to the caviar. You’ll need 3-4 good sized ears to make Buffalo Cowboy caviar.

Also try my Cowboy caviar and my Georgia caviar recipes.

Buffalo Cowboy Caviar
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4 from 1 vote

Buffalo Cowboy Caviar

Beans, peas, tomatoes, cilantro, green onions, all good things. But the crunch of the corn and the smoothness of the avocado, along with spicy Buffalo wing sauce pushed this side up a few notches on the ‘love it’ scale.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword Buffalo, salad, vegetable
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 294kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from A Spicy Perspective

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 15 ounces black beans rinsed, drained
  • 15 ounces black eyed peas rinsed, drained
  • 11 ounces corn drained
  • 4 Roma tomatoes seeded, diced
  • 2 large avocados diced
  • 1 small red onion diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup green onions diced
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped
  • 2 jalapenos seeded, diced

For the marinade

Instructions

  • Place all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl.
  • Whisk together the marinade ingredients and add to the salad. Toss to coat.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 849mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1128IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Smoked Blueberry Beanie Weenie

I do love a big, big batch of smoked baked beans. And I love beans and weenies. So I was intrigued when I came across this recipe for some smoked blueberry beanie weenie. My first reaction was “What? Blueberry?”. Well, you often put maple syrup in beans and on pancakes. And you put blueberry syrup on pancakes… so maybe that’s where the original idea came from? Well, whatever spurred it, I love them. They are a very pleasant change from the usual beans that you’re expecting. Don’t tell anyone that there’s blueberry syrup in these beans. Just sit back and watch the surprise on their faces as they take their first bites.

Smoked Blueberry Beanie Weenie

Other than the addition of blueberry syrup, this smoked blueberry beanie weenie are pretty much your standard, awesome beanie weenies. It’s the syrup that’s the surprise. Since the syrup is fairly sweet I wasn’t real shy with the hot sauce. I wanted a little kick to go with the sweet.

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple for this dish.

Even my un-smoked beans and weenies are different. Try them.

Smoked Blueberry Beanie Weenie
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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Blueberry Beanie Weenie

Don’t tell anyone that there’s blueberry syrup in these beans. Just sit back and watch the surprise on their faces as they take their first bites.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword beans, hot dogs
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 83kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 1 16 ounce great northern beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 16 ounce light red kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 16 ounce dark red kidney beans drained and rinsed
  • 4 slices bacon chopped
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • ¾ cup blueberry syrup
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon dried ginger
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • hot sauce to taste
  • hot dogs sliced as desired

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for cooking at 225 F. Use a light wood such as apple, maple or peach.
  • Place the beans in a large bowl.
  • Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until just starting to crisp. Remove.
  • Add the onion and saute until softened. Remove.
  • Combine all but the hot dogs with the beans.
  • Pour the mixture into a 8″ x 13″ disposable pan and place on the smoker, uncovered, for 3 hours.
  • Stir in the hot dogs and cook another 30 minutes.
  • Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 771mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

German Cowboy Dog

Bourbon baked beans, kraut and spicy mustard on a dog? Insanely good! Bourbon baked beans take your standard great dog and make it just fantastic. A little sweetness, then the crunch of the kraut, and the spicy kick from the mustard. Everything great in every bite. I could’ve eaten more of these German Cowboys dogs than I’ll ever admit online. Or admit even in person for that matter!

German Cowboy Dog

The German Cowboy dog is another great menu item I ran across from Duke’s Gourmet Hot Dogs. They have the most fantastic hot dog menu I’ve ever come across. Every single one makes you drool!

Slicing your hot dogs before cooking helps ensure that the toppings don’t slide off. And that’s a good thing!

Try my American cowboy dogs too. Giddy up!

German Cowboy Dog
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5 from 1 vote

German Cowboy Dog

I could’ve eaten more of these German Cowboys dogs than I’ll ever admit online. Or admit even in person for that matter!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword hot dogs
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 446kcal
Author Based on a dog on the menu from Duke’s Gourmet Hot Dogs

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cook dogs as desired.
  • Toast buns.
  • Add dogs to buns. Top with the warmed beans and kraut.
  • Add mustard and devour.

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 1576mg | Potassium: 793mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Deep-Fried Chickpeas

Roasted chickpeas just won’t stay crunchy for long. As they cool they get soft and mushy. Ewwwww! The only way to get really crunchy, really great chickpeas is to deep-fry them. Then hit them with your favorite seasonings. Kosher or sea salt and freshly ground black pepper are perfect. You don’t have to go crazy with them, you can keep them simple. Then devour.

Deep-Fried Chickpeas

I suggest you double the recipe when making these deep-fried chickpeas as you’ll eat half of them while you are finishing cooking the other half. They’ll stay crunchy longer than roasted peas, but they will get softer as time goes on. You won’t have to worry about that because they won’t last that long.

If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.

Also try my Kale chips.

Deep-Fried Chickpeas
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5 from 1 vote

Deep-Fried Chickpeas

The only way to get really crunchy, really great chickpeas is to deep-fry them. Then hit them with your favorite seasonings. 
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword chickpeas, deep-fried
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 1kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Empty can into a sieve. Rinse and drain well.
  • Dump beans out onto a kitchen towel or a few layers of paper towels. Pat beans dry. Be thorough – they need to be as dry as possible.
  • Heat 1/2″ of oil in a Dutch oven to 325 F.
  • Working in batches, SLOWLY add the beans to the hot oil. The beans will most likely splatter, specially if they aren’t very dry, so keep your face and hands back as you add them to the hot oil.
  • Fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Sprinkle with seasoning while they are still hot.
  • Serve hot or cooled.

Nutrition

Calories: 1kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Tangy Pit Beans

After I finish writing this post I will curl up in front of a big bowl of these tangy pit beans and go to town on them. I love baked beans, and this is a very, very good variation on the theme. They are not boring. They have just the right amount of tang. And since this recipe makes a big batch, it’s a great dish to take to a pitch-in or family picnic.

Tangy Pit Beans

These tangy pit beans were the perfect side for my smoked habanero meatloaf and cedar planked creamy mashed potato dinner.

You can also cook these beans in a large Dutch oven.

If you’re in a hurry but still want great BBQ beans, try my quick fix version.

Tangy Pit Beans
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5 from 1 vote

Tangy Pit Beans

After I finish writing this post I will curl up in front of a big bowl of these tangy pit beans and go to town on them. I love baked beans, and this is a very, very good variation on the theme. They are not boring. They have just the right amount of tang. And since this recipe makes a big batch, it’s a great dish to take to a pitch-in or family picnic.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword baked beans
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 254kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
  • 3 cups ketchup
  • 1 cup sweet onion diced
  • 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar
  • ½ cup honey
  • 1 ½ tablespoons BBQ rub I used our Memphis Rib Rub
  • 2 15 ounce pork and beans
  • 2 15 1/2 ounce red kidney beans rinsed, drained
  • 1 15 1/2 ounce chili beans
  • 1 15 1/2 ounce butter beans rinsed, drained
  • 1 15 1/2 ounce pinto beans rinsed, drained
  • 4 strips bacon

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. You can also make these beans on your smoker at 250 F, but you’ll have to increase the cook time to 3 hours.
  • Whisk together the mustard and ketchup in a large bowl.
  • Stir in the onion, pepper, sugar, honey, and rub.
  • Add the beans, and slowly and gently fold in to mix well.
  • Pour mixture into a deep 9″ x 13″ baking ban.
  • Add bacon to top of beans and cover with foil.
  • Bake for 45 minutes.
  • Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes.
  • Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 632mg | Potassium: 286mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 349IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Barbecue Green Beans

Why have boring canned green beans when with the addition of a just a few ingredients you can have outstandingly good green beans. These barbecue green beans have a great barbecue flavor. A hint of bacon (with a bit of crunch). And a bit of sweet. You will absolutely devour these.

Barbecue Green Beans


I may add a small pinch of red pepper flake to these barbecue green beans next time I make them. Not too much, but I love a little heat with my sweet. If you have a favorite BBQ sauce you can use it in place of the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Start with about 1/2 cup of the sauce and taste to see if you might want a bit more.

Also try my fire-eater green beans.

Inspired by a recipe from Belle of the Kitchen.

Barbecue Green Beans
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4 from 1 vote

Barbecue Green Beans

Why have boring canned green beans when with the addition of a just a few ingredients you can have outstandingly good green beans.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword barbecue, BBQ, green beans
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 153kcal
Author Based on a recipe from Belle of the Kitchen

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Open green bean cans, drain, and add to a 9″ x 9″ casserole dish.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the bacon and cook until starting to crisp, stirring often.
  • Add the onion and cook until the bacon is crisped and the onion starts to soften.
  • Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Stir and cook another 3 minutes.
  • Pour bacon mixture over the beans and stir to combine.
  • Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 113IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Fire-Eater Campfire Beans

Who doesn’t love a big pot of beans? Even on a hot summer day, give me some spicy beans and cornbread and I’m set. These fire-eater campfire beans combine a simple, straight-forward bean recipe with the kick from Steven Raichlen’s fire-eater rub. I started out using the rub just on chicken (and mainly chicken wings, for a seriously good hot wing!), but now I find myself using it in a lot of dishes.

Fire-Eater Campfire Beans

If you have a few spare chunks of smoked pulled pork or brisket, toss them in the pot with these Fire-Eater Campfire beans. They’ll add even more great smoky flavor, plus also a nice texture. Heck, it’s a meal-in-a-bowl! I’ve also enjoyed a big bowl of these beans with a grilled hot dog, sliced, thrown in. Smoked sausage is great too. It makes for a great quick lunch!

I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make these beans and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!

Also try my super-easy doctored baked beans!

Fire-Eater Campfire Beans
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5 from 1 vote

Fire-Eater Campfire Beans

These fire-eater campfire beans combine a simple, straight-forward bean recipe with a nice kick.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword beans, spicy
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 267kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried pinto beans
  • 2 cups dried kidney beans
  • 1 ham hock
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 bell peppers diced
  • 1 sweet onion diced
  • 1-2 tablespoons Fire-eater rub

Instructions

  • Check beans for any rocks or bad beans. Rinse well.
  • Transfer beans to a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches.
  • Add the ham hock and cover.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 2 hours. Add more water as needed.
  • Add the garlic, peppers, and onion. Cover again and cook another hour or two. The beans should be starting to soften.
  • Add the rub. Cover and cook another 20-30 minutes or until the beans are tender. The liquid should be nice and thick.
  • Best served with cornbread.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 984mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 621IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Smoked Baked Beans

Man, these smoked baked beans are just flat out insanely good. You could make them in the oven, but it’s the smoky flavor that just makes these beans outstanding. They’re even better if you add a few chunks of smoked pork or beef.

This recipe makes a pretty good sized batch, but believe me, it won’t last long. People are going to want seconds if not thirds.

Smoked Baked Beans

If you want a bit of kick to your smoked baked beans, add some roasted, chopped or diced jalapenos or a couple dashes of hot sauce. I cooked mine on a rack beneath some Tasso ham, which has a heavy dose of cayenne on it. All that spicy goodness dripped down into the beans giving them a really great kick. I made sure that the beans got hot enough that I didn’t have to worry if the ham drippings were fully cooked or not. Not everyone has tasso to put on the smoker at the same time as their beans, so reach for hot peppers or hot sauce instead!

I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple for smoking these beans

Also try my smokehouse beans.

Smoked Baked Beans
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5 from 1 vote

Smoked Baked Beans

Man, these smoked baked beans are just flat out insanely good. You could make them in the oven, but it’s the smoky flavor that just makes these beans outstanding. They’re even better if you add a few chunks of smoked pork or beef.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword baked beans, smoked
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 51kcal
Author Based on a recipe from The Virtual Weber Bullet

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Fire up your smoker for cooking at 250 F.
  • Pour the beans into 9″ x 13″ aluminum pan.
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients.
  • Place onto the smoker and cook for 2 hours or until the vegetables are somewhat tender, stirring occasionally.

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 40mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Dinosaur-Style BBQ Beans

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que is a small chain of BBQ restaurants in the northeast, and now, also in Chicago. If these dinosaur-style BBQ beans are any indication of how good their food is, it’s a place well worth visiting. These beans are crazy good, thanks mostly to the barbecue sauce and my favorite, crumbled cooked Italian sausage.

Dinosaur-Style BBQ Beans

I recently started adding Italian sausage to my chili recipes. The Italian sausage adds a fantastic flavor and texture to the chili, just like it does to these dinosaur-style BBQ beans. You can use spicy sausage to kick things up even more. Of course, you can also add leftover chopped, cubed shredded pulled pork or smoked brisket (yum!).

Dinosaur-Style BBQ Beans
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4 from 1 vote

Dinosaur-Style BBQ Beans

These beans are crazy good, thanks mostly to the barbecue sauce and my favorite, crumbled cooked Italian sausage.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Keyword baked beans
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 13
Calories 164kcal
Author Based on the BBQ Beans at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heal olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion and bell pepper along with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until soft.
  • Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  • Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until done. Drain any excess fat.
  • Add the beans and stir.
  • Reduce heat to low.
  • Add remaining ingredients. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 164kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 462mg | Potassium: 190mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 152IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.