Cowboy Beans

This is a sponsored conversation written by me of behalf of Ball Park® brand. The opinions and text are all mine.

These Cowboy Beans are perfect for your next grillathon...they go perfectly with hot dogs.

One of my favorite grilling memories surrounds this dish. These Cowboy Beans were a bit of an accidental recipe one of my friends and I came up with on the fly...or so we thought. It was a hilarious time...that resulted in a delicious casserole that is well-loved and requested again and again. This casserole is the perfect side dish alongside Ball Park Park's Finest Hot Dogs at your own grillathon. 

A few years ago, the church we attended cooked regular meals for all of the members a couple of times a month. We were divided into groups of three to cook the meals. I was in a group with two other young moms (you know...back when we were young). 
One month when it was our turn, one of of group member's had a sick kiddo at the last minute...she had been in charge of the side dish. We didn't find out she would miss out on the meal that night until the last minute. Mel and I had to prepare this shindig on our own...within a matter of minutes. Our husbands had grilled hot dogs for us (and we had made some amazing desserts), but we weren't sure how we would pull off a decent side dish.
Looking through the cupboards of our church, all we found were several bulk sized cans of baked beans. We had brought hamburger meat up to the church kitchen with us, in the event that some may want burgers as an option. We scrapped that option and decided to combine the beans and meat (along with a few other yummies) into a casserole. I remember watching Mel squirt globs of ketchup and mustard into the pans of beans and wondering what on earth she was thinking. Turns out she was spot on. We laughed about it later. 
As we stood at the serving line that night passing out plates and an older man came by looking at our thrown-together casseroles.
"Who made Cowboy Beans?"
We looked at each other and took credit...apparently beans and beef were already a dish. Who knew, right? Over the years, we've each tweaked this casserole a bit to make it our own. (I added bacon. Of course.)


These beans pair perfectly with hot dogs...especially these delicious Ball Park Park's Finest hot dogs. My family really loved the Signature Seasoned variety. They also come in Jalapeno Cheddar, Slow Cooked Chili , Slow Smoked Hickory, and Cracked Dijon Mustard.

They grill up so nicely. Packed with big, bold flavors and infused with premium seasoning you can see, Ball Park Park’s Finest are a premium beef hot dog that instantly elevate any grilling experience. 
We love grilling this time of the year, especially. It gets so hot in Texas in July and August...this is when we're able to head outside and fire up the grills again. These Ball Park Park's Finest hot dogs would be so yummy at all of the upcoming football parties and tailgates...and don't forget your Cowboy Beans, too (my husband actually eats his on his hot dog, y'all).

And did you hear about the Finest Grillathon Event? On August 13th, Ball Park brand set the Guinness World Record for the Longest Team Barbecue Marathon after grilling for 34 hours and 35 minutes in New York City! Finest Grillathon winners, Andrew Battistelli and Susan Bulloch, along with Food Network chef Tyler Florence, grilled more than 3,000 Ball Park Park’s Finest Hot Dogs which were donated to City Harvest, a food rescue organization.

Cowboy Beans
Click here for printable recipe.

Ingredients:
- 1 pound of lean ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped

- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

- 1/4 c. ketchup
- 1/4 c. barbecue sauce

- 2 tablespoons mustard

- 1 (28 ounce) can baked beans, drained

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

-  1 (4.5 ounce) bag real bacon crumbles or pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown beef and onion together in a large, deep pan. Cook until done and drain any excess liquid/fat. Return cooked beef and onion to the pan and turn heat to low. Add all other ingredients (except bacon) to the pan and stir until combined.

Transfer mixture to a 9x13 casserole dish, prepared with cooking spray. Sprinkle bacon pieces on top of casserole. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe.

What do you like to serve when you grill out?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ball Park. The opinions and text are all mine.

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