Old Settler Beans

This isn't fancy cassoulet with duck and a long simmered ragout. Instead it's a (relatively) speedy, meat & beans casserole-like dish that can be made in one pot.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. bacon, chopped

1 med. onion, chopped

1/2 lb. hamburger

1/4 lb. smoked sausage, sliced & halved

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. white sugar (optional)

1/4 c. ketchup

1 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)

1 tbsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 15 oz cans pork & beans

1 15 oz can kidney beans

1 15 oz can butter beans

Directions

Brown bacon, onion, hamburger and sausage together. Drain most of the grease.

Drain the kidney beans and butter beans.

Thoroughly mix sugars, catsup, liquid smoke, dry mustard, salt and pepper. Add to meat mixture. 

Combine with beans in a large casserole (2 1/2 to 3 quart casserole) and bake covered at 350F degrees for one hour.

Notes:

• I make this with lean or very lean ground turkey. Generally, it means there's less fat I have to drain.
• You can use heat-n-eat bacon; but you will end up with even less fat.
• I never add the liquid smoke.
• I almost always use two cans of butter beans instead of kidney beans.
• To make this in one pot, use a very large dutch oven. Brown the bacon, onions, hamburger, and sausage. Drain the meat and onions. Combine the remaining ingredients to the dutch oven. Add the meat mixture back to the dutch oven. Cover and bake at 350F for one hour.
• I have a tendency to crank the heat 450-500F, cover and bake for 15 minutes, remove the cover and bake another 15 minutes.