Rodeo Beans - a Long Lost Recipe

When Don and I were stationed at Zweibrucken Air Base in Germany, we attended lots of squadron parties and picnics. At one, the wife (Lizette) of a guy who worked for Don (Jeff Traw) brought these fantastic beans, which were really more of a main dish. I asked her for the recipe, and then, of course, lost it. For many years I've been searching for a recipe that had all the ingredients I remembered - sort of a beefed-up baked beans with bacon and jalapeno peppers - and I came across this one. It's from Costco, of all places!

It can be made in the crockpot or the oven, but since the crockpot cooking time is 4 hours, I chose oven. Any crockpot recipe that's got less than 8 hours' cooking time has to be done on the weekend, since I'm at work on weekdays for more than 7 hours. From start to finish, the oven version took an hour.

Rodeo Beans

1 lb. ground beef
½ lb. bacon , cut in 1" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1 fresh jalapeño, finely chopped (about 2" long)
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz. can pork and beans
1 15 oz. can butter beans, drained
½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
½ cup ketchup
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef, bacon, and onion. Pour off grease and add jalapeño, beans, sugar, vinegar, mustard, and ketchup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake in a medium-sized covered casserole for 40 minutes, or for 4 hours on Low in a slow cooker. Serves 4. (Well, Don ate 2 bowls, I ate 1, and there's 1 left over.)