One-Dish Meal

This slow cooker one-dish meal is pure potluck power. Ground beef, bacon, and smoked sausage share a pot with four kinds of beans, all simmered in a sweet, smoky, vinegar-spiked sauce for 4 to 6 hours. It feeds 10 and tastes like something that took way more effort than it did.

Browning the meats before they hit the slow cooker is the step that builds the flavor base. The ground beef gets browned and drained, the bacon crisped separately, and the onion, green onions, and pepper get a quick saute in the same skillet. All that fond and rendered flavor goes straight into the pot with the beans.

The sauce is a balance of sweet and tangy. Ketchup and honey bring the sweetness, vinegar adds a sharp bite, and Worcestershire sauce layers on savory depth. Optional liquid smoke pushes the flavor toward something that tastes like it spent hours in a real smoker.

Four different beans (kidney, pork and beans, lima, and soybeans or northern beans) give each spoonful a different texture and flavor. The long, slow cook melds everything together while the beans absorb the smoky sauce.

Kitchen Tips

• Drain the fat from each meat thoroughly before adding to the slow cooker. Three kinds of meat means a lot of rendered fat that will make the dish greasy if you skip this step
• Rinse and drain the canned beans well. The canning liquid is starchy and salty and muddles the sauce
• This reheats beautifully the next day. The flavors continue to develop overnight in the fridge
• Serve with cornbread to soak up the sauce

Variations

• Swap smoked sausage for andouille for a Cajun-inspired kick
• Use molasses instead of honey for a deeper, more barbecue-forward sweetness
• Add a can of diced tomatoes with the beans for more acidity and color