wilkes

trailside beans

1/2 pound bacon, sliced in small pieces
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 diced onion1 diced red bell pepper
1 diced green bell pepper
Two 33-oz. cans of pork and beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons of white vinegar

Cook bacon and ground beef well in a 12-inch Dutch oven. Use 24 coals all on the bottom to start, then separate and place the coals as noted earlier during the baking stage. Before removing excess oil, sauté diced onion, diced red bell pepper, and diced green bell pepper with the meats until the onions and peppers are soft. Drain off excess oil. Add pork and beans, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and white vinegar. Stir well, place lid on oven, and cook with repositioned coals for 90 to 120 minutes.

Check for moisture content every 15 to 20 minutes. (Some ovens allow too much moisture to escape.) If there is not a soupy layer of liquid covering the beans, add water, a little at a time, and stir to maintain the moisture content.

Eat this with hot biscuits and jam, and you’ll understand why cowboys always looked so happy on those long, hard, dusty cattle drives.