Wrangle up your family and friends and enjoy some fiery grub. This spicy cowboy bean recipe – featuring a lot of pork – is chock full of flavor. And the heat? There are multiple sources here: fresh jalapeño pepper, cayenne pepper powder, and chili powder all add to the spice. This is one earthy and bold recipe.
Spicy cowboy beans are delicious as a barbecue side. Hamburgers and hot dogs are both simply better with these beans. But don’t stop there. We love them as part of a fiery breakfast – top the beans with fried eggs (or layer the beans and eggs on toast) and enjoy a delicious spicy twist to your morning. They can also be turned into more of a meal by layering the beans over rice.
See spicy cowboy beans being made:
Like this recipe? You’ll love these too:
- Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins: These are perfect for soaking up all the sauce of these beans.
- Smoky Chipotle Potato Salad: An earthy, smoky take on this delicious side.
- Spicy Kale Slaw: We love this slaw as a side to steak, but it’s also a tasty vegetarian lunch (doubling as a salad.)
Our most popular spice pack! Mild, earthy, and sweet ancho pepper. Smoky and earthy medium-heat chipotle. And extra-hot, fruity habanero.
Spicy Cowboy Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound center-cut ham steak cooked and cubed
- 1 pound dried pinto beans
- 1 pound salt pork
- 1 jalapeño pepper minced
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne powder
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 green onion for garnish, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or large soup pot, add the beans, then add water until the beans are covered by approximately 3 inches.
- Bring the water to a boil, then remove the pot from the heat. Cover the pot and let the beans sit for 1 hour.
- Drain the beans and place them back in the dutch oven or large soup pot. Cover the beans again with water (approximately 2 inches above the beans), then add the ham steak, salt pork, jalapeño pepper, onion, garlic, chili powder, cayenne powder, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf.
- Bring the mix to a quick boil, then reduce to medium heat. Continue to simmer the cowboy beans for 2 to 3 hours, until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened.
- Remove the bay leaf and salt pork, and add salt and pepper to taste (Careful – the salt pork already adds a salty flavor).
- Serve with green onion garnish for color.