You'll be the hit of your next BBQ or picnic with these Instant Pot cowboy beans. Slightly sweet, definitely smoky, and ready in a flash. You’ll find both Instant Pot and slow cooker instructions in the recipe card.
Press saute on the Instant Pot. When the display shows HOT, add bacon and cook, stirring often. Pro tip: the bacon will likely stick to the Instant Pot insert. That's ok!
4 strips uncooked bacon
When the bacon is half-cooked, add ground beef and onions and cook until both the bacon and beef is cooked through and the onions are softened.
1/2 lb ground beef, 1/4 cup onion
Press "keep warm/cancel" twice to turn the Instant Pot off.
Carefully drain any grease using a metal spoon.
Add chicken stock and use a wooden spoon to thoroughly deglaze (scrape) the bottom of the Instant Pot insert.
1 3/4 cups chicken stock
Add the mustard and smoked paprika, and stir to combine in the chicken stock.
1 tbsp yellow mustard, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Add all the other ingredients but do not stir. {Stirring could result in a burn notice.}
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 cups cooked navy beans, 2 cups cooked kidney beans, 2 cups cooked butter beans, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup prepared BBQ sauce
Lock the lid into place and set the steam release handle (valve on top) to “Sealing”. Press Manual>High Pressure>5 minutes.
When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, it will beep and switch to ”keep warm".
Allow it to sit with the lid on for 10 minutes and then do a manual release with the nozzle set to venting.
Notes
To make the dried beans ahead of time:Place 1/2 cup each of dried navy, kidney, and butter beans in the insert of the Instant Pot. Cover with 4 inches of water and cook on manual high pressure for 38 minutes. Allow for a 20-minute natural release and then vent to remove any additional pressure.Slow Cooker Instructions
In a heavy-bottomed skillet, cook ground beef on medium heat until cooked through.
Drain any grease and remove from pan and add to the slow cooker.
Cook chopped bacon in the same pan until crispy. Remove from pan and place in the slow cooker.
Add all the other ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.