Add beans (with seasoning packet) and water to a large crock pot then cook for 4-6 hours on high or until beans are tender.
Meanwhile, cook onions with ground beef until beef is cooked through, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cut bacon into small strips then cook until crispy and browned. Remove bacon from pan drippings. Cut smoked sausage into bite-sized pieces. Set aside ground beef, bacon and smoked sausage to add to the beans later. This can all be done the night before!
Once beans are tender, ladle out any excess liquid; set aside to use later if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste, barbeque sauce and remaining ingredients, including the ground beef, bacon and smoked sausage. Gently stir to combine.
Add reserved liquid from cooking the beans, 1/2 cup at a time, if needed to ensure the contents of the crock pot have a nice, thick sauce. You don’t want things to be runny but you do want to make sure there’s enough sauce to coat everything nicely (such as with baked beans).
Continue cooking 1-2 hours on high or until sausage is heated through and everything is hot and bubbly.
Tips
This recipe is intended as a side dish. It was created to taste a lot like Southern-style baked beans. I read a comment where someone said this was too rich to be an entrée so it occurred to me I might better point out that I created this dish to be both rich and slightly sweet as it is not a main dish, but a side.
This is a dish I serve at cookouts and barbeques that is amazing served alongside hearty meats (particularly smoked or grilled). This isn’t something I’d sit down to eat with a spoon like chili or stew.
Using less than the four pounds of meat OR using canned (sauced) beans could result in the dish tasting too sweet. Reduce the amount of BBQ sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and/or molasses if you don't use the ingredients as written.
If you can’t find Hurst’s 15 Bean Soup in your market, please ask your grocer for them. Until then, you can order them online!
Crumbled sausage would be amazing in this too!
Diced green peppers and/or jalapeños would also be great additions!
I drain my bacon (because bacon grease is LIFE and I save every drop) but I don't drain the ground beef. For a recipe this size, there really isn't a lot of fat here so I like the extra flavor and richness from the beefy pan drippings.
