Flavor, flexibility and fiber are among the key attributes of this simple one-pot meal. Loaded with meat and fast to make since it employs canned beans, it is easily transported to parties or slapped together for a deer camp table.
Serve it in a bread bowl for added panache. If you feel a need for some leafy greens on the side, add a salad, but think twice before doing something like a three-bean salad. With nearly four pounds of beans, a side splash of something like Beano may help preclude a serenade of winter bullfrogs or forestall a scene out of Blazing Saddles from erupting not long after dinner.
We originally enjoyed a variation of this dish at a neighbor’s party, and our family and friends like the venison and sausage tweaks we’ve added. You can include your own favorite smoked and ground meats to this recipe. Plus, stretching it by adding up to another pound of meat wouldn’t affect the flavor that much. Did we mention it’s heavy on the beans? Ingredients
1 pound ground venison
1 pound thick sliced bacon
½ pound venison sausage (breakfast or smoked works well)
1 ½ cups chopped onion
¼ cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons molasses
¼ cup ketchup
½ cup barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon or spicy mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste
2 cans, 16 ounce, pork and beans
1 can, 15 ounce, black beans, drained
1 can, 15 ounce, butter or lima beans, drained
1 can, 15 ounce, kidney beans, drained
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the bacon in a skillet. Crumble or break into small chunks and set aside. Drain off the grease. In the same skillet, brown the ground meat and sausage. Set the meat aside and drain off the fat. Chop the onions and cook in the same skillet until soft. Combine half of the bacon, the meat and onions and all the seasonings, spices and liquids in a large bowl. Mix in the beans. Stir well, taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Pour into a greased baking or casserole dish, top with the rest of the crumbled bacon and cook for about an hour until the edges start to bubble slightly. If the top starts to brown or dry out, stir the mixture and turn the heat down to 325 degrees.
This can easily be mixed ahead of time and baked later as needed.
Serves 10 as a main dish and 15 or more as a side dish.
You can simply ladle this into a bowl, but try it in a bread bowl. Buy or make a few small, round loaves of crusty bread. Hollow them out and ladle in the hot beans and venison. If you can only find a large, round loaf, hollow it out and then fill it before serving the table. Then, cut it into quarters, making an X across the center. You won’t get the bowl effect for the entire meal but it makes for an interesting presentation. Plus the bread sops up liquids and makes for a nice accompaniment.