Ingredients:

  • 1 lb lean ground beef (90/10)
  • 6 strips thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 3 cans (15 oz each) pork and beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup low-sugar BBQ sauce
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions:

  1. Place diced bacon in a cold cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven and turn heat to medium. Cook until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon bits and set aside, keeping the rendered fat in the pan.
  2. Add the ground beef to the bacon fat. Cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until deeply browned and caramelized.
  3. Add the diced onions to the beef and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Stir in minced garlic and tomato paste, cooking for 60 seconds until fragrant.
  4. Drain the liquid from two cans of pork and beans; keep the liquid in the third can. Add all beans (pork and beans and kidney beans) to the skillet.
  5. Stir in the BBQ sauce, maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, and smoked paprika. Fold the crispy bacon bits into the mixture.
  6. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 30–40 minutes until the sauce has reduced to a thick, jammy consistency.