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My nephew had a birthday on May 4^th. He calls it “Quattro de Spencer” and this year we had a gathering at his place. Burgers, dogs and sides. Simple enough. He asked me to bring a killer side dish. Talk about pressure! I guess having a food blog really raises the bar high when you’re asked to bring something to a pot luck.  So my slow cooker came to the rescue.

What goes good with burgers & dogs? Beans!  Since this was on a Monday and I work full time, out popped the slow cooker. The night before I put all the ingredients in the slow cooker and left it in the fridge. I know beans don’t take all day to cook so I had hubby take care of it when he left for work at 2PM (he works nights, boo!).  By the time I got home at 5PM, the beans were done and the house smelled so good. All I had to do was pack up the slow cooker and head out the door.

Of course safety first when transporting a slow cooker, so I strapped them in. Who would want beans sloshing all over the car?

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Slow Cooker Barbecue Beans

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Ingredients

• 3 cans reduced sodium pinto beans (15 oz ea, drained & rinsed)
• 3 cans reduced sodium white beans (15 oz ea, drained & rinsed)
• 1 Medium green bell pepper (chopped)
• 30oz Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce
• 2 green onion (sliced)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 5 Strips bacon (cooked, excess grease wiped off and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons liquid smoke

Directions

Step 1

Place everything in a slow cooker, stir. Set on low and cook for 3 hours.

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If you don’t have a slow cooker, you are missing out on one of the most used kitchen toys.  Mine is a Crockery brand. I like it since it has a nice solid bowl and base. I’ve had it for almost 10 years and it has served me well. I cannot find my model anywhere online so I guess it’s discontinued, but the picture below is of a Crock Pot brand slow cooker that is the most like mine. If I had to replace mine, this would be the product I would choose.

Now, about those slow cooker barbecue beans……The birthday boy loved these. These beans have a nice tangy smoky flavor to them that I think went well with burgers and dogs.  The best part is using my slow cooker to do all the work.  Hubby got the leftovers the next day for lunch and was quite impressed. I’m trying to incorporate more legumes into his diet with my focus on more heart healthy foods.

If you are looking for an easy and delicious side dish for a potluck or even a picnic, this one would work well.  For more side dish ideas, follow my Pinterest board.

Follow Lori’s Culinary’s board Veggies & Sides on Pinterest.

I am now in the App Store! If you have an apple device, go to your App Store, search “Lori’s Culinary Creations” and download the app for free.