Cowboy beans

Cowboy beans (also known as chuckwagon beans) is a bean dish. The dish consists of pinto beans^[1] and ground beef in a sweet and tangy sauce. Other types of meat can be used.^[2] A related dish using multiple different types of beans is called calico beans, due to the multiple colors of beans resembling the coat of a calico cat.^[3] The flavor is similar to baked beans but with a Northern twist. Although cowboy appears in the name, the use of canned beans, ketchup, and barbecue sauce means the dish is unlike anything ranch hands would have eaten in the 19th century.^[4] Cowboy beans are served stewed or baked,^[5] depending on the recipe.

It is unclear how cowboy beans got their name or where they originated. They are easy to prepare and variations on the recipe are available on the Internet and in cookbooks and cooking magazines.