On Jan. 23, 1940, the United States awarded a patent to inventor Irving Nachumsohn’s newest creation: the crock pot.

According to the Smithsonian Magazine, it was originally marketed as the “Naxon Beanery,” with its name coming from a shortened version of Nachumsohn’s last name. With the public’s opinions of German last names during the mid-1940s, he figured it was smart to change it a bit to make the device more marketable.

Though the crock pot officially turned 85 at the start of 2025, its popularity is still high.

For us, it’s a great appliance for everything from over-scheduled weeks, where cooking is just not going to fit on the day’s calendar, to hosting gatherings.

I think I had two of them going while we hosted Thanksgiving—one to keep the mashed potatoes warm before dinner and one hard at work turning the turkey bones into stock for soup.

I fired my crockpot up again this last week to try a dish sent in for our holiday recipe section by Wenda Black of Sedgwick.

I am always appreciative of very simple recipes that I can set and forget, and Wenda’s beans in a pot recipe came just at the right time for me on a super busy weekday.

Wenda said, “I’ve made this many times over the past 30 years.” And I can see why. It’s easy to put together and easy to adjust to your own, personal spice preferences.

Beans in a Pot

1 pound ground hamburger

1 pound ground sausage

2 15.5-ounce cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

15.5-ounce can red beans, rinsed and drained

15.5-ounce can chili beans

1 tablespoon liquid smoke (I substituted Worcestershire sauce)

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup barbecue sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1/2 medium yellow onion, diced

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Fry the hamburger, sausage and onions in a large skillet until the meat is cooked through, and drain off any fat from the pan.

Add the cooked meat and onion mixture to a crock pot, along with the rest of the ingredients. Mix to incorporate everything well.

Cook on high for one hour and then on low for one to two more hours. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Serve in a bowl with corn chips, shredded cheese and sour cream, if desired.

This was a really nice, quick dinner for us this week, and we still have plenty of leftovers.

Joey suggested it would be good over some baked potatoes. I completely agree, so I think that’s how we’ll eat it when we reheat it.

The mixture has a bit of sweetness from the brown sugar and barbecue sauce, but you can also easily add some heat with spicy sausage and hot chili beans.

And it’s a good nod to the Nachumsohn’s “beanery.”

Beans in a pot is just what he had in mind.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly recipe column by Lindsey Young, who describes herself as an enthusiastic amateur cook and can be reached through her website at spiceupkitchen.net.