Being a cowboy within the Previous West was a tough life, with few luxuries. A cattle drive may simply take cowboys out on the path for a month or extra, and even on the ranch they usually lived in fairly fundamental situations – bunkhouses with crude cooking amenities have been the norm.
As a result of they labored lengthy days of onerous bodily labor in all weathers, they wanted a whole lot of meals to maintain them going. And, due to that lack of luxuries, good meals was necessary for morale. The issue was that, whether or not on the ranch or the path, they didn’t have loads to prepare dinner with.
Fortunately they’d a secret weapon that allow them put together a variety of tasty meals even over a easy campfire. In motion pictures we often see cowboys with a espresso pot and a skillet, and people have been necessary to them, however the actual coronary heart of cowboy cooking was the Dutch oven.
A Dutch oven is a heavy merchandise, however whereas cowboys couldn’t take a whole lot of private belongings on a cattle drive – most of their private belongings needed to be carried on their horse – there was all the time the chuck wagon. In addition to carrying water, bedding and many of the meals wanted on an extended drive, this additionally had house for cooking gear.
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That gear nearly all the time included no less than one Dutch oven, as a result of cowboys cherished them. A Dutch oven can be utilized to boil, simmer, sauté and even bake. If you wish to prepare dinner a tasty, filling meal, and get sufficient to feed a dozen hungry cowboys, these large, versatile pans are one of the best ways to do it. These basic cowboy recipes present why.
Beans and Bacon
On the path, cowboys needed to depend on preserved meals that traveled effectively. Typically an animal would die or be slaughtered, giving them recent beef, or they’d have the ability to hunt or forage, however most of their meals have been cooked from the provides they carried with them. Dried beans and bacon have been cowboy staples, and this basic recipe makes use of each.
Elements:
- 25 cups dried Navy beans
- 4oz bacon or salt pork
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp salt
Soak the beans for no less than eight hours, then drain them and throw away the water. Put the beans within the Dutch oven and sprinkle the baking powder on prime. In the event you’re utilizing salt pork, rinse it.
Add the pork or bacon to the beans, cowl with chilly water, deliver to the boil and simmer for an hour, skimming the highest sometimes.
Drain once more, add sufficient chilly water to achieve the highest of the beans, deliver to the boil once more and prepare dinner for about ten minutes till the beans are gentle.
Add the salt and molasses, stir to coat the beans, then put the lid on the Dutch oven and bake, both within the oven at 350° F or on the edge of a fireplace with embers piled on the lid, for half an hour.
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This can be a fundamental recipe that makes use of solely typical chuck wagon provides. If they’d them, cowboys usually added chopped onion or bell peppers in addition to different seasonings.
Path Stew
Beef wasn’t on the menu for cowboys as usually as you’d count on – a whole lot of meals have been based mostly on bacon or salt pork.
Not each cow would survive a drive although, and injured animals usually needed to be shot.
After they have been, the meat wouldn’t go to waste.
Normally it will find yourself in a easy however filling stew together with onions and root greens, which have been rugged sufficient to outlive within the chuck wagon.
Elements:
- 2 kilos beef
- 2 kilos potatoes, diced
- 1 pound carrots, sliced
- 1-2 giant onions, chopped
- 1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes (optionally available)
- 1 tsp salt
Brown the meat within the Dutch oven with just a little oil. Add the onions and sauté for a minute or two. Add the carrots, potatoes and salt (and tomatoes, you probably have them). Cowl with chilly water, put the lid on, scoop embers on prime and depart it within the fringe of the fireplace for an hour. Stir effectively and serve.
It’s not straightforward to have entry to recent greens, particularly throughout a disaster. I discovered from right here how to develop a year-round, self-sustaining backyard as a result of you’ll be able to by no means be too sure of what’s subsequent. I positively don’t need to be on the mercy of others with regards to my meals sources.
Chili
There have been occasions within the historical past of the Previous West when as much as a 3rd of cowboys have been Mexican. After they got here to work on US ranches they introduced their recipes with them, and chili rapidly grew to become a favourite.
Tasty, however straightforward to make with the essential elements cowboys had accessible, it was a well-liked alternative when an injured cow needed to be slaughtered on the path. It’s additionally a one-pot meal, excellent for cooking in a Dutch oven.
Cowboys would add any additional greens they might get their arms on, usually together with corn.
Elements:
- 2 kilos floor beef
- 25 cups dried beans
- 1 tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp salt
- Floor, crushed or recent chili peppers to style
- 1-2 giant onions, chopped
- 2-3 bell peppers, chopped (optionally available)
- 1 pound tomatoes or one 15 oz can chopped tomatoes (optionally available)
Soak the beans for no less than eight hours, then drain and throw away the water. Put a splash of oil within the Dutch oven, warmth it, then brown the meat.
I used this information to can my very own floor beef, making certain I’ve a dependable provide saved in my root cellar. Whereas most individuals depend on their freezer for floor beef, I don’t need to danger it spoiling throughout an prolonged blackout. And in these unsure occasions, every day journeys to the shop for elements aren’t one thing I can depend on.
After browning the meat, add within the onions and sauté a minute or two. Add the peppers you probably have them, sauté for one more minute.
Add the beans and sufficient chilly water to cowl them. Stir within the molasses, salt and chili, and the tomatoes you probably have them. Deliver to the boil, then transfer to the sting of the fireplace, put the lid on and scoop embers on prime. Go away to prepare dinner for an hour, then stir effectively and serve.
Cornbread
Cowboys would take recent bread with them on the path, however a few days out from the ranch that was often all gone.
The remainder of the best way, in the event that they wished one thing to dip of their stew they needed to make it themselves. Normally that meant cornbread – and a Dutch oven is ideal for baking it.
Elements:
- 2 cups cornmeal
- 15 oz canned creamed corn
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 5 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk blended with 1 tsp white vinegar)
- 2 giant eggs
- 1 oz butter
Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Stir within the buttermilk and corn. Add all the opposite elements besides the butter, and blend till clean. Soften the butter within the Dutch oven.
Add the cornbread combine, put the lid on the Dutch oven and set it within the fringe of the fireplace. Scoop embers onto the lid. Flip the oven 1 / 4 flip each 5 or ten minutes to bake the bread evenly. It’s prepared when a knife or toothpick pushed into the cornbread comes out clear (about half-hour).
Sourdough Biscuits
Typically cowboys would get cornmeal of their provides; generally they received flour.
If the chuck wagon was loaded with flour they’d make up just a few jars of sourdough starter and take them alongside.
In addition to bread, it could possibly be used to bake these tasty sourdough biscuits.
Elements:
- 4 cups flour
- 1 cup sourdough starter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 oz shortening
Put half the flour in a bowl and blend within the sourdough starter. Add the opposite dry elements. Combine in additional flour till you could have a agency dough. Divide it into balls.
Soften the shortening and roll the balls in it. Then flatten them barely, put them within the Dutch oven and let the rise for 20 minutes. Transfer the Dutch oven to the sting of the fireplace and scoop embers on prime. Flip it each 5 minutes to bake the biscuits evenly. They’ll be prepared in about half-hour.
None of those recipes want sophisticated gear or elements, however they’re all tasty, filling and can preserve you going whenever you want the power. They labored for our ancestors within the Previous West, and so they work simply as effectively for preppers now.
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