What did cowboys eat on cattle drives? How do you get it going? Along the trail, cowboys ate meals consisting of beef, beans, biscuits, dried fruit and coffee. During the day, the chuck wagon cooks soaked beans in a pot on the trail. Recipe adapted from Kansass Republic County Pilot, July 16, 1885, Fairs gave states and counties the opportunity to show off their best. In the same bowl mix all the rest of the ingredients. So it was important to have a good one. Let dough rise again, about 10 minutes. . In it, he would store bits of tinder that he gathered along the trail, always ensuring that he had some with him. Slice pork into small pieces, brown with garlic, and 1/4 diced onion in lard. 1 Can Refrigerated, uncooked biscuits Serve over long spaghetti. Stir in the salt, soda, sugar, and shortening. Hed also keep a piece of flint in it, often sewn into a leather cover, thus improving his grip on it. Separate in to 5 or 7 biscuits. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer, large pot, or skillet. So they called whisky "beer. My roommates and I, eager to put our cooking skills to the test on our own, rotated dinner nights. Advice youll never hear from the mainstream media. That was enough for him to cook anything he needed to, out on the trail. Rub the salt spice mixture into the meat. Cut the butter into the flour until it becomes pea-sized. In a large saucepan, cook ground beef, garlic and onion over medium heat, stirring until beef is browned, about 10 minutes. These along with a little bit of sugar were the staples of the chuckwagon . Bring the pot to a rolling boil and serve. Contents show 1 What breed of horse did cowboys? If youve never baked before, you probably dont want to start with this recipe. Continue cooking until the beef is no longer pink, then drain the excess liquid. In the West, the average cowboy earned $25 to $40 per month. Eggs or salt pork may be included in your breakfast. Makes about 12 servings. (ribs may now be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days before grilling) Use a very low charcoal fire with a rack set as high as possible. About 30 years ago, my family ranch employed two older Apache cowboys. You'll need a fire and a Dutch oven You'll need a fire and a Dutch oven, a cast iron skillet or a grate for grilling. Buy New $11.69 In the same bowl mix all the rest of the ingredients. Occasionally, a type of bread . 5. Coat beef in a mixture of flour, paprika,1 tsp. whiskeyCowboys never had a reputation for being very sophisticated connoisseurs. To prepare the bed for sleeping the cowboy laid it out with the tarp folded roughly in half at the middle creating a near-square 6-7 ft. wide and 7-9 ft. long and centered his bedding between the two long edges with the top side of the tarp (2.5 to 3 ft. How Fast Did A Herd. If the dough seems too dry, add one tablespoon of flour at a time. Whenusing fire to cookrather than just to sit around and enjoy, you actually want to utilize hot coals and embers versus large flames. Mine gets fed once a week or so, the night before being used in a recipe. In much of the West, where water is scarce, laying claim to land with a spring or creek on it gave ranchers access not only to much-needed hydration, but an easy way of keeping their cattle home where they belonged. Rather than using store-bought yeast, you use this. If they were unemployed and taveling, they either went by train or purchased their own horse. The rest of the breakfast was secondary, just a matter of whacking off a few slabs of bacon and frying a panful of pullet eggs. For most, its enough for 2-3 cowpunchers, especially if served with bacon and eggs. 5. Serves 8-10. These types of meals provided the cowboys with plenty of energy to drive the cattle all day. The food is clean. A real frontier biscuit maker named MacMillan Mac hired on with an outfit near Vinita, Oklahoma, in 1882 as their cook. As a result, some cowboys preferred to bake their beans with a ham hock or a piece of beef because these meats were hearty and added a lot of flavor to the beans. Cut with a floured biscuit cutter (you could also use a glass). The Popular Way To Prepare Eggs That Has Everyone Going Crazy! What Are The British Soldiers With Big Hats Called? Coffee was prized, and having a coffee pot to make coffee was important to men who spent 14 or more hours per day in the saddle, in all kinds of weather. I recently had the immense pleasure of reading Larry McMurtrys epic and masterful Lonesome Dove. Biscuits came in many varieties and were made with baking soda, baking powder or various forms of yeast. It was only a matter of time before they were hard enough to eat, so they had to be soaked in water or milk before eating. Place on ungreased sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve warm; as with all biscuits, theyre not nearly as good the next day, or even a few hours later. . Gently stir until most of the grounds sink to the bottom. Heat for 15 minutes or until all ingredients are hot. To make coffee, cowboy coffee makers place coffee grounds in a pot full of boiling water and bring it to a boil (3) or just before it begins to boil. Hearty Soups. xuMk1+t.ca-0C)I{JKrt:,]YzW;?;xuxZ~^nE q9`_C%El3y7&b%3zulBzW$+ FD]#m%2 w.@18t/xHv Dv5>tT%ee During the day, it is customary for the chuck wagon to cook soaked beans in a pot outside on the trail. Pioneer food was most likely the origin of the name because pioneers needed quick, easy, and filling sustenance while traveling along the trails. "Biscuits, Beef and Beans," 1985. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, when beef was too expensive to eat on the cattle drive, beans were added to chili to compensate for the loss of protein. Even though most pioneers enjoyed biscuits, none were more particular about them than the cowboys. GINNA PARSONS: New recipes keep us focused Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Dissecting the Quintessential Hamburger Deluxe. When all the slices are fried and drained, empty the skillet of excess cooking oil. Cut; place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees F for 12 minutes. The Folgers Coffee Company had been founded by James A. Folger in San Francisco, California, in 1850. I was given aKing Arthur Sourdough Starterlast Christmas thats been super easy to use and maintain. Pour into a large bowl and add yeast and sugar. The cream contains enough liquid to hydrate the flour and make a soft dough and enough fat to replace the butter or shortening you might otherwise use. Taste periodically for hotness of the jalapenos, and depending upon taste, remove when to your desired heat. When close to complete, if the chili is too thin, remove about two cups of liquid in a bowl, whisk in more flour for thickening, and return to the chili. A typical cowboy kept a few pieces of piggin string in their pockets, along with a ball in their saddlebags. Youll notice a few modern liberties were taken; McCrae was a man of leisure and convenience, so I believe hed approve. A cowboy never left the bunkhouse without taking some food with him. Leave coffee to brew for 3-5 minutes and slowly press down the plunger. What Should You Do? The staples. Cooking began to extend the life of meals such as beef, beans, biscuits, and dried fruits over time. Roll out until 3/4 inch thick. Theyd keep their rain slicker tied behind their saddle, either in a small blanket roll or alone, where it was ready at hand. Cut with floured biscuit cutter (you could also use a glass). Add water to 1lb wholemeal flour and oz salt to make a stiff dough. These along with a little bit of sugar were the staples of the chuckwagon pantry. You guessed it - typically this took the form of beef jerky. Funny story, (but true). Cowboys enjoyed pork often in the form of salt pork (sometimes called sowbelly) and bacon. Continue to lay each strip until the bottom of the dish is filled. Having some knowledge at the outset will be a great help. The vast majority of the time, beans were baked or cooked in a pot. Tartine Bread (Artisan Cowboy slang for beer was often called "nigger" because it was not brewed with hops. Mullein aka cowboy toilet paper If the cowboys used the large velvety leaves of the mullein (Verbascum thapsus) plant while out on the range, then you can too! Few cowboys could afford work gloves. No, the old-fashioned way of making biscuits was to use lard. Bucs didn't risk it and got NO biscuits. Its not that they wouldnt have used the work gloves, if they had them; but a cowboys wage wasnt enough to afford many luxuries. Reading material was highly prized in the West. Lonesome Dove They sure didn't reach for a can of Crisco. Occasionally, a type of bread known as pan de campo (or "camp bread"), which was cooked on a skillet was also available. Do not overstir. Flapjacks are a staple of the wild west, both then and now. July 12, 2022 by Joey Hardin. Cowboys risked it and got the biscuit. <> That way, if he had to leave in a hurry, he had a full canteen to take with him. As a home bread baker, one of the details that stood out to me the most was Augustus McCraes famous sourdough biscuits. Along the trail, the staples of a cowboy diet consisted of beans, hard biscuits, dried meat, dried fruit, and coffee. The average cowboy in the West made about $25 to $40 a month. LS Ranch, near Tascosa, Texas. Make The Most Of Your Leftover Egg Whites Delicious Egg White Recipes To Try! Serve with flour tortillas. Is Chicken Salad Safe To Eat After Its Use By Date? In practice, it almost duplicated the cowboy bedroll. Serves 6. Bake @ 350F for 1 hour. Its ranch style in Texas. First off, sourdough is utilized for substance, rising, and flavor. Then add the egg yolks beaten thick and fold in egg whites beaten stiff. The LS outfit at the chuckwagon having dinner in the shade of a tree. By the late 1800s when the . 2 Cups milk. So everything they did and pretty much every item they owned was centered around that need. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll to 1-inch thickness. 2. Keep the clock running. A typical drive could cover 15-25 miles per day. Cowboys slept on the ground, and slept fitfully in spite of their exhaustion. What did cowboys typically eat on a cattle drive? Cattle, of course, need water, and few will wander beyond a days walk from that water, unless being driven by men or predators. Continue cooking until the beef is no longer pink, then drain the excess liquid. Maybe if we lived our lives on the back of a horse, instead of sitting in front of a computer, wed be, too. Fresh meat and fruit were also included. They didnt have time to stop and cook a complicated meal, so they had to get creative. Theyre high in protein, and they stick to your ribs. The starter requires regular feeding of flour and water (yeast is a living organism, remember) and can be maintained for decades, laMcCrae. Then, use your hands to knead for a few minutes until it comes together as a single, mostly smooth ball of dough. They are known by a variety of names like pancake, hotcake, or griddle cake. Place sausages on top and bake for and additional 30 minutes. A significant part of the cowboy diet was made up of the large amounts of cattle that abounded. Pour gravy over top. Cowboys would have eaten hardtacks, a dense bread made with few ingredients that resemble modern-day biscuits. Brown in hot fat in a large Dutch oven. Melt a tablespoon of butter and pour it onto the bottom of the Dutch oven. Then, drain the excess oil from the steaks. 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