Get Your Grub Off The Ol' Chuck Wagon
It was slim pickings in the Wild West so cowboys were far from fussy eaters. In contrast to the Mediterranean diet, a typical meal was heavy on meat and light on veg. Here's a look at the common foods in a cowboy's diet–– some dishes you'll want to try, while others might make your stomach churn.
1. Bowl Of Red
A "bowl of red" is more commonly known as Chili and it was a chuck wagon staple. A sizzling bowl of this red stuff was cheap and cheerful and could serve many cowboys at once. It was made from cheap cuts of meat that simmered in a thick gravy produced from its juices.
2. Arbuckle Coffee
It was challenging to be a caffeinated cowboy. Often alternatives made from crushed acorns, corn, okra seeds, and chicory root were used since real coffee was scarce. However, many cowboys got their cup of Jo from roasted coffee beans coated in sugar, Irish moss, and eggs. It was created by John Arbuckle in 1868 to make it easier to brew flavorful coffee on the frontier without the need for additional sweeteners.
3. Chuck Wagon Beans
Chuck wagon beans were a good protein source and served up many other benefits. Made from dried pinto beans, they were easy to transport in bulk and could simmer all day in preparation for a quick and easy meal at dinnertime. The beans gave a good kick as they were often seasoned with chili peppers.
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4. Sourdough Biscuits
Cowboys treated themselves to soft doughy biscuits baked over hot coals in a Dutch oven. These biscuits were either sopped in gravy or added to the tops of pies. With just a few dry ingredients mixed with milk and bacon fat, they helped a cowboy carb load while tasting fantastic.
5. Hardtack
Hardtacks were also known as "cowboy biscuits" because they were a staple in their diet. The ingredients of flour, water, and salt were slow-baked at a low temperature which gave them their hard and dry texture. Hardtack was often crumbled into stews, or used to soak up coffee and gravy.
6. Dried Meat
Dried meat such as salted pork was a common cowboy snack. The end result would be considered a low-quality jerky in today's standards. Using the earth's elements of sun, smoke, salt, and wind, meats were preserved and safe for eating.
7. Cowboy Breakfast
Eggs were shipped from far away and considered a delicacy that was only occasionally served. Sometimes cowboys received a "souvenir" which is what they called a rotten egg. A full breakfast would've consisted of eggs, dry toast, and bacon.
8. Pooch
Thankfully "pooch" is not referring to the dogs of the Wild West. The term was Westerner slang for a concoction made from canned tomatoes, sugar, and bread crumbs. Sometimes leftover biscuits were crumbled into the mixture, bulking up the meal.
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9. Hound's Ears
Again, no puppies were harmed in the making of this snack. A "Hound's Ear" was essentially fried dough that was thin and crepe-like. Sourdough batter was fried in hot grease and took on the shape of a dog's ear.
10. Whirlup Sauce
Whirlup sauce was often drizzled on hound's ears to add moisture and flavor. The sauce consisted of sugar, water, dried fruit, and any spices they could scrounge up. It's not quite your Grandma's jam but it sufficed.
11. Corn Dodgers
Corn dodgers were cowboy snacks made from a cornmeal and salt mixture. The patties were fried in the greasy drippings from salted pork and were considered a salty and delicious treat.
12. Hard Cheese
It's not exactly the fancy fromage on a charcuterie board, but this cheese was popular because it lasted long without spoiling. This cheese was coated in paraffin wax and dried out until it was hard. It was sometimes added to biscuits or chili for a hearty and flavorful boost.
13. Calf's Foot Jelly
Somehow the cowboys found the feet of a young cow to be a sweet treat after supper. Calf's foot jelly was a popular dessert made from the meat of calf feet mixed with sugar, eggs, lemon, and spices. The hooves were removed before the meat was added–– does that make it sound more appetizing?
14. Sheep Sorrel Pie
They couldn't get their fix of lemon pie so they created a local alternative. Folks foraged for a herb called sheep sorrel that had a similar lemony taste. The plant was used as the key ingredient in a popular pie.
15. Roast Skunk
This dinner was a stinker! Roasted skunk became a common meal because skunks were easy to catch. Of course, there was a critical step to remove the smelly scent glands before they were cooked.
16. Calf Fries
Poor calves couldn't get a break–– they were a big part of the cowboy cuisine. It may come to your surprise that "calf fries" refer to roasted calf testicles. The cowboys found them to be tasty as well as an elixir of vitality.
17. Pemmican
Introduced by indigenous people, pemmican was a jerky-like snack made from several dried ingredients. It was sweet and savory to munch on, consisting of tallow, dried meat, and dried berries.
18. Dried Fruit
After a long, shocking list of groceries, we've come to a relatively boring food item. Dried fruit was popular in the Wild West because it could be rationed and provided a source of vitamins and nutrients. Cowboys sunk their teeth into dried apples, prunes, raisins, apricots, and berries.
19. Wild Game
Yeehaw!–– Get the lasoos out! While beef and pork were abundant, many Westerners liked to hunt for wild animals in the area. When they camped by water, fish were also commonly cooked and eaten.
20. Overland Trout
You didn't have to fish for this kind of trout–– "overland trout" was a term the cowboys used for pork bacon. Sizzling strips of bacon and its grease drippings were eaten daily as a part of many meals.
