The Cowboy Meal That Was Built For Long Trips

Spaghetti Westerns may depict cowboys as rough riding outlaws, but real cowboys in the 19th century were hard working, poorly paid ranch hands that ran long, dirty cattle drives. Over the course of several months, they drove thousands of heads of cattle across the west. Their food was nothing fancy — it was designed to sustain them on their long cross-country trips, and the food had to travel well, not spoil, and had to be quick and easy to make over a campfire. One of the campfire meals that built the American West is cowboy beans and cornbread.

Beans and cornmeal could be found anywhere on the frontier due to their versatile, nonperishable ingredients. Beans are probably the one pantry staple an Old West cowboy relied on most, as they're high in fiber and in protein. When dried and canned, they can last for years. They're also cheap, lightweight, and easy to transport. Pinto and Navy beans came in large, 50-pound sacks or small wooden barrels that were loaded onto the chuckwagon.

Beans were first cultivated in Mexico and Central America thousands of years ago, eventually migrating north. They were grown by indigenous communities along with corn and squash, a trio known as the "three sisters" due to their compatibility. Corn was grown by Native Americans and stone ground and made into flat cakes, but by the 1800s, it was commonly eaten by cowboys and pioneers alike.

A chuckwagon cook was the MVP on a cattle drive. He was the one responsible for keeping the cowboys fed, which was possibly the most important job of all. The cook would place the beans in water to presoak them, put them in the wagon, and go ahead of the cowboys to make camp. By the time the day's work was done, the beans would be cooked and ready to eat. The chuckwagon cook — often called "Cookie," for obvious reasons — would add onion, chilis, and salt pork for extra flavor. You can make this classic cowboy meal with three simple ingredients at home.

Cornbread would have been prepared in a cast iron Dutch oven and baked using hot coals placed on the top and bottom of the Dutch oven. The ingredients to make cornbread were chuckwagon basics including lard, cornmeal, and canned milk, plus any additional ingredients added for flavor like bacon pieces or fresh chiles stirred in. Though there are plenty of classic cowboy staples may would consider inedible today, cowboy beans and cornbread have stood the test of time and made with modern ingredients and techniques are as hearty as ever.