Ok so we are discussing (hopefully) American Indian recipes, but how about authentic Cowboy recipes??? If you know of any how about sharing them?

Like beans or stew or whatever recipes you may know. I have never really known much about these and am excited to see how many of you have info on this subject!

Cathy

I'm not sure what authentic Cowboy recipes are, especially since the "cowboy" we all think about is the Hollywood version and unrelated to the Caballero and other cattle handlers.

Real though were the "chuckwagons" in pioneer and Western days and that's where such "camping" recipes might be found. Such as found at ChuckWagon Diner (lots of recipes), also Legends of America, Texas Bob and Chronicles of the Old West as starters.

Making Tough Beef Tender
(1886 Daily Bee, Sacramento, California)

Lay meat out smoothly and wipe it dry.

Take a coffee cup full of fine breadcrumbs, a little salt and pepper, a little powdered thyme or other sweet herb, and just enough milk to moisten to a stiff dressing. Mix well and spread over the meat. Roll it up and tie it up with twine.

Brown in salt pork fat, then put in half a pint of water. Cover and cook.

The toughest meat is made tender and nutritious when cooked in this way.

I don't know how Cowboy this recipe is, but I sure like the name.

Fart & Dart Beans

Mix together one 16 ounce can of the following: Pinto beans, pork & beans, red kidney beans, lima beans, white northern beans and butter beans.

1 lb cut up bacon
1 chopped onion
½ tsp minced garlic
½ tsp prepared mustard
½ cup vinegar
1 cup brown sugar

Fry the bacon until done, but not crisp. Pour beans, bacon, onion and garlic into large pan and mix. Simmer for 15 minutes a combination of the mustard, vinegar and brown sugar.

Pour the liquid over the beans and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Mix the beans a couple of times during the cooking process.

Nice job, canman! I like the "fart & dart" bean recipe!

Isn't pemican a soft polenta-type substance made from grain of some kind? Also, beef jerky- or dried and sometimes smoked meats/fish. Lakeside/sea-side areas have "squaw candy" which are smoked fish bellies (long strips discarded after skinning a fish).

BTW- what is "hard-tack"? Anyone know? I haven't googled it yet...

Excellent info CanMan!!! I am going to link to those sites and read up it is an interesting subject.

Hard-tack was a "biscuit-cracker" made of flour and water during the Civil War, our men lived off the stuff. A Civil War Reinactor that we met on one of our summer camping trips this past summer had some and he gave Maddy and I a piece to taste. It tasted roughly similar to a saltine cracker only thicker and less crisp, it kept well, but of-course it had no preservatives so it could get wormy! They often ate it with a piece of salt-pork (at times raw) and of-course the nutritional value was anything but wonderful. Because of it's density though it did help fill a man's stomache. Those poor guys!

A cowboy recipe I like is bear sign. It's a simple donut. I use this one from recipes from friends.

Bear Sign Donuts

Frying Time: 3-5 minutes per side
Frying Temperature: 375 F degrees

1C. buttermilk
2 eggs beaten
1C. granulated sugar
1/3 C. butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 C. all-purpose flour

In the first bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs, sugar and melted butter until well blended.
In a second bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and flour.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the first bowl, stirring them together.
This mix should be stiff enough to hold a spoon upright; if not, mix in more flour.
Kneed together lightly for a minute or so, then turn out on a floured board or countertop.
Use a rolling pin, empty bottle or the heel of your hand to roll out to about one finger-width high (1/4 inch). Cut circles out with a small glass and set aside for about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour 1 inch of oil in a large skillet and heat.
It's hot enough when a bread cube browns in about 1 minute.
Slide the circles into the frying pan and brown one side. Turn over and brown the other.
Set out to drain on a plate covered with paper towels.
Cover with powered sugar and eat warm.

This was a real treat in the old west and a cook could be forgiven many sins if he made good bear sign.