Dear Nostalgic Chefs,
You think cowboys rode into town just for whiskey? Think again.
Out on the frontier, the saloon kitchen was as wild as the West itself — serving up everything from sourdough flapjacks carried in saddle bags to slow-cooked stews that could tame the toughest drifter. These weren’t campfire legends; they were real meals that fueled real gunslingers across the open range.
In this issue, we’re saddling up to taste “25 Forgotten Cowboy Recipes from the Wild West” — the gritty, hearty, and surprisingly inventive dishes that kept the Old West alive.
So grab a plate, partner — because behind every shot of whiskey was a meal worth remembering.
🍑 1 Son-of-a-Gun Stew
It sounded like a joke… until you saw what was actually in it.
Son-of-a-Gun Stew was the ultimate “don’t ask, just eat” dish on the American frontier — and yes, it was genuinely served in saloons across cattle towns from Dodge City to Abilene. Its origins trace back to trail drives, where cowboys butchered cattle on the move and used every part of the animal—not just out of respect, but out of necessity. Waste was weakness.
This stew combined organ meats like tripe, heart, liver, marrow gut, sweetbreads, and even the brain — all simmered in a thick, peppery broth with potatoes, onions, and sometimes carrots or wild herbs. In some regions, it was a rite of passage: a cowboy’s toughness wasn’t measured by his draw… but by whether he could finish a full bowl.
What made it a saloon staple? Simple: it was hearty, high-calorie, and cheap. Cattle towns at the edge of civilization didn’t have access to prime cuts — but they had guts, fire, and cast iron. And for trail-weary cowboys, a hot bowl of Son-of-a-Gun Stew meant survival — even if it came with a side of mystery meat.
Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Ingredients
2 lb beef (mixture of heart, liver, kidney, and brisket, or use beef stew meat)
3 tbsp bacon drippings or lard
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
4 cups beef broth or water
½ cup heavy cream (optional)
2 tbsp flour (optional, for thickening)
Instructions
Preparation: Trim and cut beef into bite-sized cubes. Rinse organ meats well and pat dry.
Brown the Meat: Heat bacon drippings in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown meat in batches until golden on all sides. Remove and set aside.
Build the Base: In the same pot, add onion, garlic, and celery. Sauté until softened and fragrant. Sprinkle in flour and stir for one minute to make a light roux.
Simmer: Return meat to the pot. Add carrots, potatoes, paprika, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Pour in broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Finish: Remove bay leaf and stir in heavy cream for richness. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste
Tips & Variations
Cowboys used every edible beef part available—heart, tongue, marrow, and even sweetbreads. Use what you can find for authenticity.
Add a splash of strong coffee or whiskey for a smoky, robust flavor.
To thicken naturally, mash a few cooked potatoes into the broth before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with cornbread, sourdough biscuits, or ladled over buttered rice. A few dashes of hot sauce or Worcestershire deepen the flavor beautifully.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: ~410 kcal
Protein: 38 g
Carbohydrates: 16 g
Fat: 22 g
Fiber: 2 g
Sodium: 670 mg
🥞 2. Sourdough Flapjacks
Before protein bars and diner breakfasts, cowboys had flapjacks — big, flat, pan-fried pancakes made from wild-cultured sourdough starter that some carried in tins tied to their saddlebags. They weren’t just a meal — they were a frontier tradition, and cooks guarded their starters like gold.
The batter was mixed with water, flour, and salt — no sugar — and fried in bacon grease until crispy at the edges and soft inside. The sour tang came from weeks or even months of fermentation. These flapjacks were dense, chewy, and filling, often served by saloons with molasses, pork drippings, or canned fruit if the owner had access to a rail line.
In saloons, flapjacks were served morning, noon, or midnight, depending on who stumbled in and how long they’d been riding. Some called them “sinkers” because they hit your stomach like a rock — but they stuck with you, which was exactly the point.
These weren’t dainty breakfast cakes. These were survival carbs, fried in cast iron and meant to carry you through a gunfight or a ten-mile ride in the cold. And the best part? The last one on the plate always got the extra spoonful of syrup — if there was any left
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients
1 cup active sourdough starter (fed or discard)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp melted butter or lard (plus more for cooking)
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Instructions
Prepare Batter: In a mixing bowl, whisk together sourdough starter, flour, milk, egg, sugar, melted butter, and salt until smooth.
Activate Batter: Let the mixture rest for about 10 minutes so the sourdough can begin to bubble slightly.
Add Leavening: Just before cooking, sprinkle baking soda over the batter and gently fold it in. The batter will rise and become airy.
Cook: Heat a lightly greased cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Pour about ¼ cup of batter for each flapjack. Cook until bubbles form and edges look dry (about 2–3 minutes), then flip and cook another 1–2 minutes until golden brown.
Serve Hot: Stack flapjacks and serve immediately with butter, honey, or molasses.
Tips & Variations
For authentic frontier flavor, use bacon grease instead of butter for frying.
Add a handful of cornmeal to the batter for extra texture.
If your sourdough starter is very tangy, balance with an extra tablespoon of sugar or a drizzle of molasses
Serving Suggestions
Serve warm with butter, syrup, or a spoonful of fruit preserves. Cowboys often ate these with fried bacon on the side and coffee brewed over an open fire
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: ~290 kcal
Protein: 8 g
Carbohydrates: 35 g
Fat: 13 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 310 mg
🌰 3. Fried Salt Pork and Beans
No dish says “Wild West” like a plate of beans. But fried salt pork and beans was more than a cliché — it was the foundation of frontier life, served in nearly every saloon west of the Mississippi.
Salt pork, a fatty preserved cut cured in heavy salt brine, was shelf-stable and could survive harsh months in barrels without refrigeration. Saloons would slice it thick, fry it in its own fat until browned and crisp, then spoon it over simmered beans — usually pinto or navy beans that had been boiled for hours over a low fire.
Molasses, onions, and lard were common add-ins, but if supplies were short, you just had pork grease and beans. And you better believe it was delicious. Add a hunk of day-old sourdough or cornbread, and you had a meal that could keep a cowboy riding from dawn to dusk.
Beans were served by the bowl, the plate, or the pan, often straight from the cook’s fire to the bar. Some saloons even had them on offer 24/7 — because no one who worked cattle wanted to drink on an empty stomach.
Yield: Serves 5
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients
½ lb salt pork, cut into small cubes (or thick-cut bacon as substitute)
1 lb dried navy beans (or pinto beans), rinsed and soaked overnight
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water or unsalted broth
1 tsp black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp molasses or brown sugar (optional, for sweetness)
Instructions
Prepare the Beans: After soaking overnight, drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.
Render the Pork: In a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven, cook salt pork over medium heat until the fat renders and pieces turn golden brown. Remove half the crispy pork bits and reserve for topping.
Sauté Aromatics: Add onion and garlic to the remaining fat in the pot. Sauté until fragrant and lightly browned.
Simmer the Beans: Add the drained beans, water (or broth), black pepper, bay leaf, and molasses if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and creamy. Add more water if needed.
Finish: Remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning to taste. Sprinkle reserved crispy pork on top before serving.
Tips & Variations
Prepare the Beans: After soaking overnight, drain and rinse the beans. Set aside.
Render the Pork: In a large cast-iron pot or Dutch oven, cook salt pork over medium heat until the fat renders and pieces turn golden brown. Remove half the crispy pork bits and reserve for topping.
Sauté Aromatics: Add onion and garlic to the remaining fat in the pot. Sauté until fragrant and lightly browned.
Simmer the Beans: Add the drained beans, water (or broth), black pepper, bay leaf, and molasses if using. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and creamy. Add more water if needed.
Finish: Remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning to taste. Sprinkle reserved crispy pork on top before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with cornbread, biscuits, or a fried egg on top. This hearty dish was often breakfast, lunch, and dinner for cowhands riding the trails
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: ~420 kcal
Protein: 24 g
Carbohydrates: 34 g
Fat: 20 g
Fiber: 9 g
Sodium: 870 mg
🍵 4. Chuckwagon Coffee
Some called it “six-shooter brew.” Others called it “liquid tar.” But every cowboy knew that chuckwagon coffee wasn’t just a drink — it was the lifeblood of the trail.
Brewed strong enough to float a horseshoe, coffee was often made in battered tin pots using coarse grounds thrown directly into boiling water. To settle the grounds, trail cooks added eggshells, crushed beans, or — in some cases — a pinch of salt or even a piece of rawhide.
Saloons often kept a black pot on the stove all day long, topped off every few hours but rarely cleaned. You could walk in, drop a coin or nugget of gold dust on the bar, and get a steaming tin cup of jet-black coffee that doubled as a conversation starter and hangover cure.
Cowboys drank it before breakfast, after poker, and sometimes instead of sleep. And if you were lucky, the barkeep might offer a splash of whiskey to “fix” the flavor.
Yield: Serves 6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients
¾ cup coarsely ground coffee (cowboy-style or medium-dark roast)
8 cups water
1 eggshell (optional, to clarify coffee)
Pinch of salt
Cold water (about ½ cup, for settling grounds)
Instructions
Boil the Water: Bring 8 cups of water to a rolling boil in a large pot or coffee kettle over the fire or stovetop.
Add Coffee Grounds: Stir in the ground coffee and eggshell (if using). The eggshell helps the grounds sink and softens the bitterness.
Brew: Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and let it brew uncovered for 8–10 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the grounds from sticking.
Settle the Grounds: Remove from heat. Pour about ½ cup of cold water into the pot — this causes the grounds to sink to the bottom.
Serve: Carefully pour the clear coffee from the top into mugs, avoiding the grounds
Tips & Variations
For richer flavor, toss a small piece of crushed cinnamon stick or a few coffee beans directly into the pot before brewing.
Some cowboys stirred in molasses, sugar, or even a splash of whiskey for “cowboy courage.”
Avoid boiling too long, as it turns the brew bitter.
Serving Suggestions
Serve black and hot, often alongside flapjacks, beans, or biscuits at the morning chuckwagon. Pair with sugar or condensed milk if you prefer it sweet.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: ~5 kcal
Protein: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Fat: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Sodium: 15 mg
🥣 5. Prairie Oysters (Rocky Mountain Oysters)
No list of saloon cuisine would be complete without the most infamous delicacy of the Old West: prairie oysters — also known today as Rocky Mountain oysters.
Despite the name, they’re not seafood. They’re deep-fried bull testicles, served hot and crispy after cattle roundups and brandings. Cowboys didn’t waste meat — not even the parts most folks would rather forget. After the cattle were castrated (a necessary part of ranching), the organs were cleaned, sliced, battered in flour and spices, and dropped into hot tallow.
Saloons in Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas served them fresh, often during branding festivals or “beef days.” They were offered with hot sauce, vinegar, mustard, or just eaten plain — chased with beer or rye.
You didn’t eat prairie oysters to be fancy. You ate them to show you were tough, local, and proud. And in some towns, refusing a plate was a good way to get laughed out of the bar.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 45 minutes (includes cleaning and soaking time)
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Ingredients
1 lb calf testicles (Rocky Mountain oysters)
1 cup milk (for soaking)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups vegetable oil or lard (for frying)
Instructions
Prepare the Meat: Rinse the testicles thoroughly under cold water. With a sharp knife, make a shallow slit through the outer membrane and peel it off. Slice the meat into ¼-inch thick medallions.
Soak: Place slices in a bowl and cover with milk. Let soak for at least 30 minutes to tenderize and remove strong odor. Drain and pat dry.
Season & Dredge: In one bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. In another bowl, beat eggs. Dip each slice into egg, then coat evenly with the flour mixture.
Fry: Heat oil or lard in a deep skillet over medium-high heat (about 350°F). Fry in batches until golden brown, about 2–3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Serve Hot: Sprinkle with extra salt or pepper to taste.
Tips & Variations
For a lighter crust, use just seasoned flour instead of flour and cornmeal mix.
Some ranch cooks soaked the meat in saltwater overnight instead of milk.
Serve with hot sauce, horseradish, or cocktail sauce for extra flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Traditionally served as an appetizer or camp delicacy. Pair with cold beer, baked beans, or fried potatoes for a full cowboy spread
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: ~310 kcal
Protein: 26 g
Carbohydrates: 14 g
Fat: 17 g
Fiber: 1 g
Sodium: 540 mg
✨ Why These Recipes Matter
Each of these dishes carries a story — of the times, the people, the memories and the places that shaped them. They remind us that American cooking grew from everyday life — from resourcefulness, community, roots and tradition, wherever it may have originated from. When we make these recipes today, we’re not just revisiting old flavors — we’re keeping history alive, one meal at a time.
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With love,
The America We Remember Team
