Home on the Range with Cowboy Stew

Two-Bar Chuck Wagon (National Archives)

Every cowboy movie, it seemed, had a few rowdy saloon scenes, indicating there were a lot of stewed cowboys. But no doubt this recipe stems for their working days, not time spent drinking up their wages in the saloon.

   The ingredients would crowd up a saddle bag, so I assume the recipe traces to the days of long cattle drives and chuck wagons. Or quite possibly it is a modern fantasy version of cowboy fare. 

   For reasons that elude me, Cowboy Stew recipes usually call for ground beef, while Chuck Wagon Stew recipes mostly want cubed beef.

   There are myriad concoctions called Cowboy Stew, it is a popular recipe title. Ingredients of course vary. This recipe features ground beef and kidney beans, among other ingredients, and would probably delight any hungry cowpoke.