You can add the word “cowboy” or “ranch” to any recipe name
– but I guarantee you, it does not make it a Cowboy or Ranch recipe! LOL
I read through these websites that have “Cowboy Recipes” or “Ranch Cooking”
– and I sit here shaking my head, laughing.
If I put some of these dishes on the table for a group of ranch cowboys
– they would cock their heads to one side and then to the other, looking at me like I had lost my way!
There would be one or two who would venture in courage to take a taste.
But for the most part?
They would say, “Well, work ain’t a-gonna wait! Let’s get after it boys!”
Coffee cups would be drained.
A ”Thank you ma’am” given before out the door they would go, with these foods left on the table.
Granted, there are times when even a ranch cowboy wants to sit down to a “gourmet” (pronounced “gore-met” 😉) meal.
However, that usually means instead of steak and taters, followed by dessert,
it is meat and taters, with a salad, then followed by a fancy dessert.
True ranch cowboy cooking is food that will not only fill the stomach
but will set easy on the gut for a morning or afternoon of hard working.
It is food that has them thinking “this is what a home would be”.
Food that is about the taste, yes
– but also about love and comfort.
Foods that have uncomplicated names, or ingredients.
Ingredients that are found on just about any ranch anywhere
– remembering that the grocery store is not just down the street, but miles away.
And sometimes – miles upon miles upon miles away.
Foods that do not take long to eat
– work calls to be done.
About the only lingering there is for a ranch cowboy
is over a hot cup of coffee on a cold winter’s morning or afternoon
– and then, only till that cup is drained.
Cast iron Dutch ovens are still used today.
But also, so are crockpots and casserole pans.
The ‘one-dish’ meals are still a favorite to the cooks and the cowboys.
Breakfasts are hardy
– with eggs, bacon or ham or sausage, biscuits and gravy, perhaps with a side of taters.
Coffee by the gallon.
Lunches are one dish meals with a side of bread, and a tasty dessert.
Suppers are usually lighter fare
– or perhaps this is the “gore-met” meal –
depending on how the day has gone, and what is on the calendar for tomorrow.
And cowboys are known to just grab a cup of coffee, or a glass of tea, and call it a day.
Cookies are a staple
– easy to grab a handful and keep on working.
Cookies can be put into a vest or coat pocket, or a saddlebag for later.
Which is why most of the cowboy cookies are more than a simple sugar cookie
– and rarely “decorated”.
These are some recipes that I have gathered through the years
– some from cookbooks, some from a few reliable websites.
However, most are either from my own creations, or in talking with other ranch cooks.
I would love to hear from you
- especially if you have a recipe you would like to have included here.
Or if you try one of these recipes, and have a tweak here or there.
We are always open to new things to try!