The High-Protein Staple That Fueled Cowboys On The Trail

Sunan Wongsa-nga/Getty Images

When you're on the trail and packing victuals, whether on a gas-fueled road trip or on horseback traveling the Western United States behind a herd of cattle, you'll need protein to keep you going. These days, we can look to Instagram for the best road trip snacks that can be packed in a plastic bag or purchased at any truck stop. But back in the day, cowboys traveling horseback in the Old West would need to plan their protein supply weeks in advance. Dried goods were often key. So a lot of what cowboys ate in the Old West was dried beans, particularly pinto beans, which could last for half a decade in a saddle bag or a sack on a chuckwagon. All you needed was a pan and a little water to cook them over a fire.

Pinto beans have been cultivated in the Americas for millennia, so they were definitely plentiful throughout the American cowboy and Mexican charro days of the 19th century. Pinto beans would have typically been prepared by the camp cook, or "Cookie," probably working out of a chuckwagon. They would be soaked during the day to soften them, then heated in a pot, preferably with a bit of cured bacon and some peppers or other spices, if they were available. Because of their high protein and fiber content, pinto beans made an ideal main ingredient to fuel the hard days working as a cowpoke.

Jusereno/Shutterstock

A good batch of stewed pinto beans is a classic, healthy meal, but they may have fallen out of fashion in recent years as just one of the Old West foods that deserve a comeback. Beyond their impressive fiber and protein levels, pinto beans are high in antioxidants and other necessary vitamins and minerals, like thiamine (vitamin B1), iron, magnesium, and potassium. Pinto means "painted" in Spanish, because of the pinto bean's Dalmatian-like coloring. You can buy them canned to make an easy slow cooker cowboy beans recipe with browned ground beef and bacon, plus brown sugar, molasses, and pickled jalapeños to give a kick of sweet and spicy flavors.

If you want to go the full Cookie route, try making dried beans from scratch. To prep your beans, you should spread them out on the counter or in a baking pan and remove any tiny, shriveled beans and excess plant matter, then rinse them under the faucet. While an overnight soak will help to pre-soften them, it's not strictly necessary, and you can merely cook them, slightly covered in water, over medium heat for a couple of hours until tender. Add aromatics and spices, as they cook: garlic, onion, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and, of course, salt and pepper are all good choices.

Once cooked, they can become a bed for your breakfast eggs, a dinner side dish, or the star of the meal: Add some extra protein, cook them with greens and more spices, or make a hearty chili. Pinto beans might just be the throwback, protein-packed addition you need for your next meal to prepare you for a day on the trail or to replenish after a tough day at the office.