The Bean Meal Cowboys Always Ate In The Old West

Some of the foods that cowboys ate on the trail in the Old West are decidedly dubious to modern sensibilities. A diet heavy in dried fruits, beef jerky, and canned veggies was light on the freshness that today's foodies prize, but it wasn't all hoe cakes and calf testicles. One food beloved by cowboys was a Mexican dish that crossed the border and became part of the American Tex-Mex culinary scene: frijoles charros, also called frijoles rancheros, charro beans, or cowboy beans. No matter what you call them, these beans are hearty, soupy, smoky, and savory by turns ... a delightful dish that has as much appeal to modern campers as home cooks with a full array of kitchen equipment and ingredients available. Basically, beans are stewed in a tomato-based broth flavored with spices and chilis, and garnished with crisp bacon and onions sautéed in the fat.

The charro, or Mexican cowboy, was a distinct type of cowpoke. Rather than the image of rustic, humble men on horseback, these cowboys were landed noblemen who prized their image as much as their livestock. They wore embellished sombreros and lived their lives by a code of chivalry and brotherhood. Beans and meat were plentiful in charro diets and were eaten together for years. The charros created charro beans (naturally) to feed a whole plantation full of workers, but American cowboys driving cattle close to the border adopted the recipe and brought it into the Southwest. Today, frijoles charros are just as delicious as bear sign donuts, another Old West treat that cowboys loved – and they're a perfect choice for cookouts and potlucks because they only get better as they sit and marry flavors for a while.

The most complicated piece of equipment you need for frijoles charros is a nice, deep Dutch oven. The beans inside cook up just as well over an open fire as they do on a stovetop! You can use canned beans or fresh ones; just let the latter soak overnight in salted water before cooking. Pinto beans are used most often in charro bean recipes today, but kidney beans are a valid Mexican variation. There are countless types of beans; feel free to use what you have. 

The fact of the matter is that you want the beans whole, as opposed to mushy (like they would be in a refried bean dish, for instance). The beans should be distinctly soupy, and not drained of their broth. Bacon is the traditional choice for spiking the beans with meaty savor and some protein heft, but feel free to get creative — we can definitely imagine using some chorizo for spice, and we think the Mexican forebears of charro beans would approve. Any ground meat is going to meld well in the broth and go far towards turning your beans into a main dish.

A cowboy in the Old West would have probably sopped up his bowl of beans with some sourdough or cornbread and been quite happy, but we might serve frijoles charros today with a bowl of steaming-hot rice to bulk out the meal. Garnished with some cilantro, avocado slices, and sharp diced onion, you have a dinner that will fill hungry bellies and taste absolutely scrumptious. Eating like a cowboy need not become an exercise in privation, and charro beans are a shining example of that fact.