The Chuck Wagon Cookbook

In Cooperation with the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum

A cowboy’s life is more than steers, saddles, and spurs. There is also food, and lots of it, cooked out in the open after a rugged day on the range. The tradition lives on in the West and at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Here genuine chuck wagon cooks gather each spring to share recipes, stories, and real cowboy fare. This cookbook features their recipes along with a colorful history of ranch and range cooking.

Modern cowboy cooking blends simple, down-to-earth flavors with current tastes for a style that retains a distinct Western flavor. All the recipes included here have been adapted for home kitchens, but just in case, there are plenty of tips for preparing meals over an open fire. Ranging from classic cowboy favorites to the avant-garde in Western cuisine, these recipes demonstrate ranch-style cooking at its best.