Chuckwagon Beans
This is a Midwestern cattle trail recipe. Although this was originally made on the campfire, it could be better if you lean towards modern convenience and cook it on a stove.
You will need
One 16-ounce package dried pinto beans
9 cups water
Two large onions, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder, or two indian email address list cloves garlic, sliced
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon brown sugar or molasses (stir in the latter, plus more if desired.)
Wash the beans and heat them together with 6 cups of water until they boil for five minutes, then turn off the stove. Let them sit for an hour. Add three more cups of water and bring everything back to a boil. Now add everything else, stir and cook for about an hour.
Cowboys on the western unit had to make do with food that was portable. That meant a basic menu of beans and lots of meat. For a treat, there was cornbread, biscuits, or a sweetened rice dish. Pinto beans (which are small and speckled when raw, like a pinto pony) seemed to be a favorite. When cooked, these beans swell up and turn a sort of pinkish white. They were first given to settlers by Native Americans on the Mexican frontier.