So you want to know how to make cowboy coffee?
Or have you heard of it and are asking yourself, what is cowboy coffee?
Either way, I have you covered.
Cowboy coffee is an old American tradition that is becoming more and more popular. It conjures images of rugged cowboys sitting around the campfire while a cast-iron style coffee pot sits in the fire. Most people think cowboy coffee is strong, thick, and downright bad.
They’re wrong.
I’m from Texas. Cowboys are built into our culture.
We even have a little football team, maybe you’ve heard of them?
The Dallas Cowboys.
My husband, B, is a huge fan even though they’re consistently terrible — unlike cowboy coffee.
Cowboy coffee is delicious and can be made at home. If you follow these easy steps you can brew it just about anywhere you have access to heat, ground coffee, and water. It can be smooth, perk you right up, and really satisfying.
I’m sharing with you the history behind the mysterious coffee and how to brew it at home or while your camping.
The History of Cowboy Coffee – An American Tradition
Cowboy coffee is an important part of America’s western expansion and the cowboy culture that was popularized in the late 1880s and still is a culture today. I want to define what a cowboy is so we’re all on the same page. A cowboy is a man who herds and tends cattle on a ranch, especially in the western U.S. He traditionally goes about most of his work on horseback.
Cowboys were homeless by default of their profession. They camped along their cattle drives as they moved cattle from Texas all the way up to Montana and back. These men’s (rarely women) employers were responsible for fueling America’s beef obsession.
After the industrial revolution took hold of post Civil War America, beef was what American’s wanted. We had access to more money and modern luxuries than ever before.
Enter the Cowboys
The long cattle drives required the cowboys to spend long periods of time on the range with little sleep. I read that coffee was served in place of water in most camps. Some cowboys’ shifts could last as long as 60 hours with little sleep and supplies. They heavily relied on coffee and sometimes as little food as just bread.
Being a cowboy was not an easy job. The environment can be harsh, trouble on the trail from thieves or warring natives tribes that felt their land was being disturbed, and so on. A cowboy was not only required to work long shifts, but they also were expected to be alert and protect the cattle.
Enter cowboy coffee.
The popularity of coffee among cowboys made them experts on how to brew great-tasting coffee with little resources. The trails were barren and left little to no shelter. As long as they had some beans (bought at dry goods depots in pre-ground bricks), a campfire, and water they were set.
Some historians have said that the range cowboys were able to discern between different roasts, beans, and really knew what a good cup of coffee should taste like. That’s a stark difference from what most of America thinks of when it comes to cowboy coffee.
Most of us think of gritty, strong, really thick coffee that tastes worse than hospital coffee. This perception just isn’t true. The cowboys were (and still are) on to one of the best-kept coffee brewing secrets.
How to Make Cowboy Coffee at Home
When it comes to cowboy coffee, your options are pretty limited. You can make it the traditional way on a campfire or on your stovetop.
I’m going to walk through the steps for both brewing options.
The campfire option is a great one for the next time your camping.
Not going camping anytime soon?
No worries.
You can still make cowboy coffee at home.
How to Make Cowboy Coffee on the Campfire
You’re going to need a fire, a fireproof coffee kettle, ground coffee (I’ll talk about the grind shortly), and fresh water.
Here are the simple steps for cowboy coffee on the fire:
1- Build a campfire
Make sure where you’re building your campfire is in a safe place and you’re using clean-burning wood for your fuel. You want clean burning wood anytime you’re going to use a campfire to cook anything you’re planning on consuming to avoid any toxins transferred by the smoke and fumes from the fire.
If you’re not sure if your wood is clean burning, you can check this site for reference. Blue smoke is a good indicator of clean burning wood. Any good Texan knows this since we all consider ourselves expert bbq enthusists.
2- Grind coffee
If you’ve read my post on how to grind coffee beans, different grinds, and the relation of the grind and the strength of your coffee, then you know the coarser the coffee grind the weaker extraction.
I suggest a coarse grind for cowboy coffee for a couple of reasons. A coarse grind is going to settle better when you brew cowboy coffee. A coarse grind is also going to stay true to the cowboy coffee tradition. This is not supposed to be jet fuel. Cowboy coffee is a smooth brewed coffee that you can have multiple cups of without wanting to vibrate out of your skin.
3- Once you have a good fire going you’re going to want to measure out 1 cup (8 oz) of fresh water for every coffee cup of coffee you want to take
This is similar to making coffee in a drip machine.
But that’s the only similarity.
So if you’re brewing enough for 4 people, you would count on 8 cups (64 oz/ 1/2 gallon) of water. Most camping coffee kettles can hold up to 20-30 cups of water. Bring the water to a rolling boil. This is the only coffee style I know of that you want your water to boil this hard.
4- Once the water is at 210 degrees/ rolling boil, remove from the heat, and add your coffee
For every cup of water, you want to add 2 tablespoons of ground coffee. In the example above for 4 people, you’ll want to add 16 tablespoons or 1 cup of ground coffee. At this point, you’ll want to stir the coffee with a wooden spoon to evenly distribute the grounds throughout the water.
5- Let your cowboy coffee sit off the heat for 2 minutes
Then stir it again and let sit for an additional 2 minutes.
6- After a total of 4 minutes of the coffee and water brewing together, pour a 1/2 cup of cold or cool water around the edge of the kettle to settle the grounds
Your grounds will have risen to the top of the kettle.
There’s a little fun science going on in this step. When you cool objects in the water that weigh more than the water, you force them (and gravity) to push them to the bottom of the container. Cool, right?
7- Pour your cowboy coffee in a mug and drink it
If you like piping hot coffee, as the cowboys did, you’re all set to enjoy your first cup of traditional cowboy coffee. If you’re like me and don’t like 3rd-degree burns on your mouth, then let cool until your desired temp. Pour in your favorite coffee mug and enjoy the best cup of coffee you’ve never had.
How to Make Cowboy Coffee on the Stovetop
Cowboy coffee can be enjoyed from the comfort of your cozy kitchen, year-round. You’ll need similar supplies for indoor cowboy coffee with just a few tweaks. You could use the same camp coffee kettle I suggested for campfire cowboy coffee or you could use this coffee kettle I use at home. There are tons of options but make sure you buy one without a percolator or that you can use it without the percolator.
These steps are similar to the campfire steps but adjusted for your stovetop. You could even do it on top of your indoor wood burning stove.
1- Measure out the required water (8 oz. for every cup of finished cowboy coffee) into your coffee kettle.
2- Bring your water to a rolling boil. Remove your coffee kettle from the heat.
3- Add 2 tablespoons of coarse ground coffee for every cup of water. Stir with a wooden spoon.
4- Let sit undisturbed for 2 minutes then stir again.
5- Let the cowboy coffee sit for an additional 2 minutes.
6- Pour 1/2 cup of cold or tap water around the edge of the kettle to help the grounds settle to the bottom.
7- Cool to the desired temperature and enjoy!
Conclusion
I hope this post took some of the curiosity and untruths out of your ideas behind cowboy coffee. This coffee method really is one of the best cups of coffee. The added advantage is that you don’t need any fancy equipment.
When you brew a pot of cowboy coffee you’re supporting a piece of American heritage that is easy to make.
I would love to know any tips or tricks you have when you make cowboy coffee.
Happy brewing.