🌾 Chuckwagon Recipe

Rancher’s Beef, Bean & Tomato Camp Stew

A classic chuckwagon staple — simple ingredients, bold flavor, and built to feed hungry folks.

Serves: 6–8Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 45–50 minutes

This stew is thick, savory, and satisfying — the kind of meal a chuckwagon cook would keep simmering while the fire burned low.

🥩 Ingredients

• 1 lb beef stew meat or ground beef

• 2 tbsp bacon grease or butter

• 1 small onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 medium potatoes, diced

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans or kidney beans, drained & rinsed

• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

• 4 cups beef broth

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp thyme

• ½ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp salt (to taste)

• Optional: splash of Worcestershire sauce

🍳 Instructions

1. Brown the BeefHeat bacon grease in a Dutch oven. Add beef and brown well on all sides. Remove and set aside if using stew meat.

2. Build the BaseIn the same pot, sauté onion and garlic until fragrant.

3. Add VegetablesStir in potatoes and carrots. Cook 3–4 minutes.

4. Create the StewReturn beef to the pot. Add beans, diced tomatoes, broth, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.

5. Simmer SlowBring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, and simmer 35–40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and stew thickens.

6. ServeLadle into bowls and serve with cornbread, biscuits, or skillet bread.

🤠 Chuckwagon Tip

Mash a few beans or potatoes right in the pot during the last 5 minutes — it thickens the stew naturally, just like the old trail cooks did.