How to Make Cowboy Coffee

Brewing Cowboy Coffee

[Cue: Ennio Morricone's A Fist Full of Dollar's music...]

At Bean Smitten we’re always looking for new ways to brew coffee. We also want to make more of our location here at Cedar Gables Campsite. So what better way than to dress like a cowboy and brew up some cowboy coffee on a camp fire?!

That's right! We bring you "Bean Smitten's Cowboy Coffee Cookout!"

Influence

Just lately, Darren has been following a You-tuber, Cowboy Kent Rollins from the US. He does a lot of cowboy, cast iron cooking at camp, and posts weekly how-to guides on how to make traditional cowboy fare. If you haven't heard of him, you should check him out here

Before long, Kent put up a guide to making cowboy coffee. ‘It’s not bitter’ he said. Darren was intrigued, how could coffee that’s been boiled on a fire taste good? He decided to find out for himself.

Cowboy Dude

After a bit of research Darren found some suitable enamel kettles. They can be used on the hob or over a fire. The campsite gave us the go ahead to use the fire-pit and we just had to wait for a break in the weather.

And one rare sunny, wintery morning, in between Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis we went for it!

Here's Darren's Guide to Making Cowboy Coffee:

Cowboy Coffee Pot

Y'all need to get yourself a large coffee pot. Ya could use a saucepan, but the more

authentic the better. Ya can get yourself a reasonably priced 2 litre one from Outdoor GB

If brewing up over a fire pit, get the fire going and wait for the flames to subside.

Ya will need a rack or grill to stand the coffee pot on. Now is the time to put this in place and ensure it is level and sturdy.

Fill ya coffee pot with filtered or bottled water to a level near the bottom of the spout. In ours this was just under 1 ½ litres. Reserve ½ mug cold water and set aside for later.

Stand your coffee pot on the grill or, your hob (medium-high heat setting) and wait for the water to heat up until it is somewhere around room temperature.

Stir the grounds

Add 60 grams of coarsely ground coffee for each litre of water in the pot plus the amount ya reserved. In our latest brew we added 90 grams of Revive Blend, we did. I recommend using a cafetiere grind.

Allow the coffee to ‘bloom’ for 45 seconds then, stir with a long stick or spatula. Wait patiently for the coffee to come to a boil.

From this point forward we strongly recommend that use a glove or cloth to protect your hand when handling the coffee pot. There ain't nothing namby-pamby about this it's common sense ya'll.

When the coffee is at a rolling boil, leave it there for four minutes. If it looks like it is going to boil over then move the pot away from the hottest part of the fire or, turn the heat on your hob down slightly.

When the time is up carefully remove the pot from the heat.

Serving Cowboy Coffee!

Take the ½ mug water that ya set aside yonder and pour this around, down the inside of the jug and a little down the spout. This will settle the coffee grounds at the bottom of the pot.

Then pour yourself a nice hot cup of freshly brewed campfire coffee and wet your whistle!

Marshmallows mandatory.

Enjoy 🤠