Cowboy Biscuits

We are camping this week and what better time to do a how to cook over fire post.

I though to myself but what? Cooking on a campfire makes me think of the 1800s cowboys on the trail and what they would of ate. I started to look up just that. They would eat a lot of biscuits, beans and dried meats ,so I thought I would give making biscuits over a fire a try. I love a challenge and this seemed like it sure would be. Well original cowboy biscuits consist of only flour, water and salt. Which would make more of a rock than a biscuit.They surely had lard with them?

I suppose you really couldn’t stick a fluffy biscuit in your saddle bag so they didn’t add the lard.

I really didn’t want my biscuits to be that hard, so I added in lard. I also made buttermilk using vinegar and milk instead of water.

I used self rising flour. Before you start, have your fire going.You will be laying your Cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven into the fire.

My Recipe

• 4 cups self rising flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 - 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 cup and 2 Tablespoons lard
• dash of salt

I cut my lard into the flour till the lard pieces were pea size.

Add the buttermilk, stirring it in. Knead a few times and then form them into biscuits about 1-1/2 thick x 2” wide. Brush the tops with melted lard or butter ( I used lard )

By this time you should have had your skillet preheating over the fire for 15mins. I used a 4 inch cast-iron skillet with lid. I would of used a Dutch oven if I could have found mine it would’ve fit better in the fire. Take the pan out of the fire put your biscuits in and put the lid back on. Stick it into the fire laying a hot log or coals on top of the lid so it cooks evenly. 
( see the flame to the right of the picture don’t do that )
The 2 biscuits near that flame burnt a bit on the side. Our fire was pretty hot so it did not take very long for these to cook. I think about seven minutes, and then I put them over the fire for another five minutes to finish cooking.

They turned out light,fluffy with a slight smokey flavor. If you don’t like a smokey flavor I’d use charcoal instead of wood.

I had some sausage gravy already made from the day before, so we used that over the biscuits. I should have made cowboy beans to go with them to stay on topic! If you want to go for the real deal 1800’s cowboy biscuits just leave the lard out.