How to Make Cowboy Coffee on The Stove

Just because you want Cowboy Coffee, doesn’t mean you have to be camping outdoors or roughing it with the coyotes. Follow these step by step instructions for making a great pot of genuine Cowboy Coffee.

1. Using your tin coffee pot, pour 8 ounces of water for each cup of Cowboy Coffee you want to make. A simple way to do this is to use your coffee cup to measure how much water to use.
2. If you have whole beans, now is the time to grind them. Remember, the finer the grind, the stronger the flavor.
3. Over medium heat, bring your water to a boil, and then add to the pot one generous scoop of coffee grounds for each cup of coffee you are brewing. Each scoop should measure about 2 tablespoons. Example: 4 cups of coffee means add four scoops of grounds.
4. Stir the ground with a long spoon to help extract the flavor from the coffee grounds.
5. Take the tin pot off of the heat and wait a few minutes while the grounds settle down.
6. To help settle the grounds to the bottom of the pot, add a couple spoonsful of cold water.
7. Pour your stovetop Cowboy Coffee and enjoy the added giddyap.

Recipe Notes

*The temperature is very important to this process! Boiling coffee actually takes the acid out of the drink, so some people prefer this version of making a cup of joe to the traditional method.  **Some cowboys use crushed eggshells to help the grounds sink to the bottom faster. And eggshells help reduce the acid levels due to their alkalinity as well. Other methods to separate the grounds and coffee include using a (clean) sock as a makeshift coffee filter. I prefer using a handheld strainer.