Cow Camp To Kitchen: A Culinary Texas Jack

Continuing our look through the archives of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (which recently announced it would be shuttering its doors), I came across this curious piece of culinary history from the February 3, 1958, edition.

While yesterday we shared the Gazette’s coverage of Texas Jack’s final resting place in Leadville, today we see how his name lived on in the mid-century American kitchen. This recipe for "Texas Jack"—a hearty mix of bacon, kidney beans, and frankfurters served over English muffins—was a popular syndicated dish used to "spice up" cold-weather menus.

A Recipe with a Thousand Faces

This 1958 clipping was far from the only time "Texas Jack" appeared in the food columns. For several decades, various versions of "Texas Jack" recipes were syndicated in hundreds of newspapers across the country.

While the Post-Gazette version leans heavily on the frankfurter and English muffin trend of the late 50s, other syndicated versions featured different proteins like roast chuck, ground beef, bologna, or spam, and were often served over rice, crackers, or even plain white toast. It was a flexible "Western" brand that home economists used to make inexpensive pantry staples feel like a rugged adventure.

The Original Cowboy Cook

There is a poetic irony in seeing Jack’s name attached to a recipe. Before he was a world-famous scout or a stage star, J.B. Omohundro got his start in Texas at the Sam Allen Ranch on Buffalo Bayou. Following the Civil War, Jack didn't start out as a trail boss; he started as a cook, preparing meals for the cowboys before working his way up to becoming a scout and, eventually, the legend we know today.

A "Chili" Controversy

Of course, any self-respecting Texas cowboy—especially one who lived through the era of the original trail drives—would likely have had some choice words about this recipe being thought of as "chili."

• The Bean Debate: To a true Texas cowboy like Jack, the inclusion of red kidney beans, or really any kind of beans at all, would have disqualified this from being "real" chili (or chili con carne).

• The Hot Dog Factor: Stirring in sliced frankfurters and serving it on an English muffin is a purely mid-century suburban invention. It’s a far cry from the salt pork, beef, and biscuits Jack would have prepared over a campfire.

A Name That Endured

By 1958, many readers of the Post-Gazette might have forgotten the specific exploits of the man who rode with Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok. However, the name "Texas Jack" still carried a powerful resonance. It evoked a sense of the rugged, authentic Old West—a brand so strong it could be used to sell a simple, economical family meal to a housewife in Pittsburgh nearly 80 years after Omohundro’s death.

Even when the man was gone, the legend remained—even if it was just to help sell a few extra cans of kidney beans.