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The Breakfast That Fed Cowboys & Soldiers | Mexican Hash Recipe
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Jul 23, 2025
Printable recipe below! Discover the history of the hash recipe and how we are giving it a twist to a zesty Mexican hash recipe #breakfastrecipes Used in this video: Bertha cowboy wood stove https://bit.ly/3AOYB8y Hash knife: https://www.kentrollins.com/shop 🔥Smokey Woods Lump Charcoal https://smokeywoodsbbq.com/ Mesquite wood cast iron spatula https://www.kentrollins.com/shop Rode wireless Go 2 mic: https://amzn.to/3seAQ7X Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com For more suggested products seen in our videos click here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/cowboykentrollins ====================== Printable Recipe: https://kentrollins.com/one-skillet-mexican-hash/ ======================
View Video Transcript
0:00
You know, the best way to finish off
0:01
this Mexican hash that we're cooking for
0:03
breakfast would be the perfect over easy
0:06
fried egg. It would Oh my gosh, that
0:09
didn't slip right through the crack. It
0:11
did. Culinary will get that. And good
0:13
thing I'm packing though. I got one in
0:15
my pocket.
0:19
Before it fed cowboys, before it filled
0:22
dinner plates, this simple breakfast fed
0:24
soldiers in the mud marching into
0:26
battle. Folks, we're making Mexican
0:28
breakfast hash. the Cowboy Way and we're
0:31
digging into the wild story of how hash
0:33
helped build the West. If you like bold
0:35
flavors and forgotten stories, pull up a
0:38
stump cuz we're bringing breakfast to
0:41
life. Hey folks, welcome to the wagon.
0:43
And I got a quick favor to ask of you.
0:45
If you like cowboys and you love history
0:48
and you love food, be sure and give this
0:50
video a like. Helps our channel grow.
0:52
But before we just jump right into the
0:54
wagon and take off down the trail and go
0:55
to cooking this traditional Mexican dish
0:57
called hash, I got a question for you
0:59
first. What exactly is hash? The word
1:02
hash comes from the French word hasher,
1:06
meaning to chop. And it was all about
1:08
using what you had. Back in the 17th
1:10
century in England and France, hash was
1:12
a way to stretch leftovers, especially
1:15
meat and potatoes, into something hearty
1:17
and filling. But saddle your horse,
1:20
we're going back across the pond to a
1:22
great turning point in American history,
1:25
the Civil War. Hash became a staple
1:27
because it was a simple, adaptable, and
1:30
could stretch meager rations. Salt pork,
1:33
dried beef, hard tack crumbs, onions if
1:35
they were lucky, and root vegetables dug
1:37
out of the cold, muddy, boggy ground.
1:39
And that all get chopped, boiled, and
1:41
fried into one big skillet. It wasn't
1:43
fancy, but it did fill a belly. The
1:46
Union and Confederate Army both of them
1:47
had designated cooks. Now that might
1:50
have just been a soldier that he just
1:51
picked out of the ranks. Might not even
1:53
knew how to cook, but he had the task of
1:55
feeding massive amounts of people.
1:57
Whether it was just in an old pot over a
1:59
fire or a big long fire trench that they
2:01
cooked with, they had to get the job
2:03
done. The average soldier might eat the
2:05
same dish three meals in a row. And hash
2:08
was one of the few ways to make
2:09
yesterday's rations taste like something
2:11
new. This is similar to the role of old
2:13
cookie on the chuck wagon going down the
2:15
trail in the mid 1800s. It was his job
2:17
to take simple ingredients and turn them
2:20
into something edible fuel them cowboys.
2:22
So both the role of the soldier and the
2:25
cowboy were harsh. Facing the wrath of
2:28
mother nature. You know, they even had a
2:30
saying back in them camps. If it moves,
2:32
it's stew. If it's leftover, it's hash.
2:36
But I'm really interested in what this
2:37
Civil War hash was made with. Now, that
2:40
don't sound like no delicacy, but it did
2:42
get the job done. So, before we go down
2:45
the trail and we cook this Mexican hash,
2:47
I would like to recreate this hash of
2:49
the Civil War and just see what it
2:51
tasted like.
2:53
[Music]
3:34
this. by looking at it. I told Shan
3:37
while ago, them old soldiers or even
3:40
them young soldiers that didn't have
3:41
many teeth, this would have been pretty
3:43
hard to eat for them. But I didn't have
3:45
salt pork. I used bacon. Salt pork would
3:48
have probably had more of a lard base to
3:50
it to where it would had more grease to
3:52
soften some of that hard tack up.
3:54
Because remember, when you cook hard
3:55
tac, it's preserved. It'll last
3:57
thousands of years. So, I'm going to put
3:59
a little black pepper on there.
4:02
Have we got dental insurance, Shen? It's
4:04
questionable.
4:05
So, I'm gonna have this little bite
4:07
right here with a piece of hard tack.
4:13
It's got a crunch.
4:16
The hard tack is really crisp. You might
4:18
have to cook this stuff two or three
4:19
hours for it to even get tender or have
4:21
a lot of grease in there to sop it up
4:23
one. But the bacon and the onion,
4:25
they're definitely the stars of the show
4:27
here. But the hard tech gives it a
4:29
little more substance. And I think
4:30
that's what they were after to make
4:32
something go further. I'm glad we made
4:35
it. I'm glad things have changed to
4:36
where I can make it the Mexican hash to
4:38
go down the trail and feed cowboys cuz
4:41
I'm afraid if I fed this to cowboys very
4:43
often, they might leave camp and go
4:45
somewhere else.
4:46
Yeah, I'm going to pop in. You know,
4:48
I want to try it.
4:49
And also, we have a hard attack video if
4:52
you folks want to go back and watch
4:53
that. But, uh, I mean, it's not too bad.
4:56
That's not bad at all. I think if you
4:59
stewed down the heart attack a little
5:01
more.
5:01
Yeah. I haven't eaten in three days, so
5:02
I'm going have another bite.
5:07
After the war, those soldiers came home
5:09
and so did their taste for hash. It
5:12
started showing up in boarding houses,
5:13
taverns, and eventually the early diners
5:16
popping up in cities across the country.
5:18
In fact, by the 1880s, a whole class of
5:21
cheap restaurants sprang up called hash
5:23
houses. No frrills places serving big
5:26
helpings for a dime. That's where the
5:28
term comes from and it stuck around
5:30
through the 20th century. You know, hash
5:33
became the great equalizer. It was not
5:35
just fed to soldiers. It was also fed to
5:37
factory workers. Every worker going
5:39
through the city in the 20th century,
5:40
but also it was fed to cowboys going
5:43
down the trail. But when the cattle
5:44
drive sprung up during the 1880s and
5:47
they were going through Texas, Oklahoma,
5:49
and Kansas, hash become a staple dish
5:51
for the old cook. Also, they'd fry up
5:54
anything they could scrunch. Maybe some
5:56
leftover rabbit if they were lucky from
5:57
the night before, ters if they had them,
5:59
and chop some onions and a pinch of
6:01
dried chili. Sometimes they even tossed
6:03
in beans or old biscuits just to get it
6:06
to stretch. You see, a cattle drive
6:08
could run for two to three months,
6:10
covering up to a thousand miles from
6:11
Texas all the way to the Kansas rail
6:14
heads. As cattle drives crossed into the
6:16
borderlands of New Mexico, Arizona, and
6:19
Texas, hash started to change. Cowboys
6:22
began cooking alongside them Mexican
6:24
picaros. And those fellas knew how to
6:26
spice things up. Dishes like papas
6:28
conisso brought the heat and the depth
6:30
to simple meals. Mexican chiso was
6:33
brought over by the Spanish in the
6:35
1500s. Got a bold makeover in the new
6:38
world with vinegar, paprika, and dried
6:40
chilies. Now, this is when hash started
6:42
to get its real flavor. It wasn't just
6:44
survival food anymore. This was
6:46
something that cowboys look forward to
6:48
going down the trail.
6:55
[Music]
7:39
We're going to make this hash like I
7:41
think I would have made it and probably
7:42
old cook going down the trail as well.
7:44
First, I'm going to start with some bell
7:46
pepper. Red in color. It is one white
7:49
onion, two pablanos, two jalapenos. Now,
7:51
I'm not taking the seeds out of them cuz
7:53
I don't think old cookie would have done
7:54
that either. So, you seen me throw them
7:56
peppers on Oberto over and roll them
7:58
around. And finally, I needed to get
8:00
them to where they would even sear a
8:01
little more. So, I just cut them,
8:03
flatten them out, put them on there, and
8:05
let her do the work. Brought them over
8:06
here, and what is it? The handy dandy
8:09
hash knife. Now, old Cookie had one of
8:11
these on the wagon. I guarantee you it
8:12
was a versatile tool that he used every
8:14
day. So many times people tell me when
8:17
they see this, this is an ulu like the
8:19
Alaskans, the Eskimos use when there's
8:21
cleaning fish, cleaning seals, but it is
8:23
a hash knife. The handle comes up
8:25
further on both sides. The handle is up
8:27
on top, leaving you more control and
8:29
more accuracy really. Now, you can still
8:31
use this if you want to flesh something,
8:33
but this is totally different than an
8:35
ulu. During the cattle drive era from
8:37
1866 to 1890, chuck wagon cooks prepared
8:41
a meal a day for the crew of 10 to 15
8:43
cowboys. Often using limited tools and
8:46
ingredients, the hash knife was a key
8:48
utensil used for chopping vegetables,
8:51
but also for chopping leftover meat, it
8:53
made quick work of hard or frozen food,
8:56
even under rugged trail conditions. The
8:58
hash knife brand became one of the most
9:01
recognized brands in cattle ranching
9:03
history, especially in Arizona and
9:05
Texas. The hash knife outfit of the
9:08
Aztec Land and Cattle Company, founded
9:10
in 1884, ran tens of thousands of cattle
9:13
across northern Arizona. Though
9:15
unrelated to the kitchen knife directly,
9:18
the brand name is inspired by the Cook's
9:20
tool, and we've used it on the wagon as
9:21
long as I've had it. The first one I
9:23
ever got come from an old retired Texas
9:26
ranger that was his great great
9:27
grandmother's. Tom Willoughby, a great
9:29
friend of mine, but a great blacksmith,
9:32
makes these for us. So, if you're
9:33
interested, you be sure and check it
9:34
out. But hey, we need to get to putting
9:36
this hash together. So, let's go to
9:37
frying some potatoes.
9:40
[Music]
9:41
[Applause]
9:46
I've got me a 10-in skillet here. Have
9:48
me just a little dab of oil in there.
9:50
Let it get good and hot. Now I'm frying
9:52
the red skin potatoes. Be sure and leave
9:54
that skin on there, but also the red
9:56
bell peppers at the same time. We're
9:58
just going to let them begin to brown up
9:59
just a little bit, not get plum crisp
10:01
yet because everything goes in the hash
10:04
from this start on. The peppers will go
10:06
in, more seasoning will go in, and then
10:08
last with the chorizo. So, it's just a
10:10
process that keeps happening.
10:12
[Music]
10:13
[Applause]
10:17
[Music]
10:36
Now, while that's all simmering along
10:37
over on Alberta, let's talk about
10:39
chreso. Now, chreso, most of the time
10:42
back then, it was being handmade. They
10:44
was making it in bulk. Cook would go by
10:46
there, pick him some up, take it down
10:48
the trail, or he was just using whatever
10:50
meat come down the game trail to put in
10:52
his hash. But today, we're using a
10:54
Mexican chreso we are, but it is ground.
10:57
Now, I have a video if you want to go
10:59
back on how we made homemade chreso, but
11:01
I want to make this convenient for y'all
11:03
cuz there is beef chiso, there is pork
11:06
cho, but this comes in little casings.
11:09
Make sure you get them removed before
11:11
you go to cooking with them and just run
11:13
them out of here. Homemade. I guarantee
11:16
you is the best if you'll go back and
11:17
watch that video. Makes a great hash,
11:20
but also makes a great chorizo burger.
11:22
And instead of using ground chorizo, if
11:25
you want to use sliced carisso and slice
11:26
it pretty thin, that would work even
11:28
better.
11:34
Well, when them potatoes have beun to
11:36
soften, and let's just see if they have.
11:41
They have, and they're hot. Woo!
11:44
We're going to sprinkle with a little
11:45
smoked paprika,
11:51
a little bit of cumin, and a little bit
11:52
of oregano.
11:54
I'm sorry, a little bit of ground cumin,
12:00
and a little bit of dried cilantro.
12:05
Now, if you'd rather have fresh, you go
12:07
ahead. Me and fresh, we don't get along.
12:13
Now, that right there is a meal in
12:14
itself. Get you a flour tortilla and go
12:17
to town. But folks, we ain't near
12:19
through yet. We're fixing to put that
12:21
chreso in here. And when I do it that
12:23
way, I just need you to make you a well
12:25
right down here in the middle because we
12:27
need that chreso to be cooking as soon
12:29
as it gets in there. Then we'll
12:31
incorporate it with all the veggies. So,
12:34
in it goes.
12:41
And most store-bought chreso that I ever
12:43
had ends up having a little more grease
12:46
to it than what the homemade would. So
12:48
just keep chopping up through here.
12:51
It'll eventually get to where it's
12:52
cooking. It'll begin to crumble and
12:54
it'll incorporate well.
12:57
[Music]
13:14
Now, to finish this off, we need to put
13:16
some eggs on top there. And we're going
13:18
to do it sunny side up. We are. Now, you
13:20
can do it fried if you would rather, but
13:22
let's get to cracking. It is well
13:24
greased and it is hot. Crack gingerly.
13:27
You seen what happened. There goes the
13:30
first one. Soon as you can, it gets
13:32
shaped. Get a lid on it cuz that's going
13:35
to help it steam. Everything's going to
13:36
get done. When that sets and you see it,
13:39
that egg is sunny side up. The sun is
13:42
coming up and it's going right on the
13:43
breakfast hash.
13:45
[Music]
13:58
Now, if you're just doing this and you
13:59
want a fried egg over easy, same method.
14:02
Make sure it's greased. Crack it there.
14:04
Put that lid. But when you see it get
14:06
lacy around the edges and set up, turn
14:08
that rascal ever so gently, but grease
14:10
that spatula before you do. And it ain't
14:13
got to cook long on that other side
14:14
before it goes right there. And that yok
14:16
bust. It's gonna be so pretty.
14:20
[Music]
14:35
Ain't this a beautiful dish that we have
14:38
created here? I mean, and folks, when it
14:41
comes to arranging the plate, I need
14:42
y'all to know most of the time it is
14:43
Shan that makes it look good. But the
14:46
eggs, oh, sunny side up, the chreso, all
14:50
the potatoes, the vegetables. We going
14:51
to get us just a little bit of that egg
14:53
in here. Dooker, right there. The
14:55
bottom.
15:00
[Music]
15:04
The thing that sort of rings the bell
15:06
right off the bat is the smokiness of
15:08
the chreso flavor, but also that publano
15:10
pepper. And then here it come tingling
15:13
right there in the back of your taste
15:14
buds. It is the jalapeno. It is folks.
15:16
This is not just breakfast. This is a
15:19
story on a plate. From wartime to the
15:22
wagon, this meal kept them fed. It did.
15:25
But it is with pride, honesty, and
15:26
privilege that I tip my hat to all our
15:28
service men and women and all the
15:30
veterans that have kept the old Gloria
15:31
flying. Rest of you, get on up in here.
15:34
I'm gonna give you two hugs. One from
15:36
wartime and one from the wagon.
15:40
There's the first one. And here's that
15:41
from the wagon. Slap her in the butt.
15:44
God bless you each and everyone. And
15:46
I'll see you down the Mexican hash
15:48
breakfast trail.
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