RECALL: Yellowstone TV Merch Hits Sour Note in Montana

As if nobody asked for "YELLOWSTONE" branded baked beans (yes, the ones sporting a logo that was slapped onto the can like a sheriff’s badge), they were just recalled in 23 states. Why? Because the beans include undeclared soy, which is a big deal for some people. You know, a run-of-the-mill “could go into anaphylactic shock” thing.

The cans of beans have been recalled from 23 states (not including Montana). However, if you spot a can of “Yellowstone Brown Sugar Molasses Baked Beans” with a best-by date of “February 17, 2028,” you would be wise to back away slowly. Or, better yet, toss it in the river and cross your fingers it doesn’t draw another generation of tourists.

Okay, so let’s talk about the branding. Baked beans? For Yellowstone? Who watched that show and thought, “know what, this could use a healthy amount of the musical fruit?" I love merch, but not this. The only thing baked on that show is the plot, maybe half of the characters, and, it would seem, now the food as well.

People around Missoula and western Montana have been giving this show the side eye from day one. It became such a sensation that a critic at The New York Times named “Yellowstone” one of the best TV shows of 2018 and deemed it “the revenge of the cowboy.”It attracted hordes of out-of-state gawkers who imagined they’d run into Rip at a gas station and walk away with a ranch and an Instagram filter. Now they can’t even trust the beans. What’s next? Beth Dutton’s own brand of vodka?

See, if you’re going to have beans that are Montana-themed, you might as well have a recipe from a potluck at the VFW. Not some Burbank marketing meeting.