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Chuckwagon etiquette
 On the old time cattle drives and roundups, the cook was
sometimes an aging cowboy hired for his ability to drive a wagon more
than his cooking skills. He was in charge of the wagon and everything
related to it. The cook was paid more than the other hands because
the success of the camp and the drive depended greatly on him and the
cook's job was arguably the hardest. A
cowhand earned about a dollar a day and the cook made twice that.
Ranch cooks today still command a great deal of respect and most expect
a certain strict etiquette in their vicinity.
Cowboys were forbidden to eat at the chuck wagon table-that was where
the cook prepared the food. A cowboy
never rode their horse through the "kitchen." The
cowboys always rode downwind of the wagon, so the dust they stirred up wouldn't blow into
the food.
At mealtime, cowboys got their own plate, fork, knife, and cup.
The cook would pour the coffee and the cowboys helped themselves to
staples like hot biscuits, beef steak, and beans. When they were
done, they stacked their dishes for the cook to wash. |
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 Dutch
Oven Cooking with Floyd Crandall
See Floyd's article on Dutch-Oven cooking
in the September 2004 issue of Western Horseman Magazine.
Floyd's
Dutch Oven Folding Stoves
Letter: Here is a nice letter
from a lady who tried our recipes and Dutch-oven cooking for the first
time. Hope it encourages you.
hi lee, my name is donna. tried your dump cake recipe while
we were camping last week. i did the one with spice cake and apple
pie filling. i used a 9 qt. Dutch oven. i added fresh blueberries,
raspberries, and blackberries and used almost the whole can of 7-up,
man was it a big hit. i couldn't believe how easy it was.
especially since it was my first time with the Dutch oven. also did
a hobo stew in the Dutch oven the next night. used 1 chicken breast,
1 petite sirloin steak, and 1 pork sirloin steak, left over corn
(that i cut off the cob) 4 potatoes, 1 medium onion, lots of garlic
cloves, 1 can beer, 1 whole tomato, 2-3 tablespoons of spade l ranch
beef marinade and seasoning. i cut up meat and cooked it first with
onion and garlic, then added tomato, corn, seasonings, and water. i
added potatoes last so they didn't get mushy. cooked in Dutch oven
with coals under and on top for at least 2 hours. it was a major
hit! really enjoy your cowboy showcase site. thank you for
sharing!
donna keefer
More
Dutch Oven Cooking Recipes
 Sourdough starter and roll/bread recipes-Grant Matthews
Sourdough
Recipes from Don Alexander's Galley
Cowboy Coffee |
The ultimate delicacy served at brandings
across
the west--calf fries (also known as Rocky Mountain oysters). You can
fry them on the branding pot as on the right, or roast them over the
branding fire. Serve hot on the tip of your knife. You have
to be there to appreciate this cuisine.
