New to Chuck Wagon competitions...........continued

Now here's a few long horns that are just waiting to go up the trail to make some ole cowboy some dough rey me.  Uummmm, on second thought maybe they think the grass probably isn't too much greener on the "other side."

NOW ON TO  THE FOLKS THAT MIGHT BE NEW TO COMPETITIONS......

Now I can’t speak for some of the “Big Dogs” who consistently win time and time again because our little pack of coosies aren’t in that category.  That doesn’t keep us from trying to figure out what to do to get us some more points.  I hear the better you cook the better you score.  Can it really be that simple?

It really can be a simple issue if everything is just right when it comes time to cook. However, there are many, many variations in cooking that makes it difficult for the product to be the same every time you set up camp.    Elevation, wind, rain, type of wood, quality of food provided, number of cooks, judges, and local cultures are a few of the variables that come to mind.

When you have to fight Mother Nature you have to be equipped for whatever she might bring.  One time cooking over in Hobbs, New Mexico the wind was really blowing hard and our campfire got away from us and burned the grass up to and in our neighbor’s camp.  We were out talking with some folks and we looked up and people were running to our camp with shovels, blankets, and pans of water to put out the fire.  We all luckily got it put out before any damage was done.  We learned you want to make sure your fire has proper wind breaks.  The wind breaks control the fire by containing it within a specific area, plus it helps to control the heat when using the Dutch ovens.

Another Mother Nature spoiler is to have a good wagon sheet and cook’s fly, preferably with side curtains.  They will help you keep things dry, along with yourself, and be able to cook even if it rains or snows.  We were in Ruidoso, New Mexico a while back and it snowed and the fly and curtains came in handy.  I think that was the morning we woke up to find the beans and potatoes we had soaking over night were frozen in the pan.  Warm clothes help quite a bit under those conditions.  Another time we were in Austin. Texas and it was raining pretty hard and the fly we were using had had some mildew and it was cleaned and the areas cleaned were not
resealed with waterproofing so the rain was coming right through the canvas.  It was leaking like a sieve and the water was going right into the hot grease.  We had to improvise with additional canvas sheets and holding a slicker over the popping grease until it quit raining.   At times you have to make special concessions for cooking at a high altitude.  I heard a story about a wagon cook by the name of Sam Howell who sort of invented a poor boy pressure cooker to get his beans done because of the high altitude.  Best way to find out where to get a canvas fly or wagon sheet or even a tee pee tent is to ask someone at a cook off. Nearly everyone has "their" favorite vendor.

When it comes to wood, the best advice on what kind of wood to use when cooking would be to choose one that is readily available in your area and stick with it and learn how it works for you.  You can get as much advice about what wood to use as a porcupine has quills.  Consider all input then try some different kinds then choose.   Most sites will also provide “conversation wood”.  That would be wood to burn at your camp while sitting around or to keep warm.  The type wood provided might be: pine, juniper, cedar, oak, bois d’ arc, or mesquite.  The amount of heat put out by a specific species of

wood will vary quite a lot, and each cook will have a preference.  That particular wood is brought along with the other wagon necessities and the “conversation wood” is used for non-essential fires.  Of course if you are using the wood to grill meat, vegetables and such, make sure you use a hardwood or you will get an unwelcome taste.

This might be a good place to tell you a little about what you need to cook with.  D U T C H   O V E N ‘ S and lots of them are required…..no, not really.  You will need some to start with and you can add to the collection whenever you run across a good deal 

at a garage sale, flea market, or find something on eBay.  You will, for sure, need at least two 16” ovens and a couple of 14’s.  The “deep” ovens are usually used for cooking meat and the more shallow ones are used for bread.  You may find that some heavy duty trivets that will keep your ovens off the fire by about three to four inches will help in not burning everything you cook.  I’ve seen these made from bent ½” square stock, to welded horseshoes or railroad spikes.  What ever works for you and you can make or lay your hands on will work. At least one 20” skillet is necessary for frying.  A real  large size enamel stock pot is usually used for cooking beans.  You might want another stock pot for cooking potatoes and still another one, but somewhat smaller for mixing up sauces etc.  You will for sure need a good sized enamel coffee pot or two.  That will pretty well get you started and you can and will add to the collection according to your needs as you begin to develop your cooking style. 

Obviously not a competition but it shows lots of vessels in which you can cook.

A Dutch oven in an "oil pan" with water which serves as a double boiler to keep the cobbler warm

Cooking potato cakes on a Dutch oven lid