Cas City Forum Hall & CAS-L
CAS TOPICS => The Longbranch => Topic started by: dwight55 on January 29, 2015, 07:01:21 AM
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Now, I know this is silly to those of you who know the answer, . . . but I don't, . . . so I gotta ask.
When you watch any of the Westerns, . . . the grizzled old bearded cook is in his chuck wagon, . . . dutifully slogging along with the trail boss and the herd.
Later he is feeding them cowpokes, . . . beans, biscuits, stew, meat, pie, . . . and he did not stop at the Giant Eagle deli and pick it up.
So how did he do his cooking on the move, . . . or did he cook at night and warm up the next day???
(We've been cooking on our wood stove, . . . using cast iron, . . . having lots of fun, . . . enjoying some good meals too)
Thanks for all your help, . . . may God bless,
Dwight
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The chuck wagon usually went on ahead to where they planned to spend the night. It moved considerably faster that the herd.
There was sometimes a helper assigned to go along and help Cookie get it all going and he was afforded "first service privileges".
Everyone was expected to clean up after himself and help get things repped up for the night.
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Thanks, Forty Rod, . . .
Having worked all three shifts, I could see where the baking could have been done in the evening, . . . maybe even the main course started, . . . then finished early in the AM, . . . and heated up at meal time.
Now did the riders take their "lunch" with them and eat in the saddle?
I've always been curious about their life, . . . knowing I would probably have washed out on my first drive.
May God bless,
Dwight
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Either Cookie or the helper walked, part of the job was to pick up any wood that was lying along, sometimes a Cowboy would rope a limb or some other piece and drag it to camp. So many herds followed the same route that wood got to be in short supply.
While a wagon ain't fast, you wanted the herd to move but not so fast as to walk what little fat there was on'm off. It wasn't to hard to stay out in front.
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About that eat time, they rotated shifts and not everyone ate at exactly the same time, this also let Cookie cook a meal over time, if you have say 2 Cowboys coming in every 20 minutes or so, you can be putting out food as it gets done, especially stuff like fried meat or eggs and such.
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A "Nooner" for the drovers was perhaps a biscuit or two with some lard on it.
Providing the Cook made enough the night before.
Eggs don't tend to travel well. Perhaps hard boiled and pickled, but these would not have lasted very long on the trail.
Water and fire wood (especially hard woods for cooking) were always a major issue for the cook.
Canned goods took up storage space and were heavy. Dried grains and beans could be stored in large quantities for long periods.
Meats were another issue. Drying and or preservation in salt was the most common preservation methods. Some of this may take time.
I don't think it would be uncommon for the Chuck wagons to be a day or two ahead of the drive.
Just some of my thoughts on this subject.
My best,
Blair
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Baking, well most was a quick bread aka biscuits or pan de campo (fancy name for a big damn biscuit) and any cook who can't whip them up in a 1/2 hour or so ought to be whipped. A thicker bannock (Canuck name for a big damn biscuit) may take 45 minutes.
Meals were simple, they didn't dawdle looking up recipes on pintrest and looking for the measuring cups, they just cooked it.
Pies were made on occasion, most often of dried fruit or if the got lucky, found some fresh wild fruit someone had time to pick. So all you fancy bakers who make pies, tell me how the did it with out ice water and keeping the whole crust cool or cold till baked like everyone thinks they have to do today? ;D Yes I know.
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Dwight, Here's my two cents (adjusted for inflation of course). Drawing on too many years of experience at rendezvous and re-enactments I'd say Breakfast was merely last night's leftovers. Beans and bacon are easy and travel well. The beans could soak all day and be boiled up at night. beef would come from any critter that looked like he wasn't going to last the trip and the chuck wagon could carry a good supply of canned vegetables which were fairly common at the time. You'd want to lay in a supply of bulk goods that would travel well and provide a good meal. That means staples like flour, coffee, sugar, and of course beans in big sacks which are easier to pack than boxes. I've read of eggs being shipped in sawdust, but I doubt very much if they carried any. Just as a side note, the old voyageur's most common meal was salt pork and pea soup. The cook would make a big kettle of soup (remember the old child's rhyme "pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold"?) and let it simmer all night. In the morning, the kettle would be loaded in the canoe and at Noon the "cool" porridge was served out. If you couldn't stand a paddle up in it, it was too thin!
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While on holiday a few years ago I met Roscoe Lee Brown in New York. He played the chuck wagon cook in "The Cowboys" starring John Wayne and Bruce Dern. He was a fascinating man, full of stories and knowledge. He recited WB Yeats to my wife and I all evening and dedicated a written poem to my brother who collects autographs from western characters. I should have asked him what he made on the trail during that cattle drive. Seriously..... I've always wondered also how the cook made so many meals for so many Cowboys from such a small wagon. As another contributor said repetition must have played its part. A ship from a while ago would be comparable ; beans boiled up wth a lump of pork, boiled peas also. Oatmeal put into the pan after frying a lump of bacon to soak up the fat. It could not have been varied though I've never read of scurvy breaking out on a trail drive, but very common at sea. A steer if butchered would provide a lot of meat but just how many potatoes can a wagon carry? Maybe some have read the novels of Patrick O'Brian , he wrote novels on seafaring during the Napoleonic and American/British wars. He describes the food getting worse and worse the further the ship travelled out to sea with all the good things going first...fresh bread, cheese, greens and that's just for the officers. There's a TV cookery programme here somewhere. ;D
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Wouldn't be that hard considering the simple meals, you only have a dozen or so to cook for. I handle 3 meals a day for 20 or so all the time, much fancier food, but then I don't have to move a wagon.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/Ft%20Hartsuff%202009/PICT9392.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/Ft%20Hartsuff%202009/PICT9392.jpg.html)
Ya only want supper I can handle about 70 with our with out a helper, but I'm adding larger ovens so by summer it could be 100.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/cooking%20fires/boyscout084.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/cooking%20fires/boyscout084.jpg.html)
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Dang Dell. nobody can call you a belly cheater! Sounds like you got that down patt!!!! DT
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Dang Dell. nobody can call you a belly cheater! Sounds like you got that down patt!!!! DT
Been doing it close to 30 years. And it ain't just beans and biscuits either. Have even done pizza for people that ask nice. ;D
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/Ft%20Hartsuff%202008/PICT5668.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/Ft%20Hartsuff%202008/PICT5668.jpg.html)
First rule of cooking, doubling the amount of people your are feeding in no way even comes close to doubling the amount of work.
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2 inches of rain in the night can be worked past.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/RCS%202014/Picture017_zps905ab2bd.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/RCS%202014/Picture017_zps905ab2bd.jpg.html)
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Whoa, . . . I didn't expect to see all that, . . .
As THE rocker would say, Thank yuh, . . . thank yuh, . . . thank yuh vurry much.
AND, . . . now I gotta go and get me another Dutch oven (or 3...........)
Seriously, . . . thank you very much to all who responded.
May God bless,
Dwight
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Breakfast for about 20 at the Grand Army of the Frontier Muster last June, near Sargent Nebraska, 20 inch oven with 4 pounds of sausage and a bunch of milk in the gravy, 14" shallow of biscuits done and a 16" about ready to pull.
Anyone wants to learn the down and dirty of cooking for a bunch in dutch ovens, the Barracks has the dates, free camping and meals for anyone wants to learn, wood cooking only, none of them Kingsford things the yuppies use on their patios.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/cooking%20fires/firek.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/cooking%20fires/firek.jpg.html)
Looking for a place to do weekend teaching for larger groups by next summer, but for those there will be a fee, the folks at the Muster cover my expenses for that trip.
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If I had lived along a Cattle Trail I'd have cooked and kept stuff to sell to'm as they passed. I'm betting there were those that did this.
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If I had lived along a Cattle Trail I'd have cooked and kept stuff to sell to'm as they passed. I'm betting there were those that did this.
You better read your history, there were very few who lived along the cattle trails, they had to keep moving them further west because people settled on the land and that caused many problems, but that is a whole 'nuther story.
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Also, the herds couldn't all go up the same exact trail, because there wouldn't be enough grass to feed them all.
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If it wasn't that way they'd have kept running them into Sediala Missouri and saved a lot of miles.
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If I had lived along a Cattle Trail I'd have cooked and kept stuff to sell to'm as they passed. I'm betting there were those that did this.
Read up on the Road Ranches along the Oregon Trail, the Nebraska Cut-off trail, etc.
Also Sutlers and Merchants at various posts along those trails. St. Louis was a huge outfitter base for wagon trains moving west.
But, Road Ranches set up to accommodate homesteaders and pioneers moving westward (or those gone busted moving back eastward . . .) would be the closest in concept of what you're talking about.
RCJ
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Delmonico,
when does the book you've written on 19th Century Cosie Cooking go to press?
It should be about ready.
RCJ
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Delmonico,
when does the book you've written on 19th Century Cosie Cooking go to press?
It should be about ready.
RCJ
Plan is by next Christmas, I need some more pictures also.
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Read up on the Road Ranches along the Oregon Trail, the Nebraska Cut-off trail, etc.
Also Sutlers and Merchants at various posts along those trails. St. Louis was a huge outfitter base for wagon trains moving west.
But, Road Ranches set up to accommodate homesteaders and pioneers moving westward (or those gone busted moving back eastward . . .) would be the closest in concept of what you're talking about.
RCJ
Yeah, whole different deal there, on the cattle trails there wasn't much between Doan's Store and the RR.
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Del said; "If it wasn't that way they'd have kept running them into Sediala Missouri and saved a lot of miles."
One of the reasons that the cattle trails changed was that Texas cattle became very unpopular with local farmers due to disease. Local bans were one of the reasons that the cattle drovers had to do a left flanking on the sodbusters to reach a rail-head.
Lots of articles show up on google, but here is one;
http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/T/TE022.html
Feed along the trail was very important. Historically, the Camino Real in Spain was meant to be a conduit for livestock to be driven to market, but became virtually a desert.
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Also, If you are Homesteading, Farm or Ranch, you didn't want range cattle feeding on the graze and or croups you might need to put up for your own stock, especially during the winter months.
Many of the trail herds had to skirt the paths of previous herd by several miles just to find enough graze for their cattle.
My best,
Blair
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Hmmmm, that's odd. Hundreds of miles of cattle trails went through Texas, many right past both cities and town. Nacona Boots owes it's existence to the cattle trails going right by the factory. Of course you'd need to actually know some history to know that. Maybe ya'll need a new book?
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Don't need different books but need to utilize the ones out there.
Complicated, protozoa, arthropods, immunity to ones from a certain area, well documented.
http://homesteadontherange.com/texas-fever/
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This is a great thread. It starts off all sorts of questions like......which trail drive produced the best chow for the cowpokes, which provided the worst. I guess we'll never know but isn't it great to imagine. Everything in life produces good and bad, good bars, bad bars, good restaurants, bad restaurants, good chuck wagons and bad ones. Oh yeah and no wine jeez.
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All the articles that I previewed stated that Texas cattle were immune to Texas fever. It was when they traveled outside their home environment that trouble happened. I am not messing with Texas, just describing a natural occurence.
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Well, if one of the resident experts says it, it must be true.
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Plan is by next Christmas, I need some more pictures also.
I'll need at least four, maybe more.
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All the articles that I previewed stated that Texas cattle were immune to Texas fever. It was when they traveled outside their home environment that trouble happened. I am not messing with Texas, just describing a natural occurence.
Thanks Pard, I should have made it more simpler. ;)
I could dig out a lot more, but it's a waste of time when people are very capable of it on there own. Most don't know some of the drives went further north to the UP and not the KP. I live about 1/2 mile from where one branch of that trail went up the drainage's to Schuyler Nebraska. Yep lasted a year and a half, minor little battles over people settling along the trail and yet another one moved further west.
If you read "We Pointed them North" by Teddy "Blue" Abbot who grew up near Lincoln it has a bit on this trail. Also from the description of the stampede on the Blue River he describes the cowboy how died is most likely buried somewhere on or near the campus of Doane College inn Crete Nebraska and I can also take you and show you where the homestead was he grew up on, a convent is there now.
So now, you are welcome to be sarcastic some more and tell us about the history of where we grew up and the area the comments were directed about.
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I'll need at least four, maybe more.
Looks to be gonna be close to 500 pages, getting recipes done now, although that is a minor part of the book, just my favorite ones I do in camp, but writing them down is much harder than just making them, I'm having to do math on this part. ;D
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We can thank Charles Goodnight for ad venting the Chuck Wagon on his cattle drives on his Goodnight Trail.
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TL,
This is very true.
If my memory serves me well, Charles Goodnight bought surplus Civil War period Hospital Ambulance wagons, and converted the wagon box to the "chuck wagon box" style as we think of them today.
These were rather unstable and tended to be top heavy, but did good service in the early years.
My best,
Blair
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I am one who thinks he made it famous, there is evidence they existed before, his though was well refined.
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Has anyone a good photo of a chuck wagon or a diagram to show cooking, storage, wet and dry areas? I've seen some from Civil War and Crimean War photos and line drawing but they were huge catering for divisions. On ships of that era the cooking was done on brick ovens and steel plates. These were doused in heavy weather and before battle for fire prevention.
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I may when I get home in my files, if not I think I can find some.
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Much better, higher resolution than I can post. Ignore the ones on the Chuck Wagon Cafe. ;)
Type Chuck Wagon into the link, it won't let me direct like, not uncommon with such sites.
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/photographs/
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search "cowboys & chuck wagon" and you will get some more good pictures.
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Looks to be gonna be close to 500 pages, getting recipes done now, although that is a minor part of the book, just my favorite ones I do in camp, but writing them down is much harder than just making them, I'm having to do math on this part. ;D
Do you have any other cook books out there a guy could access or acquire?
I think I'm gonna learn to do this, . . . or I'm gonna eat a lot of food that went from cast iron to skillet in the house then to the table.
Prefer cast iron to dinner ware.
Thanks, may God bless,
Dwight
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Great photos. There is a lot going on around the Chuck Wagon.......lots of gear and equipment. It kinda begs the question of status on the cattle drive. It seems from our perspective now, that the Cook had responsibility for so much.....buying food, storing food, setting up camp, creating shelter, cooking food that keeps guys happy with variation, clearing away and do it all again tomorrow. And yet literature and movie legacy paints the picture of the cook as somehow Lesser Than. Often depicted as a comic character, or cantankerous , definitely not a key figure, who would command respect, which he must have been. The cowboy on the other hand is depicted as independent and gallant. Movies, which despite thier historical accuracy, do depict human characters and situations, will show Cowboys quitting the Drive and leaving. What would have happened if the Cookie had saddled up and skedaddled? Or threatened to. Can you see all those cowpokes faces.
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Do you have any other cook books out there a guy could access or acquire?
I think I'm gonna learn to do this, . . . or I'm gonna eat a lot of food that went from cast iron to skillet in the house then to the table.
Prefer cast iron to dinner ware.
Thanks, may God bless,
Dwight
Enough here in receipts (old name for recipes) to keep you busy the rest of your life as far as historical cooking. Most chuck wagon was just plain fair that was based on a quick bread of some sort, rice/beans and meat.
http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/html/browse_date.html
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When you look through those books you will figure out real quick that in the second half of the 19th century I'd say about 90% of what we eat today that is made at home is period food. However you must take into account the more seasonal aspect of it, although transportation aka rail roads were tieing the country together, some supplies or ideas were more regional than today.
I am covering far more than chuckwagon/cowboy cooking and unless you are willing to dig deep and do 10-20 years research there is no one good book, that is what I am working on because if there was one I'd of bought a copy of it and wrote fiction if I still had a desire to write a book. ;)
I want to be done by fall, already decided it would not be what I want this spring, I do have the most part of the referance done and now need to get my camp recipes done so someone else can use them since anyone who has been in my camps has never seen me use measuring cups, or recipes that are printed out, maybe a few notes for a new dish, but not over 3-4 times in almost 30 years of camp cooking.
There are many little pamphlets or small books out there that claim to be historic "Oregon Trail" or "Chuckwagon" cook books, but if you have one, scan a few pages and post them and I'll show you the flaws.
I've used this one the most and I just have a digital copy of the cover, never even seen a copy.
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Donner Party Cookbook;
LOL!
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Yeah scrummy.
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If one reads the whole description it's a history book with what may or may not be proper 19th century recipes.
http://www.amazon.com/Donner-Party-Cookbook-Survival-Hastings/dp/0972221735
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Found this photograph of a cooks wagon. The chuck box is a bit bigger than most that I have had a chance to look at . If this has been posted before ,sorry for the re-run. ,,,,,DT
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Remembered that I had an old print of a cook wagon scene. Dug it out and found it had water damage . Here is a pic. of it ashamed to say it is signed by the artist as # 37 of 100. Will try to get it repaired. ,,,,,DT
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He's got almost as many dutch ovens as Delmonico!
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Dusty, . . .
This is not perfect by any means, . . . but it's a bit touched up. Hope you like it.
May God bless,
Dwight
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That looks real good , I hope mine can be saved . ,,,,,DT
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He's got almost as many dutch ovens as Delmonico!
I'll have 2 more of those 16" by the Muster.
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dwight55,& DT,
Great images!
Any idea at the time period of these posted images?
My best,
Blair
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I think that first one posted was from 1907 ,and second one I want to say was an image of a JA ranch cook but not sure. I do not know the date.,,,,,DT
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He's got almost as many dutch ovens as Delmonico!
I don't know! I don't think any two outfits has as much hardware as ole Del.,,,,,!
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That's because I'm often feeding far more than what a chuckwagon would have fed. 12 or more for them, sometimes 50 or more for me.
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DT,
Thank you.
My best,
Blair
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Del. I think it would be worth the trip up there just to see you handle that much making ready and cooking ! That is a task Pard ! ,,,DT
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Mr. Blair. Always a pleasure Amigo! ,,,,,DT
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Del. I think it would be worth the trip up there just to see you handle that much making ready and cooking ! That is a task Pard ! ,,,DT
It could be arranged.
http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,52694.0.html
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Well, Del, . . . you're making a believer out of me. I just bought a little 10 inch Dutch Oven, . . . so far we've done biscuits and a concoction called prison food.
It was pretty good: onions, hamburger, beans, salsa, topped with cornbread & cheese, . . . baked it outside using charcoal, . . . not only did it turn out, . . . after I hit it with the powdered garlic, . . . it was pretty tasty.
I'm lookin for a 6 or 8 qt now, . . . and my wife is definitely enjoying me doing some more of the cooking.
I've also got an apple pie concoction I want to try, . . . justs trying to figure out how to get it out in one piece, . . . thinking on putting the pie in a pie pan, . . . let everything cool, . . . then pop it out.
May God bless,
Dwight
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Now we need to get you using real wood and real fire.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/cooking%20fires/f5.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/cooking%20fires/f5.jpg.html)
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Del,
How much wood would you estimate you need to get you through an average event?
My best,
Blair
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Depends on how many people I'm feeding and for how many days, just like "how much gas does it take me to get there."
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I realize the "chuck wagon" cook may not care what fuel was available, or how much was needed, as long as it was enough to feed the crew along the drive.
I also know the quality of this fuel could vary greatly depending on the location during the cattle drive. However, the cook should have a pretty good idea, depending on the available fuel, if he was going to have enough to "cook" food for that crew.
I was kind of hopping, with your background and experience in camp cooking you would have some "estimates" and "average duration" might be on the fuel consumptions you have experienced within your background.
Thank you for your reply.
My best,
Blair
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How many, how many meals, what kind of wood, is there going to be people using it for a fire to sit around in the evening, how cold is the average temperature gonna be? Is it going to rain? What are I gonna cook? How windy is it gonna be? Is the wood smaller stuff, is it bigger stuff, if bigger is it split? What species are the trees the wood came from? Is it well seasoned, is it good solid wood.
Exact answers need more exact information, any expert will tell you that.
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Well, . . . If I can get the recipes working, . . . and get my brain accustomed to doing this kind of thing, . . . graduating to real wood is a goal to attain some day ahead.
The pictures are of my prize, . . . my grandmother's "bean pot", . . . the lid is long lost if there ever was one.
She used it for years, . . . cooking in a fireplace, . . . and later on a wood stove.
Yes, . . . how I wish it could talk.
The only mark is on the bottom, . . . an 8, . . .
May God bless,
Dwight
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Dwight, it ain't as hard as the internet commandos will lead you to believe.
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Actually, my grandmother was a very special woman, . . .
If her body had been as strong as her character and her faith, . . . she would have outlived Methusela.
THE biggest two lessons I learned from her were not to be afraid to try something new, . . . and to always keep the faith. I carry one of her letters to this day in my billfold.
Thanks for the encouragement.
May God bless,
Dwight
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And if you think Skippy was bad,never ever never ever get Del riled up,hear tell he keeps a pit full of greased corn cobs fer fire starter! :o :o :-X
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I soak them in coal oil and light em up.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/cooking%20fires/PICT3123.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/cooking%20fires/PICT3123.jpg.html)
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Looks like period correct fire fuel to me!
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Corn cobs have to be grown in a cornfield. Cornfields need farmers, either sodbusters or peons. I suppose cattle drovers could buy corn at the start or along the way. Depending on availability! Local wood may, or may not, have been available in usable quantity
The real PC fuel to a large extent was buffalo chips. When I was reading about the NWMP March West, one point on their route was called "Woodend". When the young and green Mounties asked how the place got its name, the Metis carters said that was where the wood ended! The carters walked beside the track with a sack to gather fuel or the boys were eating cold rations.
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Dusty, . . .
This is not perfect by any means, . . . but it's a bit touched up. Hope you like it.
May God bless,
Dwight
Where is the suspension, and where did the passenger side end of the axle go?
firewood?
:-\
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Corn cobs have to be grown in a cornfield. Cornfields need farmers, either sodbusters or peons. I suppose cattle drovers could buy corn at the start or along the way. Depending on availability! Local wood may, or may not, have been available in usable quantity
Well, wouldn't be PC for a cattle drive.....
But for eastern Nebraska in the 1880's, a lot more correct...
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The chips is one of them that PC should not be used, there is a higher risk of a food borne disease with them, talking with some Ag professors while I work on their hats is a good soucre for knowledge. Something about something that begins with an E.
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That is good advice, especially when there are options and/or alternative today to supplying fuel.
These options and/or alternatives may simply not been available during the cattle drives.
Various forms of dung have been used as fuel for thousands of years.
My best,
Blair
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Pardon me if I left the impression I was recommending buffalo chip briquettes.
I am NOT!
I was addressing the issue of what would be PC for a cattle drive over the arid portions of the plains back in the day.
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Sir Charles,
I very much agree.
However, alternative fuel sources, such as this, are something that should be discussed during such historical programs as hearth, fireplace, camp or chuck wagon style cooking.
Of course this also means someone has to gather this or other fuel, and it is best that the "chips" be a great deal less than "green" or wet.
But then again, any good cook should know the value of the quality and quantity of fuel needed for any given meal he is planning.
My best,
Blair
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I guess if I had known that little bit of historical data, . . . I'd a probably checked it out, . . . found out about a lot of other stuff back then that I wouldn't mess with today.
Thanks for the giggles, guys, . . . makes a cold mid-western snow day go by a bit faster and easier.
May God bless,
Dwight
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Pardon me if I left the impression I was recommending buffalo chip briquettes.
I am NOT!
I was addressing the issue of what would be PC for a cattle drive over the arid portions of the plains back in the day.
I know that, but I do always mention that when the subjecy comes up, you would be surprised how many think it is a good idea.
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http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/health/Cow-poop-repels-mosquitoes-224576671.html
https://www.facebook.com/TheCowPoopLadies
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I would no more suggest using dung as a good idea for a fuel source than I would suggest using water from near by creeks, streams or other water sources.
However, within the time period, people had to use what they had available to them to get the job done at hand.
GCR,
Interesting!
But I believe I would rather use the dryer sheets like you would place in the dryer when washing cloths. This seems to be pretty effective at warding off biting insects.
My best,
Blair
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OK, . . . cooks, . . . grub slingers, . . . when you bake biscuits or corn bread or other bread in a dutch oven, . . . do you use a trivet in the bottom?
And, . . . how in the heck do you do a pie? Cake I can figure, . . . no problem, . . . pie?????
Thanks, may God bless,
Dwight
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No, why use a trivet, just bake those in the oven. Pie, yeah, pie pan and a trivet.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/Pie%20Post/Pie4.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/Pie%20Post/Pie4.jpg.html)
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/Pie%20Post/Pie6.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/Pie%20Post/Pie6.jpg.html)
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Thanks, Delmonico, . . . I did some biscuits the other day, . . . just messing around, . . . bottom was just a tad brown for my liking, thought maybe the trivet would take care of that, . . . got one on order from Amazon.
Also found out that those old coated steel pie pans I salvaged from the scrap heap at a yard sale several years ago, . . . exactly sits down in both of my dutch ovens, . . .
I can see I'll be having fun with this all summer long, . . . if summer ever gets here.
May God bless,
Dwight
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OK, . . . cooks, . . . grub slingers, . . . when you bake biscuits or corn bread or other bread in a dutch oven, . . . do you use a trivet in the bottom?
And, . . . how in the heck do you do a pie? Cake I can figure, . . . no problem, . . . pie?????
Thanks, may God bless,
Dwight
Ya bake Angel Food Cake!But ya don't get none till after bible study~ :P
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Dwight, just put less heat on the bottom next time.
When you get good, do sinner-mon rolls down and dirty. ;)
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Del,you need to find out how to deliver! :'(
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Dwight, put some pebbles in the bottom of your dutch oven and set your pie pan on those
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Rick, I don't think Del's gonna deliver to California, too many yuppies out there.
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Dwight, put some pebbles in the bottom of your dutch oven and set your pie pan on those
Thanks Dan, . . . sometimes the obvious is too close to you. If it had been and electric motor, . . . a tractor engine, . . . i would have thought of it, . . . cooking outdoors is something I'm just getting my feet wet in.
I did see a really neat rig though a cook uses over at the Bill Cody place, . . . and I've got the round stock steel out in the barn just waiting for the weather to warm up enough so I can get to my bender out there.
Got me a 10 qt, white porcelain coffee pot on Ebay last week, . . . now all I need is some decent weather, . . . I'll make up some hooks, . . . get it all set.
May God bless,
Dwight
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Pony Express.................round here a yuppie is any guy with a clean shirt. ;D
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Yuppies are any one who is citified that discovers old time skills us farmer/cowboy/redneck types have been doing all our lives, in 3 months they become experts, give it fancy names, make it more complicated than need be.
They buy 3-5 acres in the country and call themselves Pioneers or Homesteaders, they get a wind generator or solar panels and tell folks they live off the grid and they form Facebook groups for people living off the grid and never see the oxymoron of that.
Pony Express has heard all this around our camp fires between daring tales of brave ducklings and hiding in refurbished chicken coops from hail. ;D
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Oh had one the other day was telling me all about those dutch ovens and how useful they are, in fact he told me he was gonna get him one and try it like his friend does, with modern charcoal outside their motorhome. ::)
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We learned to cook many meals in Dutch Ovens in the Boy Scouts. I can remember one meal was a giant pot pie....was ugly as sin but was very tasty!
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(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/Pot%20pie/PICT0618.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/Pot%20pie/PICT0618.jpg.html)
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Common question on groups, "anyone have a good recipe for a pot pie?"
Yep, make a stew and put a biscuit or pastry crust on top and bake.
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I have just been viewing some of the Jas. Townson & Son videos on 18th Century cooking methods.
This of course predates the Chuck Wagon era and cattle drives by more than a few years.
I am unable to post a direct link to this site. However, an internet search maybe able to help those looking for more info than has been offered so far?
My best,
Blair
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The best way to learn is to jump in and just do it, first lesson in historic cooking is to be sure you can cook in the dang kitchen at home, if you can't, then that is a good place to learn, just watch another 100 hours of the Food Channel. ::)
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(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/Pot%20pie/PICT0618.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/Pot%20pie/PICT0618.jpg.html)
This was how it looked BEFORE the freak wind/hail/rain storm swept through the encampment, when everyone was grabbing /covering everything BUT the cobbler....
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This was how it looked BEFORE the freak wind/hail/rain storm swept through the encampment, when everyone was grabbing /covering everything BUT the cobbler....
That was a chicken pot pie in Kansas in 2006, but yeah, that one was a bit exciting, still don't know where it came from, was't on the radar that nasty a little bit before..
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(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/camp%20gear/mmm%20005_zps5gfzmags.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/camp%20gear/mmm%20005_zps5gfzmags.jpg.html)
More gear to haul around, now I need a folding saw buck.
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I had to look at my hands, . . . yeah, all the blisters have healed up from one of those things.
Brings back some fun memories of a childhood long, long gone, . . .
Thanks for the post,............
May God bless,
Dwight
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I'll get some pictures of it in use this summer. If nothing else if someone shows up and wants to do some demo and don't have anything, it's pretty simple to use if there are 2 of them.
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I noticed you said two of "them", . . .
You didn't say, . . . "two of us".
I can fully appreciate why, . . .
May God bless,
Dwight
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I'll take a few turns with it.
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Suggestion;
Try a bow saw, or a light frame saw.
Both brake down quite nicely for storage and don't require two people to use.
Just a thought?
my best,
Blair
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Suggestion;
Try a bow saw, or a light frame saw.
Both brake down quite nicely for storage and don't require two people to use.
Just a thought?
my best,
Blair
It's called style points and putting on a good show, my wood I really need is always cut for me before I arrive. ::) Along with the axe, the splitting wedges and such, if I have to actually saw wood I'm going to use one of these.
(http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i200/Delmonico_1885/farm/IMAG0025.jpg) (http://s72.photobucket.com/user/Delmonico_1885/media/farm/IMAG0025.jpg.html)
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April 24th 2015
Hollenberg Pony Express Station
I will be doing my first public demonstration on April 24th 2014 at Hollenberg Pony Express Station in north east Kansas. This is a Friday and it’s a day when local school kids are invited to see Living History Demonstrations, but it is also open to the public. I will of course be demonstrating dutch oven cooking using a wood fire to make the coals I will cook with. The plan is to make both biscuits and yeast bread and passing out samples to the visitors.
If there is anyone in the area in the group that would like to come and watch, learn and ask questions please feel free to show up. By clicking on the Wikipedia link and then clicking on the coordinates you can get a map showing where it is or use 39° 54′ 3″ N, 96° 50′ 37″ W in your GPS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollenberg_Pony_Express_Station
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hollenberg-Pony-Express-Station-State-Historic-Site/378499735521516
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In my "messing around" on the internet, . . . I ran across a drawing showing a chuck wagon, . . . had a tent like covering behind it, . . . and they had a small wood stove sitting on the ground, . . . somehow had the stack of the thing going up and looked like it went out through the tent top, . . . maybe behind it, . . . don't know for sure.
Should have got the url, . . . didn't,.............
Any possibility of that being period correct, . . . or just some idea from a drawing dreamer???
Thanks, may God bless,
Dwight
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Round-up camp in cold weather on the Northern Plains, very common, most chuckwagon pictures are from ranches and round-ups.
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There are several systems of cooking and/or preparing Government food stuffs that predate the ACW.
Each system will depend on the number of men and the type of food intended to be prepared.
There are photos from the ACW that show some of these systems in use. A little research on the net should help find these.
I am sorry to say that I do not have any of the direct contacts to these photos for their set up and usage.
All use some form of stove piping to help carry away the smoke, well above those using that system of cooking rations while in the field.
After the ACW, many of these systems became available to the civilian market, along with things like wagons and other Government goods.
I hope this might help.
My best,
Blair
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I built one like this design, for our Cavalry Company Mess ....
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Stoves though most likely were never taken on trail drives, ever try to load up a hot cast iron stove? Me either and I don't want to.
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nor deal with the weight ...Stoves as I showcased, were in camped , wintered or billeted....
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Or in the Black Hills of your name was Custer.