Circling the wagons of culinary history

Many people do not know what it was like to live and cook in the 1800s, but chuckwagon competitions bring a taste of the old life style back for people to experience and enjoy. The chuckwagon concept was invented by an Amarillo area rancher and former Texas Ranger named Charles Goodnight in the 1870s. Hogan said Goodnight turned an old Army wagon into a chuckwagon because he saw the need for a transportable kitchen on long cattle drives. A chuckwagon includes eccentric features on the outside, like authentic hooks, barrels and a chuck box full of cooking supplies located on the back of it, Hogan said. During chuckwagon competitions participants camp out and cook on a weekend like people did in the 1800s. Hogan and his partner, Greg Allen, of Rome, have gone to many chuckwagon competitions throughout the years. “(The competitors) cannot use anything during the competition that wasn’t from the 1870s. If they didn’t have it back then, we can’t use it,” he said. Some of the cooking supplies chuckwagon competitor’s use include a cast iron Dutch oven, a small bean pot and an old coffee pot. Competition organizers give each team the same kind and amount food for each wagon. “We take dry wood with us, so we can make a fire on Fridays and then use the coals to warm up our Dutch ovens for our cooking competition on Saturdays,” he said. Around noon on Fridays at the competitions, two or three judge’s evaluate each wagon, Hogan said. The judges look for authenticity on the outside of the wagon and at whether the wagon is in good shape and is usable, he explained...read more