Tour of a Chuck Box

Here is a introduction to the chuck box and a little cowboy history. This presentation was given during filming for the show "Common Ground" on PBS. Chuckwagon cooks were able to produce quite a bit of food under some pretty adverse conditions. It's no wonder they had the reputation of being a little out of sorts most of the time.

Kitchen Gizmo of the Month.

Mrs. Kinney's Steam Cooker

Here is a very scarce Mrs. Kinney's Steam Cooker. The patent number for this specimen is 533,818 with the patent belonging to S.W. & C.A. Kinney of St. Louis, Missouri. This steamer stands 16 1/4" high and has a diameter of 9 1/2". It is constructed like a tall cylinder with bracket and hook assemblies to hold two shelves. Water would be boiled in the bottom of the steamer and circulated throughout to cook the food. Due to the nature of the cooking process it is difficult to find these in a condition this good. The only rusted area is at the top of the cooker near the hinge - the rest of the cooker is very clean. This would make a great addition to any vintage kitchen collection and is quite a conversation piece.

Sourdough Bread

This is a recipe for basic sourdough bread. If you don’t have a pizza stone flip a cookie sheet upside down and pre heat it in your 375° oven. Give the top of the pan a sprinkle with cornmeal to prevent the bread from sticking.

Sponge:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup sourdough starter
2 cups all purpose or bread flour

Bread:
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt

Mix sponge ingredients. Stir well, place in a nonmetal bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until mix is bubbly, about 8 - 12 hours.

To make bread, add flour and salt to the fermenting sponge. Knead dough for about 10 minutes until elastic, or until the dough bounces back when poked. Let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk. Punch down the dough knead lightly a few more times to get the remaining gas out. Divide dough in half and form into loaves. Place on a well greased cookie sheet and let rest until double in bulk. Slash the top gently with a very sharp knife and transfer, with a peel, to the pre heated pizza stone in the 375° oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until crust is nicely browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger.

Punchin' Dough

Songs about food are always fun and it seems that most of them are rather silly things.  Here is great old tune that borrowed the melody from "Sweet Betsy From Pike".


Punchin' Dough


Come, all you young waddies, I'II sing you a song
Stand back from the wagon, stay where you belong
I've heard you observin' I'm fussy and slow,
While you're punchin' the cattle and I'm punchin' dough.


Now I reckon your stomach would grow to your back
If it wa'n't for the cook that keeps fillin' the slack
With the beans in the box and the pork in the tub
I'm a-wonderin' now, who would fill you with grub?


You think you're right handy with gun and with rope
But I've noticed you're bashful when usin' the soap
When you're rollin' your Bull for your brown cigarette
I been rollin' the dough for them biscuits you et.


When you're cuttin' stock, then I'm cuttin' a steak,
When you're wranglin' hosses, I'm wranglin' a cake.
When you're hazin' the dogies and battin' your eyes,
I'm hazin' dried apples that aim to be pies.


You brag about shootin' up windows and lights,
But try shootin' biscuits for twelve appetites;
When you crawl from your roll and the ground it is froze,
Then who biles the coffee that thaws out your nose?


In the old days the punchers took just what they got
It was sow-belly, beans, and the old coffee pot;
But now you come howlin' for pie and for cake,
Then you cuss at the cook for a good bellyache.


You say that I'm old, with my feet on the skids
Well, I'm tellin' you now that you're nothin' but kids
If you reckon your mounts are some snaky and raw,
Just try ridin herd on a stove that won't draw.


When you look at my apron, you're readin' my brand
Four-X, which is sign for the best in the land
On bottie or sack it sure stands for good luck,
So line up, you waddies, and wrangle your chuck.


No use to your snortin' and fightin' your head
If you like it with chili, just eat what I said:
For I aim to be boss of this end of the show
While you're punchin' cattle and I'm punchin' dough

Sourdough Starter

When we hear the word sourdough it brings to mind the delicious crispy crusted breads from San Francisco, or the hearty pancakes so loved in the Yukon, even a grouchy chuck wagon cook loading up a Dutch oven with biscuits during a cattle drive. More than likely, the word sourdough brings to mind the words “too complicated for me”. Sourdough is actually fairly easy to work with and nowhere near as fussy as people believe.The earliest accounts of sourdough can be traced back to Egypt around 3000 B.C. and it has been used continuously since then. Sourdough is the oldest form of leavening agent and consists of flour, water, a harmless bacteria (lactobacillus) and wild yeast. When combined and allowed to mature, the mixture will ferment and form a starter that can be used in a great variety of recipes. Because of the differences in wild yeasts in varied locations each sourdough culture is unique onto itself and will develop it's own distinct flavor. When properly taken care of, a sourdough culture can last for over a hundred years and can be used on a regular basis. Sourdough is known for it's slightly acidic or tangy flavor and can not be beat for making hearty sandwiches, biscuits and pancakes. This recipe may seem rather involved but it really only takes a few minutes a day.

Sourdough Starter


Fresh culture on day one.

On day one, Combine ½ cup bread flour in ½ cup of lukewarm, non chlorinated, water in a non metallic crock or bowl. Add 1/2 tsp. of honey and beat by hand to mix. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place, 65 -70 degrees, to sour for 2 to 3 days or until there is some evidence of activity in the way of little bubbles.

On day 3,
Discard half of the leaven culture and then add and mix in 1 cup of non chlorinated water and 1 cup of bread flour.
On day 4

Repeat the procedure for day 3



Culture has matured and is ready to use

  On day 5,You will notice that your sourdough will have become active and will be nearly ready to use as a starter sponge for bread recipes. It will have a mild beer like quality to its aroma. After the mixture has reached the desired sourness it can be kept in the refrigerator. If at any point in the life of your starter you notice that it has developed a pink color dispose the starter and begin again.

This sourdough starter can be used as a leavening agent in any sourdough recipe. When using the starter to create a sponge for a recipe simply replace the amount of starter used with equal amounts of flour and non chlorinated water. The consistency of the sourdough in the recipe will be comparable to a pudding after the first mixing. The starter will increase in mass as it ferments.
If your starter sits idle for a while you will notice that it will develop a clear, beer like liquid. This doesn't hurt anything and is part of the process. If your starter mixture seems dry the liquid can be incorporated back into the starter or the liquid can be poured out of the mixture. You be the judge.

The Chuck Wagon

It would be difficult to cover Old West Cooking with out giving an introduction to the chuck wagon.  Probably more than anything else the chuck wagon symbolizes what culinary trends were like in the old west.  Below is a brief history I borrowed from my website.

In the early days of the great trail drives the cowhand had to make do with what he could carry with him.  This caused some rather hungry, uncomfortable times on the trail.  Texas rancher Charles Goodnight saw an opportunity to fill this basic need and in 1866 created the prototype for the chuck wagon. 

Goodnight rebuilt an army surplus Studebaker wagon for his creation. The Studebaker was a sturdy wagon with steel axles that could withstand trail drives that could last up to 5 months. Goodnight designed and added a chuck box and boot to the rear of his wagon and this became the prototype for all the chuck wagons that followed. The chuck box was comprised of a number of shelves and drawers to hold what the cook would need over the course of the day. Once the hinged lid was dropped down to serve as a work surface the cook had everything he needed within easy reach. The boot carried the Dutch ovens and other cooking utensils the cook would need to provide hot meals for ten or more cowboys on long trail drives. A water barrel large enough to hold two days' water supply was attached to the side of the wagon along with an assortment of tool and catch-all boxes, hooks, brackets and the vital coffee grinder. Naturally, wood for cook fires is scarce on the prairie. By suspending a canvas beneath the wagon in hammock fashion the cook had a convenient container for any fuel he collected during each day's move. The wagon box was used to carry the cowboys' bedrolls and personal effects as well as bulk food supplies, feed for the horses and what ever else the crew felt was needed. In some cases a second "hoodlum" wagon was used to carry the gear and supplies of large crews. It was not uncommon to hear a cowboy say that he worked for a "wagon" as opposed to a particular ranch.

A well supplied chuck wagon contained an amazing assortment of goods and possibles needed for a long trail drive.  Not only did the wagon have to carry food supplies and cooking utensils, it had to carry the cowboy bed rolls and personal effects as well.  Considering the average wagon box was around 10 feet long and only 38-40 inches wide packing and unpacking must have been a science in itself.  It's no wonder cousies had a reputation for being a little on edge most of the time.