Hearty meals fueled the cowboys working the frontier decades ago and the Bar U Ranch will honour the importance of the chuckwagon to Alberta’s ranching history on June 12.
The annual Chuckwagon Cook-Off returns to the ranch with 10 teams of two whipping up traditional stews and homemade biscuits for a pair of judges and visitors to the ranch.
Leo Maynard of Cluny is an experienced hand at the practice of cooking frontier style over an open flame and he is retuning to the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site for the competition in search of the coveted People’s Choice award.
In order to win over the judges Maynard said he has to get the food right and to do so one has to know his or her way around traditional cooking devices such as Dutch ovens.
“They are heavy cast iron kettles and they come in different sizes,” he explained “They’ll eventually grow a patina (tarnish) inside if you use them right and don’t wash them with soap.”
When worked right Maynard said a Dutch oven could become a non-stick cook piece that you can depend upon. The 75-year-old explained he’s obtained more than a few of them over the years.
“I’ve been be able to put together a good collection of Dutch ovens,” Maynard said. “That’s one of the things I do. I like having that cast iron cookware.”
Maynard said open range cooking is his hobby and it’s something he does not only for competitions or organized demonstrations but at his home as well. The cowboy chef’s experience paid off last year. He headed up the winning team in both the judge’s and People’s Choice awards at the Chuckwagon Cook-Off at the Bar U last year.
He made it clear which recognition means more to him in this type of cooking event.
“If I’m in a competition I really don’t give a damn about the judges,” he said. “Everybody has a different taste and if one of them doesn’t like the taste of my stew then that’s all right. The one they give out for the fan favourite that’s the one I like to come home with.”
Maynard said he enjoys comparing notes, enjoying a beverage and just plain chatting with the other cook-off participants. He said he’s also got used to the continual string of ranch visitors who come by his cooking station.
“They have got their noses in your pot all day long,” Maynard said. “That’s just part of the deal. I don’t mind telling them a story or two. I think there should be some entertainment for the people who stop by.”
A food contest may sound a little mundane compared to the other ranching events at the Bar U Ranch throughout the summer, but Deb Pigeon, administrative assistant for the ranch, said the cook-off has quickly become a crowd pleaser.
“This is our third year for it and it’s been very popular,” she said. “It has settled in as one of our main events at Bar U.”
The competition harkens back to days when food was served out of covered wagons and prepared outdoors for hungry settlers and ranch hands working the land.
This year each team will be given four pounds of stew meat they’ll need to dress up with their own vegetables, broths and secret spices.
During the cook-off each team will spend a lot of time tending to their cowboy style vittles Pigeon explained.
“Cooking starts at 11 a.m. and then they are basically cooking throughout the day,” she said. “Then at 3 o’clock we have the judging.”
Once the judges have their taste of the stews, spectators are invited to line up and sample the food so they can fill out a ballot and determine this year’s people’s choice award winner.
Besides the pioneer style chow, Pigeon said other events at the Bar U Ranch on June 12 will include live entertainment and wagon rides.
“We’ll have the Gitter’s Pub band playing for us,” she said. “They are called Gitter’s Critters. They’ll be playing music throughout the afternoon at roundup camp where the cook-off is held. We’ll also have wagon rides and all the regular programming that takes place at the historic buildings throughout the site.”
For information on the Bar U Ranch including hours of operation and driving directions go to www.friendsofthebaru.com
