chuckwagon vittles

chuckwagon vittles

McElmo Canyon ranch wrangles the competition in N.M.
Canyon Trails Ranch cooking crew (from left) Bill Vicary, Kristie Karriker, Rodney Karriker and Martin Winslow stand by their award-winning chuckwagon.

chuckwagon vittles

Canyon Trails Ranch cooking crew (from left) Bill Vicary, Kristie Karriker, Rodney Karriker and Martin Winslow stand by their award-winning chuckwagon.
Chuckwagon speak

The chuckwagon was the social gathering, meeting and eating spot for cowboys on the trails. These are just a few of the terms and sayings of chuckwagon vernacular.

Cookie — chuckwagon chef

Chuck — food

Chuck box- —place where the food is stored on the wagon

Boot — place where cooking utensils and dutch ovens were kept

Wreck or Roundup pan — pan the cowboys placed their dirty dishes

Squirrel can — large can for food scraps

Man at the pot — when a man got up to refill his coffee cup someone would yell “man at the pot” a way of asking to pour him a cup too

Cow grease — butter

Hen fruit — eggs

Airtights — canned goods

Texas butter — gravy made from steak grease and flour

Stacked to a fill — compliment to the chef on a great meal

Arbuckle’s axle grease — Arbuckle was a brand of coffee most used on the range, axle grease is referred to how strong it is.

Gut robber, greasy belly, biscuit shooter — cowboys names for the ranch house and the trail cook.