CAAMADOR-L Archives

From: w terrell <>
Subject: [CAAMADOR-L] Fw: Re: Fw: Aunt Charlotte's book (the great barbacues of the 1850's)
Date: Sat, 8 May 1999 22:17:14 -0500

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Edward A. Black, Sr. [& Ruth M. Black]" <>
To: w terrell <>
Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 12:50:26 -0700
>From Win for your pleasure:

> --------- Forwarded message ----------
> From:
> To:
> Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 01:48:04 EDT
> Subject: Aunt Charlotte's book (the great barbacues of the 1850's)
> Message-ID: <>
>
> My Father was a friendly man. He liked his neighbors and liked
to see
> them around him. Mr. Sawyer was like him and they enjoyed being
together.
> As
> soon as things became a bit easier for us and our herd of cattle had
> increased to where a fat beef would be spared now and then. Mr. sawyer
> and
> Father would give a barbecue. Sometimes other neighbors would go in
with
> them, so maybe three or four fat beeves would be donated to the feast.
> Everyone from far and near would be asked, even the Indians were told
to
> come.
>
> The people who came brought whatever they wanted to and ate by
> themselves or spread out their dinner on a big community table and
> everyone
> helped himself. The families giving the party, furnished the meat.
>
> Real barbecued meat was a great delicacy and had a flavor that
was
> all its own. It was cooked in a deep pit and took a long time.
>
> The pit was dug several days before the time set for the feast.
The
> size of course, depended upon the size of the beef or number of beeves
to
> be
> roasted. Large rocks were thrown into the pit and a roaring fire built
on
> top
> of them. For three days and nights the fire was kept going. The night
> watches
> were kept by our boys and boys from neighboring homes. As likely as not
> daylight would find twenty five or thirty boys telling stories or
nodding
> by
> the bonfire. And so the big fire was kept going till the earth was hot
> for
> yards around the pit and the rocks at the bottom of it were at a white
> heat,
> and the smaller stones piled around the opening of the pit were also
red
> and
> glowing.
>
> Cutting up the beef to barbecue is rather a nice trick, just
exactly
> the right proportions of lean and fat, and exactly the right size to
each
>
> piece. Then it had to seasoned and packed into clean canvas bags,
twenty
> five
> or thirty pounds to a bag. Old Uncle Ene' Williams knew all about that
> part
> of it, so he would always come from across the hills and superintend
the
> cooking. When the canvas bags were filled and sewed so tightly that no
> particle of ash could sift in, the fire was drawn from the pit with
long
> handled hoes and a blistering task it was. Then the hot rocks at the
> bottom
> of the pit were covered with leaves and the bags of meat were thrown
in.
> More
> leaves covered it and the hot rocks at the mouth of the pit were
shoveled
> on
> top. Then the earth was filled in till it was five or six feet deep.
>
> Then everybody went home and left it to itself, there was
nothing
> more to do to it for twenty four or thirty six hours, (according to the
> size
> of the barbecue). If a number of beeves were to be roasted, it might
take
>
> several pits to hold all and cook it properly.
>
> About ten O'clock of the day of the feast, men would start to
throw
> out the top earth, but leaving the last shovels full till everything
else
> was
> ready and the tables set and loaded with good things. At last the bags
> were
> taken out and the meat, waxy, brown and juicy and piping hot would be
> turned
> out into dishpans and tubs and carried to the tables. Then someone
would
> say
> Grace and everyone would eat all he could, knowing full well that there
> would
> be a nice piece of meat to take home to the ones who could not come.
>
> I have known of as many as five beeves being killed for one of
those
> dinners. Even the Indians from away over on the Grande Ronde came,
> squaws,
> papooses, hungry dogs and all, and everyone had all he wanted.
>
> These great dinners were usually held on the river bank under
the
> shade of the big old fir trees and everything seemed so fresh and the
air
> so
> sweet.
>
> In the afternoon women would gather about in little groups and
visit
> with each other. The men and boys would run foot races and jump to see
> who
> could jump the farthest, or lift great weights to show their strength.
>
> We smaller children played tag and drop the handkerchief or
other
> equally fascinating games. Then everyone went home, glad that he had
> been
> there and we were glad that they had come. My Father and Mr. Sawyer
loved
>
> those parties and for many years they gave one every summer.
>
> Walt Davies
> Monmouth, OR

--

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• [CAAMADOR-L] Fw: Re: Fw: Aunt Charlotte's book (the great barbacues of the 1850's) by w terrell <>