Need a recipe from Del

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

How would you prepare backstrap of wore out Army horse?

http://www.antiquephotographics.com/images/ForSale/Expeditions/exp28.jpg

[Silver Creek Slim]

ROTFL 

Slim

[Delmonico]

That's September of 1876 somewhere north of the Black Hills, Crook was tryin' ta catch the fellers that whooped on him and Custer. 

I bet if I had a few onions, some turnips, parsnips, a few taters and carrots I could make us a fine meal out that horse loin.  Would like a little salt and pepper, a few slices of bacon or salt pork would help, cause I bet there is little fat marbled in the meat.

Could marinate it a few days and make a sauerbraten, that would tenderize it.

Don't think I'd want ta grill it, it might be a bit tough that was, moist, low heat would be the way to go.

Could smoke it lightly and slow cook in the dutch oven.  When the meat was startin' ta fall apart we could and the Bar BQ sauce of the region of yer choice.  I'd guess Capt. would want somethin' not sweet at all and a bit spicy, maybe even a hint of vinegar.  Course when the meat had fallen apart we could serve it on homemade sourdogh buns and have "pulled horse samwhiches."

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Mighty glad you responded when you did - was just gettin' ready to grill it over a smoky fire of buffalo chips.

[Delmonico]

Was often used for smokin' and grillin' many considered is better than hickory if properly dry.  I got an idea to try some of the chips for cookin' just to say I'd done it.  Talked to one of the bioligists I kinda know at G&P.  He said no, don't.  Even in the competely dry ones there is a risk of the big E, think his last name is Coli.  Had planned on doin' it at the State Fair on one of the days of Labor Day weekend it the trials had worked. 

Even had a source found for a mix of buffalo and Longhorn. 

Was I right bout the Bar BQ sauce? 

[Uncle Eph]

I used to eat horse a couple times a week back in the 70s, during the great meat shortage.  I was was living in Portland Oregon and there was a butcher shop that carried it.  I fed the wife and no good inlaws for quite some time until wifey found the sales slip one day, she left on the next east bound stage .  I have always had a soft spot for horse meat after that.

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Was often used for smokin' and grillin' many considered is better than hickory if properly dry.  I got an idea to try some of the chips for cookin' just to say I'd done it.  Talked to one of the bioligists I kinda know at G&P.  He said no, don't.  Even in the competely dry ones there is a risk of the big E, think his last name is Coli.  Had planned on doin' it at the State Fair on one of the days of Labor Day weekend it the trials had worked. 

Even had a source found for a mix of buffalo and Longhorn. 

Was I right bout the Bar BQ sauce? 

I've gotten to where I smoke most of my meats (brisket, ribs, chicken, etc.), using a dry rub (applied the night before) and baste with a sop (wine vinegar, some of the dry rub, garlic, minced onion, black pepper, some oil, and beer) throughout the smoking process.  Usually takes 4 hrs for chicken on up to 10-12 hrs for a brisket.  My homemade smoker uses indirect heat  225 - 250 degrees (separate firebox).  With that said, although I provide an assortment of BBQ sauces for guests, I prefer to not use anything that will cover up the flavor imparted by the rub/mop and the mesquite, pecan, or liveoak smoke.

Now, for meats that aren't cooked on my smoker, you hit the nail on the head with your sauce - might even want to use a bit of habanero in it.

[Delmonico]

Had a interestin' conversation with a fella from work one day, he's from Texas and was complain' none of the Bar BQ places arund here really knew how to make Bar BQ, even the little hole in the wall places.  I told him what he wanted and what was wrong in his mind with the Local style. 

Had ta 'splain ta him the differences in regions and the styles, around here most is KC style, sweet sauces and not much heat.  I have been playin' latley with the NC style rubs and sauces and am gettin' fond of the mustardy types as a change.

If ya ever get a chance ta get an apricot tree, try it, the best wood in my opinion.  Never tried pecan, some oaks are ok but our common native red and burr oak I don't like.  Never cared much fer mesquite, fact I got a joke bout mooskeet, tounge is cheek of course.

Mooskeet is Texas's way fer revenge fer carpet baggers, sell their Great Great Grandchildren (Yuppies) their pasture weeds.     Shh! I don't tell the Yuppies!

[El Peludo]

Hmm!  Never tried no cayuse; always heard it was really tough.  Must have been the way it was done up.  Of course, I heard the same thing about bear meat, but I have partaken of two bear roasts that were about a succulent as anything I ever did eat.

Say, Capt., your taste and mine are ridin' the same horse.  Your description of what you use to marinade and baste could'a been writ down from a'watchin' me set out a cookin' session.  I do tend to experiment a lot, though, and am always addin' or deleting something, just to see what it will taste like.  But, the basics stay pretty much the same all the time; I don't use a recipe, though, just some of this and some of that, so it is always a bit different from one time to the next.

[Uncle Eph]

El Peludo, funny that you use the term Cayuse, because looking out my back door you can almost see the site of thier downfall: The Whitman Mission, of course I am talkin' abput the the Cayuse Tribe and not the pony that is named after them.

when I use to serve horse meat to the family it was always roasts or stewmeat and cooked slow.

[Delmonico]

Stopped at my neighborhood Sun-Mart tonight, they had no horse in tha' meat counter.  The did have some ground buffalo though fer $2.79 a pound.  Bought a 1.81 pound package of it, enough fer 3 burgers.   Went with fad diet tonight, left off the bread, melted a 1/2 pound of cheese on them and et em plain.   Was right nice. (sorry low carb ta me means ya can get the hood closed with out havin' ta add a scoop )

Next time I'm over there in the day durin' the week I might have ta ask Mike the meat manager if'n he can get me some horse meat.  He understands these things.

To those who don't read "The Shootist" my advice I've mentioned a couple of times in "From the Chuckwagon" is, "if your local grocery store don't have a friendly butcher, find one that does."

[Capt. Hamp Cox]

Christmas Dinner Menu
Camp Desolation, 1848

Recorded by Thomas E. Breckenridge, member of Colonel John Fremonts 4th expedition west.

Soup:        Fried Mule    Mule Chops   Boiled  Mule   Stewed Mule
   Boiled Mule      Scrambled Mule   Shirred Mule   French Fried Mule   Minced Mule
   Damned Mule   Mule on Toast (without toast)     Short ribs of Mule with Apple Sauce
   (without Apple Sauce)   

Beverages:   Snow   Snow Water   Water
      
"It really makes no difference how our meat was cooked. It was still the same ould mule".

****Note: He might have been exaggerating

[El Peludo]

****Note: He might have been exaggerating

I wouldn't be too sure about that, Marshal.  My Great-Grandmother traveled from Iowa to the Indian Territory in a conestoga in the late 1880's, and she told stories of some pretty severe privation and hardship.

I was sure lucky to have had the opportunity to grow up with true pioneer Grandparents.  The stories they told -----------!!!

[Delmonico]

He should a known better than ta go trapissing round the country bein' lead by a polytition.

Fremont Newbrassky is named after John C.  They have a John C. Fremont days every year, I skeered ta go, "The Great Pathfinder" might get us lost and we'd starve ta death.

[Ol Gabe]

...and baste with a sop...

The wifey & I watch a lot of FOOD CHANNEL of an evening, there is always crap on everything else except HISTORY, DISCOVERY and A&E, doncha know, and we always see the boys from Down South (every place below the Mason-Dixon Line, that is) 'basting' BBQ or smoked goodies with what looks like a mop from the basement, is this what you mean by 'sop'? I understand the concept, getting the goody on the meat with a long-handled utensil, but it always looks like they are wasting all the sauce! Please 'splain it to this Iowegian who only grills on home-grown, hand-cut Walnut, Cherry, Apple and Oak.
Best regards and good eatin'!
'Ol Gabe

[Delmonico]

Ok, ya all asked fer it, yer gonna get the "History of -BQ" as told by Delmonico.

Now grilling and drowned meat in some sort of sauce is not reall -bq, but that is what most call it it.

But they are similar and have evolved from the same roots, so now for the roots.

Grilling (or -bq) was invented by a Neanderthal Man by a near miss of lightning while he was coming home from a successful hunt. After he went and changed his fur he came back and the woolly mammoth he was bringing home was slightly burnt. They family loved it and shared it with 1000 of their friends. This went over so well that Gronk started a chain of  -bq eatin caves. These caves had pictures of the common animals of the area, one just pointed to the species one wanted and the piece. (such as a horse's a**, er I mean ham.

These pictures have bothered sicentist types since they were first found. So if ther are any acheyoligists, or is it arkeoooligist, er folks who dig up dead folks out there, that is why the pictures are on the walls of caves.