How was hard tack made?

[GunClick Rick]

I was watching that movie with Dean Martin and they were eating hardtack,stirring it in coffee,had alot of great actors in it.

[Shotgun Franklin]

It's in the very back of the 'Dixie Gun Works' catalog. There's tons of good info on stuff.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Jes GOOGLIT!!!

[Delmonico]

Flour, water and a little salt, make into a stiff dough, roll cut, bake in a medium hot oven till browned and dry.

[GunClick Rick]

Sort of like a bisquit? Did it have some kind of sorgum or somethin on it?

[GunClick Rick]

I'll be darn,i googlit

http://users.lmi.net/mcm20me/20th_Maine/CompG/research/hardtack.htm

[Pay Dirt Norvelle]

I used the receipe to make some once and it came out pretty good.  It was just like the real stuff and I used some of the left over hardtack to patch the exterior of my house. 

[Delmonico]

It ain't for wimps.

[Rowdy Fulcher]

Howdy
I guess hardtack was the EARLY MRE"s .

[St. George]

The Army issued Hardtack, un-ground Coffee, Raw Bacon, 'sometimes' a condiment, but most salt and pepper and sugar was purchased from a sutler or locally, and if not purchased - 'recquisitioned'.

The 'tack was often eaten crumbled and fried in bacon grease - making a dish called 'Slumgullion'.

Intestinal distress ran rampant.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

PS - when you make it - punch about 16 holes through, and you'll pretty much have the Army-Issue 'Hardbread'.

[GunClick Rick]

I was lookin fer somethin better to brush my teeth with,hardtack may just do

[GunClick Rick]

Hear tell "ats what them fellers called Delmonicos bisquits and gravy~'Slumgullion' On real windy days they would take the left overs and smear them on thier hat bands,if your hat blew off it took a circle of hair with it

[santee]

Gave my wife one of these hard tack recipes and she makes it for her second graders. They actually like it. Right out of the oven it ain't bad. A week later....that's a different story.

[GunClick Rick]

"err ya go agin,neva kin sastify ya~

I have teeth like stumpy,i'd have to soak them really good..

[Old Top]

Rick,

Just soak them at the same time you soak your teeth

[GunClick Rick]

 

[PJ Hardtack]

A member of our re-enactment group actually used some of his homemade hardtack biscuits to drive nails into a pine board at an event. Busted up, t'ain't bad stuff in soup, stews, etc.

We used to get some sort of biscuit in our ration packs that I mixed with Bully Beef for a quick 'hash'. Sure beat the tummy growlin's.

[Pitspitr]

PS - when you make it - punch about 16 holes through, and you'll pretty much have the Army-Issue 'Hardbread'.

I made a "cookie cutter" that cut the bisket and punched the holes all at once. Mine never turned out quite right. They got tough but never got hard.

Fort Hartusff bought some from Bent's one time about 10 or 11 years ago to sell in the gift shop. I bought some and put them in my haversack...and they're mostly still there. I got hungry one time and tried eating one. In spite of their age they look the same as the day I put them in there.

[Guns Garrett]

We had a form of it still, in our C-Rats - round to fit the can, but actually a little lighter and not as hard as "Army Bread".  Old time sailors had their version as well.  Both soldiers and sailors often got a little extra "treat" inside...

[pony express]

We had a form of it still, in our C-Rats - round to fit the can, but actually a little lighter and not as hard as "Army Bread".  Old time sailors had their version as well.  Both soldiers and sailors often got a little extra "treat" inside...

Those actually were'nt too bad, when you had some of the jelly to go with them. Harder than most commercial crackers, but no where near the reputation of hard tack. And since they were in a can, they could be stored for years and years without mold, unlike the origional version.

But some of the other C-rat stuff, like the canned fruitcake..........