Dodge City, Longton, a Steak Order, and Legal Jurisdiction

[Ole Granny]

I don't have a local butcher shop. [/quote]


Another reason to visit Elk County.

[Diane Amberg]

 Herman's Meat Market is indeed a local treasure and we do treat him very well. He will special order and special cut and even age beef, if you order well ahead of time. At Christmas and Thanksgiving, people are lined up out the door to pick up their orders, but most know each other so waiting is no problem.  

[Teresa]

Marshal and I have a good friend who is a "Cosie".. a period correct cook. His alias name is Delmonico.
  He goes to all the shoots and does all the cooking for everyone in cast iron around a campfire.He has had as many as 12 kettles going at a time.. plus hot coffee and tea are simmering on the fire around the clock. Pretty impressive what he does and it's no easy task! Lots of hard work. But the food is melt in your mouth good.
He does it all too folks! Bread , meat, potatoes.. breakfast.. desserts.. and it is all made right there outside .
I was in high heaven watching him work the weekend I got to be with him.

He is a moderator on the "Cosie's Kitchen" board  our other website CasCity.. so I will swing over there and ask him to ride over here and answer this.. If he can..

[Diane Amberg]

 We took a long group trail ride at Estes Park Co. once and their cook did a meal for us that way. I was very impressed at how he could do it all over that open fire. The area smelled wonderful between the pines and the campfire.The local chipmunks came to beg.   

[Delmonico]

Well Teresa I am here, thank's for the kind words, but I have had 15 ovens going at once with out the help of Gopher Grease, a moment of insanity.

One thing to remember about the times, a lot of beef was not aged, like we do today, so in the summer the local butcher shop butchered about every other day.  A cammon root celler will do a lot to keeping meat cool.  Also by not cutting up the carcass till it was needed also helped a lot.

Meat that would not be sold before spoilage was either salted and dried making the dried or as we often call it "chipped beef."  They salted it and dried it beyond what is done most times today, if this is unsliced it will keep for months or even a couple years if kept cool.  Just like a country ham, it may mold a bit on the outside, but that is easily cut off.

Also any extra was often put in barrels of a brine and Potassium Nitrate solution, making "Corned Beef,' most corned beef today is brisket, but any cut could be "corned."   This was often sold along with the dried beef to travelers or even shipped elsewhere on the Rail roads for sale.

Also ice houses were used to keep meat and other things cool to prevent spoilage.  By the late 1860's there were ice plants in larger towns which could not get good sources of natural ice in the winter, also these were common along major RR's because the ice powered refrigerator car came into being at this time and these needed lots of ice in the summer.

I hope this helps clear up the mystery's on the steaks and such, also yes hamburger was around, but in an era of hand cranked grinders is was most often made of sirloin and was an expensive meal, often called "Hamburg Steak" after the popularity of it in the town of Hamburg Germany, out term hamburger comes from that.

The famous Delmonico's Resteraunt in New York City in the time period served Hamburg steak and charged more for an 8 oz one than a 24 oz Porter House. 

BTW my Avatar picture was taken in Kansas, last Aug at the Hollenburg Pony Express Station, the last one on the trail before it passed into Newbrassky and they stopped at the more famous Rock Creek Station.  I will be at Hollenburg the last Sunday in Aug again if anyone would like to see this type of cooking in action

[Delmonico]

Here is something else to wonder about.

On June 22, 1871, the editor of the Howard County Ledger (Longton) noted in an editorial item that Robinson's General Store of Longton had received a large shipment of oranges and lemons.

I wonder what condition the citrus was in when received at the general store and wonder what condition it was in when purchased by the consumer.

Ok, I'm back, when ya get tired of me just sic Teresa on my, but this is right in my study. 

The oranges and lemons came from California, most likely in one of the refrigerator cars that had been sent from Chicago or KC with dressed beef.  It was better to send it back with something than empty.  It most likely would have traveled on the UP to some place that they could get a connection the AT&SF and then they would have been shipped down that line to points that wanted them along the way.  In a few years the AT&SF would extent to near the little town of Los Angles and then they could be shipped directly from there.  The fruit should have came through in good condition.

[kdfrawg]

Thanks, Delmonico!

Good information.

[flo]

enjoyed reading your post, Delmonico - sounds like you really enjoy what you do and know what you are doing.   Love your outfit -

[Wilma]

Delmonico is a new member today.  You might want to welcome him aboard.  I have tried to tell him how nice everybody is, then I caught up on the Chuckles thread.  I am not sure he is going to believe me.

[Teresa]

Thanks Del... I appreciate it.
I guess I will have to sneak over to CasCity when everyone is asleep and take some of your information and post it here.

Don't worry.. I will tell them where it came from..and that I stole it!
If these cinnamon rolls come out that I have raising right now..  I think I'll be able to sweet talk the Marshal into not throwing me into jail..
Maybe.....