J Bar D team wins cookoff

After weathering a severe West Texas storm, the J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo bested 15 other teams to win the 19th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 28.

Officials with the Saints’ Roost Museum, which sponsors the event, said they fed about 600 people at the cookoff, compared to more than 700 people last year when 17 wagons competed.

The J Bar D, led by head cook Don Johnson, won the champion bean pot after earning the first place wagon and camp, fourth place overall cooking, first place potatoes, and fourth place bread.

The sixth annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew 14 contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. Darcie Hunsaker from Clarendon won first place and was teamed with the Wagon Rangers Team.

Ethan Babcock of Clarendon was second with the C4B Team, and Boe Boedeker from Lockney was third with the CO Ranch Team.

Following the Junior Cookoff, 160 people enjoyed a delicious steak dinner Friday night on the museum grounds, 40 less than the year before.

The invitation-only event was held exclusively for Chuckwagon teams and members of the Museum and their families. Immediately following the Friday evening meal, a terrible storm hit Clarendon, ripped several chuckwagon flies, and delayed the next day’s cookoff by one hour.

The trade show was held throughout the day Saturday, and live entertainment was provided. Museum tours were led by the Clarendon High School Junior Historians. Relatives of Chuckwagon inventor Charles Goodnight also were present for their annual reunion.

The 16 wagons served a menu of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, beans, and cobbler. Prizes totaling $3,250 were paid out to the winners.

Complete results were:

Overall Wagon & Cooking: 1) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo.

Overall Cooking: 1) Rising W Chuckwagon of Happy, 2) HX Ranch of Lubbock, 3) Crosstimbers Ranch of Mustang, Okla., and 4) J Bar D.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) J Bar D 2) C4B Chuckwagon of Amarillo 3) Grubelnik Ranch of Lubbock, and 4) Wagon Rangers of Amarillo.

Best Meat: 1) Cross Wagon of Vega, 2) HX Ranch, 3) Rising W, and 4) CO Ranch of Quanah.

Best Beans: 1) Grubelnik, 2) Crosstimbers, 3) Rising W, and 4) Solano Wagon Company of San Jon, New Mexico.

Best Potatoes: 1) J Bar D, 2) CO Ranch, 3) Solano, and 4) Crosstimbers.

Best Bread: 1) HX Ranch, 2) Rising W, 3) C4B, and 4) J Bar D.

Best Dessert: 1) T Half Circle of Silverton, 2) Rising W, 3) Cocklebur Camp of Odessa, and 4) Crosstimbers.

David Pace of Andrews, Texas, was the winner of the Kevin Johnson handmade spurs, and the Pearce Foundry West of Memphis again made the commemorative cast iron bean pot taken home by the cookoff winning team.