C Bar C sweeps cookoff

No cookoff ever had better weather than when the Saints’ Roost Museum held its 20th annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 27.

From start to finish the sun shone through scattered clouds and just a slight breeze kept attendees comfortable as 12 chuckwagon teams competed and the C Bar C wagon of Hartley took home the champion bean pot and all the bragging rights.

C Bar C team members Sue Cunningham and Jean Cates were also recently inducted in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame for their pioneering efforts as women on the chuckwagon cookoff circuit.

Officials with the Saints’ Roost Museum, which sponsors the event, said they fed about 570 people at the cookoff, compared to about 600 people last year.

C Bar C won Overall Wagon & Cooking and Overall Cooking by placing in every single food category, including first place Beans, first place Dessert, third place Potatoes, third place Meat, and fourth place Bread.

The seventh annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew 12 contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. Brooke Duncan from Clarendon won first place and was teamed with the Rising W Wagon Team.

Pace Bressler of Happy was second with the Croton Creek Team, and Ja’Lyn Lagrand from Happy was third with the Crosstimbers Team.

Following the Junior Cookoff, 146 people enjoyed a delicious steak dinner Friday night on the museum grounds, compared to 160 the year before. The invitation-only event was held exclusively for Chuckwagon teams and members of the Museum and their families.

The trade show was held throughout the day Saturday, and live entertainment was provided. Relatives of Chuckwagon inventor Charles Goodnight also were present for their annual reunion.

The 12 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) C Bar C Ranch.

Overall Cooking: 1) C Bar C, 2) Rising W Chuckwagon of Happy, 3) T Half Circle Wagon of Silverton, and 4) JL Cattle Co. of Abilene.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo 2) C4B Chuckwagon of Amarillo 3) JL Cattle, and 4) Cocklebur Camp of Odessa.

Best Meat: 1) Honey-Do-Spoiler of Pampa, 2) C4B, 3) C Bar C, and 4) Rising W.

Best Beans: 1) C Bar C, 2) Rising W, 3) J Bar D, and 4) Crosstimbers Ranch of Mustang, Okla.

Best Potatoes: 1) T Half Circle, 2) HX Ranch Chuckwagon of Lubbock, 3) C Bar C, and 4) Rising W.

Best Bread: 1) HX Ranch, 2) T Half Circle, 3) JL Cattle, and 4) C Bar C.

Best Dessert: 1) C Bar C, 2) J Bar D, 3) Rising W, and 4) JL Cattle.

Faylon Watson was the winner of the Kevin Johnson handmade spurs, Ronnie McAnear won the $500 cash giveaway, and the Pearce Foundry West of Memphis again made the commemorative cast iron bean pot taken home by the cookoff winning team.