Tennessee team wins 2023 chuckwagon cookoff

The Camp Cookie wagon team from Germantown, Tennessee, claimed the championship of the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 23, beating out 11 other teams.

Competing in the Saints’ Roost Museum’s 28th annual cookoff, Camp Cookie placed first in Overall Cooking and first in Beans, Meats, and Desserts as well as second in Bread to win the title of best Overall Wagon & Cooking.

The Shadow Peak Chuckwagon from Weatherford, Texas., placed first in Wagon & Camp this year in its first appearance at the Clarendon cookoff.

The 16th annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew nine contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare potatoes for the cooks’ dinner Friday night. First was Elika Wilson cooking with Honey Do Spoiler, second was Jase Conway cooking with D Bar B Wagon, and third was Teagan Chesser cooking with Camp Cookie. The Jake Tolbert Memorial Award, a Dutch oven, was presented to Wilson by Vince Smith Solano Wagon Co.
Other junior participants were Kassie Askew from Clarendon, cooking with Crosstimber; Asa Bains from Clarendon, 2M

Chuckwagon; August Pearson from Clarendon, cooking with Shadow Peak; Noah Pearson from Clarendon, cooking with Double Nichols; Elliott Robertson from Clarendon, cooking with Cocklebur Camp; and Henry Robertson from Clarendon, cooking with Wild Cow Ranch

The Junior Cookoff is sponsored each year by the American Chuckwagon Association.

The trade show was held throughout the day Saturday, and live entertainment was provided.

Competing wagons served a menu of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, beans, and cobbler. Wagons came from as far as Tennessee and Colorado to attend this year’s cookoff.

Prizes totaling $3,250 were paid out to the winners. Complete results were:

Overall Wagon & Cooking: 1) Camp Cookie.

Overall Cooking: 1) Camp Cookie., 2) Wild Cow Ranch of Fritch., 3) Double Nichols of Amarillo, and 4) D Bar B Chuckwagon of Childress.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) Shadow Peak, 2) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo, 3) Crosstimber Ranch of Mustang, Okla., and 4) Wild Cow.

Best Meat: 1) Camp Cookie, 2) D-B, 3) Double Nichols, and 4) Wild Cow.

Best Beans: 1) Camp Cookie, 2) Honey-Do Spoiler of Pampa, 3) Crosstimber, and 4) Solano Wagon Co. of Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Best Potatoes: 1) J Bar D, 2) D Bar B, 3) Wild Cow, and 4) Double Nichols.

Best Bread: 1) Shadow Peak, 2) Camp Cookie, 3) Double Nichols, and 4) Crosstimber.

Best Dessert: 1) Camp Cookie, 2) D Bar B, 3) Wild Cow, and 4) J Bar D.