Crosstimber Ranch team wins cookoff

The Crosstimber Ranch wagon team from Mustang, Okla., claimed the championship of the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff last Saturday, September 28, beating out 12 other teams.

Competing in the Saints’ Roost Museum’s 30th annual cookoff, Crosstimber was first in Overall Cooking, second in Best Wagon & Camp, and placed in four out of five food categories to win the title of best Overall Wagon & Cooking.

The 17th annual Junior Cookoff the day before the big event drew 11 contestants, who were paired with experienced wagon teams to prepare dessert for the cooks’ dinner Friday night.

First place was Matthew Newhouse cooking with DT Wagon, second was Connor Askew cooking with the J-D Wagon, and third was Brindle Ross cooking with the Break-Away Wagon. All the winning youth were from Clarendon.

Other junior participants were aleb Askew from Clarendon, Texas cooking with Rafter Z Wagon, Kassie Askew from Clarendon, Texas cooking with Slim Pickins, Stetson Duncan from Clarendon, Texas cooking with Wild Cow Ranch, Monroe Newhouse from Clarendon, Texas cooking with L-C Wagon, Margot Richter from Borger, Texas cooking with Cocklebur Camp, Braxton Ross from Clarendon, Texas cooking with Double Nichols, J.T. Shelton from Clarendon, Texas cooking with Honey Do Spoiler, and Elika Wilson from Clarendon, Texas cooking with D bar B Wagon.

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. The museum also held an open house for its new Wheels of History building.

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) Crosstimber Ranch.

Overall Cooking: 1) Crosstimber, 2) Break-Away Wagon of Stamford., 3) Wild Cow Ranch of Fritch, and 4) Texas Back Then Wagon of Vernon.

Best Wagon & Camp: 1) DT Wagon of Watertown, South Dakota, 2) Crosstimber, 3) J Bar D Ranch of Amarillo, and 4) Break-Away.

Best Meat: 1) Double Nichols of Amarillo, 2) Wild Cow, 3) Crosstimer, and 4) Texas Back Then.

Best Beans: 1) Cocklebur Camp of Odessa, 2) Crosstimber, 3) Rafter Z of Stephenville, and 4) Wild Cow.

Best Potatoes: 1) L-C Chuckwagon of Chattanooga, Okla., 2) Wild Cow, 3) Texas Back Then, and 4) Break-Away.

Best Bread: 1) Honey Do Spoiler of Pampa, 2) Texas Back Then, 3) Crosstimber, and 4) Break-Away.

Best Dessert: 1) Crosstimber, 2) Break-Away, 3) Wild Cow, and 4) Slim Pickins of Sanger.

The cookoff fed 650 ticket-holders plus more than 60 wagon team members.