--------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "Edward A. Black, Sr. [& Ruth M. Black]" <w6uyf@earthlink.net> To: w terrell <wterrell1@juno.com> Date: Thu, 06 May 1999 12:50:26 -0700 >From Win for your pleasure: > --------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Walt55@aol.com > To: NORCAL-L@rootsweb.com > Date: Tue, 4 May 1999 01:48:04 EDT > Subject: Aunt Charlotte's book (the great barbacues of the 1850's) > Message-ID: <719c0e9f.245fe414@aol.com> > > My Father was a friendly man. He liked his neighbors and liked to see > them around him. Mr. Sawyer was like him and they enjoyed being together. > As > soon as things became a bit easier for us and our herd of cattle had > increased to where a fat beef would be spared now and then. Mr. sawyer > and > Father would give a barbecue. Sometimes other neighbors would go in with > them, so maybe three or four fat beeves would be donated to the feast. > Everyone from far and near would be asked, even the Indians were told to > come. > > The people who came brought whatever they wanted to and ate by > themselves or spread out their dinner on a big community table and > everyone > helped himself. The families giving the party, furnished the meat. > > Real barbecued meat was a great delicacy and had a flavor that was > all its own. It was cooked in a deep pit and took a long time. > > The pit was dug several days before the time set for the feast. The > size of course, depended upon the size of the beef or number of beeves to > be > roasted. Large rocks were thrown into the pit and a roaring fire built on > top > of them. For three days and nights the fire was kept going. The night > watches > were kept by our boys and boys from neighboring homes. As likely as not > daylight would find twenty five or thirty boys telling stories or nodding > by > the bonfire. And so the big fire was kept going till the earth was hot > for > yards around the pit and the rocks at the bottom of it were at a white > heat, > and the smaller stones piled around the opening of the pit were also red > and > glowing. > > Cutting up the beef to barbecue is rather a nice trick, just exactly > the right proportions of lean and fat, and exactly the right size to each > > piece. Then it had to seasoned and packed into clean canvas bags, twenty > five > or thirty pounds to a bag. Old Uncle Ene' Williams knew all about that > part > of it, so he would always come from across the hills and superintend the > cooking. When the canvas bags were filled and sewed so tightly that no > particle of ash could sift in, the fire was drawn from the pit with long > handled hoes and a blistering task it was. Then the hot rocks at the > bottom > of the pit were covered with leaves and the bags of meat were thrown in. > More > leaves covered it and the hot rocks at the mouth of the pit were shoveled > on > top. Then the earth was filled in till it was five or six feet deep. > > Then everybody went home and left it to itself, there was nothing > more to do to it for twenty four or thirty six hours, (according to the > size > of the barbecue). If a number of beeves were to be roasted, it might take > > several pits to hold all and cook it properly. > > About ten O'clock of the day of the feast, men would start to throw > out the top earth, but leaving the last shovels full till everything else > was > ready and the tables set and loaded with good things. At last the bags > were > taken out and the meat, waxy, brown and juicy and piping hot would be > turned > out into dishpans and tubs and carried to the tables. Then someone would > say > Grace and everyone would eat all he could, knowing full well that there > would > be a nice piece of meat to take home to the ones who could not come. > > I have known of as many as five beeves being killed for one of those > dinners. Even the Indians from away over on the Grande Ronde came, > squaws, > papooses, hungry dogs and all, and everyone had all he wanted. > > These great dinners were usually held on the river bank under the > shade of the big old fir trees and everything seemed so fresh and the air > so > sweet. > > In the afternoon women would gather about in little groups and visit > with each other. The men and boys would run foot races and jump to see > who > could jump the farthest, or lift great weights to show their strength. > > We smaller children played tag and drop the handkerchief or other > equally fascinating games. Then everyone went home, glad that he had > been > there and we were glad that they had come. My Father and Mr. Sawyer loved > > those parties and for many years they gave one every summer. > > Walt Davies > Monmouth, OR -- ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]