SOUTHERN CAMPFIRES WITH CRAIG

HANEY

Method

1. Brown the bacon in a Dutch oven and add the onions before the bacon is done. Cook until the onions are soft. Take out the bacon and onions and put aside.

2. Dredge the meat in the flour, salt and pepper and brown in the bacon drippings in the Dutch Oven.

3. Return the meat to the pot and add the bacon, onions, garlic powder, tomatoes, beef stock, cumin, paprika, and chili powder.

4. Add enough water to completely cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer 2-2 ½ hours. Add water as needed.

In the cooler months of the year when fishing the Southern Appachians, my buddies and I will enjoy on one night of homemade chili that has been simmering over the fire or on the stove. This is not the quick and easy kind made with commercial chili mix and ground beef. It is very much an upgrade made from a recipe given to me by an outfitter’s camp cook in Wyoming some 30 years ago.

Three buddies and I spent a week with the outfitter and his crew hunting mule deer and antelope. The camp cook, Snag Williams, provided great meals all week and his elk chili was an instant hit. The chili was cooked over a low fire in a huge Dutch oven outside the ranch house. When Snag saw us coming to eat he grinned and said, “I hope you brung an appetite ‘cause this chili cures the hungries and warms your innards.” He didn’t lie. We cleaned out the pot and sopped up what was left with some of the best sourdough rolls I have ever eaten. Before we went back to our cabin, Snag handed me the recipe he’d jotted on a grocery sack with a nub of a yellow pencil that seemingly was always stuck over his ear. He said, “It’s almost as good with beef as it is with elk, but not quite.” He was right, but it is still darn good chili!

I always make the recipe a day or two before the trip so time is saved and we don’t have to do anything but heat it up for supper. Once made, I put the chili in large Ziploc bags and put it in the fridge until we pack forthe mountains. A box of fresh saltines and a bag of shredded cheese are needed and added to the stash.

5. What, no beans? The original recipe did not call for beans but I usually serve pinto beans cooked with a ham hock on the side. You can always add a couple of cans of your favorite beans (drained) to the chili if you prefer.

Author’s Note

Part of the fun for me and my buddies while on a fishing trip is eating good food, not just the usual quick chili, hot dogs, spaghetti or burgers. I’ve collected a lot of recipes over the years that have proven popular in camp or cabin on these trips.

In Southern Campfires, I’ll be sharing some of these recipes as well as cooking tips, my favorite cooking gear, including some knives I use in the kitchen, and product reviews.

Hopefully you will try these recipes and enjoy them whether in camp, cabin or at home.

Craig Haney