TEXARKANA, Ark. - As steady participants in the annual Wagons for Veterans fundraiser, Jimmy and Connie Smith try to make sure their chuckwagon is as historically correct as their Old West cuisine is flavorful.
Following a recent fundraiser at the Four States Fairgrounds, Connie Smith said perhaps the best way to capture the flavor of actually being a cattle drive trail cook during the 1870s is to get up as early in the morning as the actual wagon chefs did to feed the cowboys on the long cattle drives northward from Texas.
"This year, we got up at 3:30 a.m. so we could start our cooking fire by 5:30 a.m. to get our cooking coals hot," she said.
Besides the early hours, Connie Smith said both she and her husband have also experienced the temperature variances during the the last few years while cooking in places like Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
"We've been in temperatures as low as in the 20s, as well as up to about 96 degrees," she said.
At last month's fundraiser, blueberry cobbler, peach cobbler, apple cobbler, blackberry cobbler and cherry cobbler were some of the more popular deserts, while chicken fried steak, beans, brisket, chili, gumbo, rice and sausage, roast beef and beef stew proved to be good main course items.
Just like the chuck wagons of the Old West, Jimmy and Connie Smith's wagon carried all the accessories, such as pots, pans, skillets, fire wood, cooking utensils, a coffee pot and a Dutch oven, as well as supplies of water, flour, sourdough, baking powder, onions, beans, potatoes and bread.
As for their green and yellow painted wagon, the couple said they worked on building it for more than two years.
"It was a joint project, but the idea for the green and yellow paint job actually came from the color of the wagon on the construction booklet," said Jimmy Smith, who added doing the overall woodwork on the wagon as his favorite part.
As for Connie Smith, she said having a joint project seemed to be the most fulfilling aspect of the endeavor.
"It was a challenge, but it felt good just to work on it together on it," she said.