Pot rack

Pot rack
Originally uploaded by SeabeeCook

As I noted Friday afternoon, I took my family to the 2009 NorCal Bash & Oinktoberfest in Oroville, California on Saturday. Upwards of 30 barbecue competitors, barbecue business owners and barbecue enthusiasts attended the three-day gathering.

Leonard "Wagon Cook" Sanders organized the gathering for the California BBQ Association. Sanders is the chef-owner of Chuck Wagon BBQ Company in Oroville.

Instead of driving iron rods into the earth and running a pole between them, Sanders suspends seven-foot sections of inch-and-a-quarter iron water pipe between "A" frames. He hangs coffee pots and Dutch ovens over the glowing coals of the cook fire.

Sanders constructed his irons in 7-foot sections so that he can tailor the length to the event. For Oinktoberfest, he set up two sections, but only used one section on Saturday. At other events, like the June 2001 SubmarineSailor.com's Bash at the Ranch, Sanders used all three sections to feed 120 Navy veterans.

And with eight hooks to each section, Sanders can suspend up to 17 pots from the irons. He uses hooks that completely circle the cross-piece. He says the problem with "S" hooks is that they easily come off and fall into the fire.

Saturday afternoon, Leonard had the following pots working on the rack:

• 24-hour pot of cowboy coffee for the overnight whole pig barbeque crew
• Spotted pub rice pudding with raisins
• Leonard's quick chili verde with leftover smoked tri-tip
• Dutch oven bread fermenting in the pot to the right