Buttermilk biscuits with cowboy hash & griddle fried eggs were prepared last week at Star Valley Outfitters camp on Wyoming's Little Greys River. In the Southern U.S., these biscuits are known as Angel Biscuits. Yes, this technique takes a bit longer. But they are worth the extra effort. 

This recipe is adapted from the 1969 edition of U.S. Armed Forces Recipe Service recipe D-2 ("Baking Powder & Yeast Biscuits"). It was a favorite recipe of Navy bakers during my service in the 1970s. 

1 pound 3 ounces all-purpose flour
7 ounces granulated sugar
½ ounce baking powder
¼ ounce instant yeast
¼ ounce kosher salt
5 ounces shortening
14 ounces buttermilk

Sift dry ingredients together. Blend shortening into dry ingredients until mixture by resembles coarse bread crumbs. Stir in buttermilk until combined. Turn dough onto a floured work surface. Knead gently, about 10 to 12 turns, until dough is formed. Cover with a towel and ferment for 1 hour.

Roll or pat to uniform thickness of ½". Cut with floured 2½" biscuit cutter. Place on a greased sheet pan. I like to place the biscuits next to each other. 20 biscuits will fit on a quarter-size sheet pan (9" x 13", pictured). Proof in a warm location for 30 minutes

Bake in a pre-heated 425^o F. oven 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Serve warm with butter, honey or jam.

Coney Island chili sauce

This Coney Island chili sauce adds an element of spice and richness to any hot dog. With a helping of finely chopped onions and a stream of yellow mustard, you have a dish that is worthy of any camp meal or potluck. And it can also be turned into a stand-alone chili with the addition of beans.

Now I admit that I have never had a hot dog covered in authentic Coney Island chili sauce. The sauce is said to have been originated by Greek and Macedonian immigrants to Indiana and Michigan in the early Nineteenth Century. One day I'll have to search out a Coney Island restaurant in Michigan.

In my quest for a good hot dog chili for my summer camp, I first thought of trying Coney Island chili sauce when I ran across several YouTube videos. Although I enjoyed these recipes, many were lacking in texture and smoothness. After much research, I found that many "authentic" recipes added ground hot dogs to the chili. That was the key ingredient. Along with the addition of masa as a binding agent, I found what I was looking for.

So, while I don't make any claim to the authenticity of this recipe, you have my guarantee of its goodness. Give it a try. You will enjoy it.

Large quantity recipe for Coney Island chili sauce.

CONEY ISLAND CHILI SAUCE

Do not brown the ground beef as you would in a pot of chili con carne. Once you puree the hot dog, onion and garlic, place all chili sauce ingredients in a medium pot with the water. As the chili comes up to temperature, break up the ground beef with a potato masher until the chili is smooth. Simmer, thicken and enjoy!

Purchase lean ground beef for this recipe. While I used 90/10 ground beef for this recipe, a leaner grind will work as well. Lean ground beef reduces the amount of grease that rises to the top. I used an all-beef hot dog for the puree.


Hot dog paste:
6 oz hot dog
½ cup onions
3 garlic cloves

Chili sauce:
1 pound 3 ounces lean ground beef
2 cups cold water
⅓ cup ketchup
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoons celery salt
½ teaspoons ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper

Thickener:
⅓ cup cold water
2 tablespoons masa

In a food processor, process hot dogs, onion and garlic into a smooth paste. Combine hot dog paste, ground beef, water, ketchup, butter or margarine, chili powder, cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, celery salt and cayenne pepper to medium pot. Mix with a potato masher or spatula over med-high heat until mixture has a finely ground consistency and begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and reduces, about 1 hour.

Mix cold water and masa into a smooth paste. Slowly pour into sauce, stirring constantly. Cook until sauce has thickened. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over steamed hot dogs with finely chopped onions and yellow mustard. Makes a bit over 5 cups.

This recipe is based a recipe by Chef John of Food Wishes, also available on YouTube and Allrecipes.

Cooking in a hunting camp

Dining tent and kitchen trailer

Now that I'm in my retirement years, I work when I want to and relax with the grand kids the rest of the time. This year, I took a seasonal job as the cook for an outfitter in Bridger-Teton National Forest, near Alpine, Wyo. The job ran for six weeks last September and October. It was a great gig; in fact, it was more than a job! It was a rewarding venture that I hope to repeat in the coming years.

I enjoyed interacting with the guides and hunters. And after cooking for thousands, preparing meals for 20 to 25 was a refreshing change from my full-time career (US Navy, hospitals and state prisons). I've adapted many old Navy standards, like Yankee pot roast and baking powder and yeast biscuits for the camp menu. These dishes, a long with many others, were well accepted and loved by the hunters.

Sliced challah bread for French Toast

My day began at 3 a.m., when I walked into the kitchen, a converted 40-foot trailer. My first task was to light two lanterns, fire the coffee, light the griddle and oven, stoke the fire in the dining tent and set out lunch fixin's. Breakfast was on the stove and griddle by ten minutes after the hour. I turned the generator on at 3:30 to wake up the guides and hunters. Breakfast began at four o'clock (or earlier when I was ready).

To make breakfast easier, I prepared everything the afternoon prior. That included baking (biscuits, cinnamon rolls and challah bread for French toast), panning breakfast meats (mainly ham, bacon or sausage), filling the coffee pot and setting eggs out.

Biscuits and gravy

I also par cooked red potatoes for hash browns three to four days each week. I found, with the nearly seven-thousand-food elevation of the camp, that I had to carefully to cook the potatoes all the way through without overcooking them. Nearly everything required extra cooking time at that elevation.

While some wait until morning to prepare breakfast, I've found over my career that the meal flows smoothly when I prepare components of the meals the afternoon before. As mentioned, the potatoes are pre-cooked and cooled in the refrigerator in the afternoon. For omelets, I crack and whisk the eggs and cut the filling ingredients. Hot cake wet and dry ingredients are prepared, as well as French toast batter.

My home in camp

After dishes and cleanup, it was off to bed for a two-hour nap. (I had to discipline myself to get up by 9 or 10 a.m.; otherwise, I'd sleep all morning!) Since there are only three or four in camp (myself, my wife, the outfitter's wife and the camp jack/wrangler) at that time, I usually had free access to the shower when I arose. Leftovers or a sandwich normally made up my lunch around noon.

Baking, breakfast prep and dinner prep began in early afternoon. I made a prep list for both meals and any lunch prep so I didn't forget anything. This time was also used to prepare syrup, salsa and a variety of other sauces.

I usually lumped baking together. That way I saved steps by weighing out the ingredients for the two or three products at the same time. I did have to time proofing and oven time carefully so the bread didn't over-proof. I baked all the bread except sandwich breads.

Brothers enjoying pork chops

The rest of the afternoon was spent preparing dinner, which was served at 8 p.m. Sometimes dinner was served as early as 7 o'clock, but the hunters often had to change out of their wet clothing and enjoy a beer around the campfire before filing into the dining tent. I fell into bed around 9:30. for five hours of sleep before it all starting over again.

The owners gave me a wide berth on the menu. The only complaints that I received were related to a very spicy breakfast. (It seems the guides and hunters don't enjoy relieving themselves on the trail in the dark!) Since this a big meat and potatoes crowd, most of my meals are based on comfort food. The photos show the setting and meals I've cooked.