Cooking in the West

by Susan Metcalf

I spent Labor Day weekend in Burlington, Colorado helping my sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Shawn Bellows, host a national Iron Horsemen event. The amount of work involved in feeding three meals to approximately 400 motorcyclists gave new meaning to "labor day", but we (five of us sisters and sisters-in-law) pulled together as a team and got it done.

The only thing that scared me about the weekend was feeding all of those people. The bikers themselves were not one bit scary. In fact, they are quite a close-knit, dedicated brotherhood that does a lot of charity work. If you have priced those bikes they ride, you know that it takes a pretty good income to afford membership in a motorcycle club. However, the Burlington, Colorado police issued a statement about the gathering and concluded it with this warning: "It is highly recommended that precaution is used around members of this group." This was not exactly a warm welcome to a group that brought tens of thousands of dollars to a small Colorado town on Labor Day weekend.

The event turned out to be great fun and no fights broke out nor were any arrests made; however, 20 of those Iron Horsemen did do something crazy—they rode bulls provided by stock contractor, Kelsey Garcia, as part of the Saturday afternoon entertainment.

Kelsey and her crew did a great job of facilitating the bull riding portion of the event, and I think she said it best in her post after the bull riding. Kelsey wrote the following:

I’m not going to lie, this morning I was twitchier than a Hancock colt just before sun up gathering yearlings off the mountain to ship. And if you have ever gathered yearlings at sunup on a frosty fall morning you know what I’m talking about… it is a serious twitch!

So I struck out solo to a biker rally with a load of bulls. I picked up a friend along the way and we met 1 bullfighter, 1 pick up man, and 1 helper at the rally… I was thinking man these are not good odds: 3 cowboys and 2 busty bimbos against 380 bikers. All week I had been reading posts from the local PD warning the public to exercise extra caution… so I left my little amigo behind, said my prayers, and struck out!

Boy was I wrong! We pulled up to a guarded gate where they let us in. There were guards every 100 feet around the rodeo grounds. We were greeted by a vest wearing, hog riding biker. The moment he introduced himself, half my worries melted away. The moment I got the woolly bullies unloaded and met some more vest wearing, hog riding tough guys, the rest of my worries melted away.

The only thing running through my mind was,“Kelsey you should never judge a book by its cover.” So we got to visiting and one of them told me that it was hard to get together because every town they went to treated them poorly. He said we are just a family trying to have a reunion. They are family. They might not be blood, but they are FAMILY. So many people could learn from them about being family, and that family comes first. The whole time they lifted each other up and supported each other in a way I have not seen in a long time.

Sure, there were probably some with criminal records there, and maybe a few had done some bad things, BUT they were so kind to us. They made us feel so welcome. I think they asked me 42 times over 4 hours if I needed water, soda, a beer, food or anything. They treated us with the utmost kindness and respect. The entire time I was there I never once felt unsafe or uncomfortable. I actually thought I should have brought my little amigo. She would have loved seeing 400 motorcycles and sassing these big tough guys.

We had a blast and met some amazing people! Several of them were wearing shirts that I think should be everyone’s life motto: “DON'T START NONE; WON'T BE NONE.”

Today was an amazing reminder in life that you can never judge a book by its cover. We are all brothers and sisters in this life!

I am not exactly rested up and ready to help with another Iron Horsemen gathering, but it was a fun, interesting weekend of hard work. Jane wanted to serve something signature Colorado, so she made 7 roasters full of Colorado green chili sauce, and it was delicious served over a smothered burrito. Thanks for sharing the weekend and the recipes, Jane!

Colorado Green Chili:

1 lb. diced pork (1/4" to 1/2" dice, pork loin, pork stew meat or shoulder)

3 T. oil

1-3 C. chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, pressed

1 t. black pepper

1-2 t. ground cumin

7 oz to 2 C. green chilies (mild, hot, or a combination – how hot do you like it?)

1/2 to 1 C, diced tomatoes, canned, frozen or fresh

3 cans chicken broth (or 4 C. water mixed with 3 T. chicken bouillon)

3-4 T. cornstarch

In a large pan, brown the pork in 2 T. oil. No need to cook through. You are mostly searing them for flavor and to retain moisture. They will cook through later. Remove and set aside. Add 1-2 more T oil. Cook those onions on high. Get the edges of a bunch of them pretty dark brown. This adds a lot of flavor. Add the pressed garlic and spices and cook for another minute.

Return pork to the pan. Add the pureed tomatoes and green chilies. Cook for a couple of minutes. All this happens at pretty high heat. Mix the broth or water and bouillon with the cornstarch. Pour into the meat/onion/chili mixture. Lower heat as you like and stir enough to prevent sticking. Cook or simmer until thickened.

At this point you can taste it and add more chilies if you like, and you can add a bunch more water and bouillon (or broth) and cornstarch to make the gravy more plentiful. Then bring to a boil to thicken. If it’s too thin, add more cornstarch and water mixture and bring to a boil. If it’s too thick, add more water, then add some more spices and/or chili to correct the flavor. Keep it simmering for a good long time if you like. Serve over burritos, fries, eggs, nachos, etc.

Jane's White Chicken Chili:

1 T. extra light olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies, drained

3 T. all-purpose flour

2 t. ground cumin

2 (14.5 ounces) cans Bush's Great Northern Beans

1 (14.5 ounces) can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 C. finely chopped cooked chicken breast

In a large skillet, cook onion in oil for 4 minutes or until transparent. Add chilies, flour, and cumin; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; cook until hot. Garnish with cheese, sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Cowboy Beans:

1 to 1.5 lbs. ground beef

1 lbs. bacon

1 medium onion, diced

15 oz. can garbanzo beans,

15 oz. can kidney or black beans

15 oz. can butter beans

15 oz. can chili beans

15 oz. Great Northern beans

1/4 to 1/2 C. barbecue sauce

Alpine Touch to taste

garlic salt to taste

Cook bacon. Crumble. Brown burger with onion, drain, and put in a crockpot. Add bacon and all remaining ingredients. Stir well. Cover and cook on medium for 2 or more hours until heated through and bubbling. Do not drain the beans, but if there is too much liquid when you serve, drain off some of the excess liquid prior to serving.