All supplies
had to be hauled from
miles away.
Homesteaders almost
always had vegetables to
trade for a piece of beef and
cooks drove their wagons many miles
off course to get them.
Camp cooks knew that tough meat
could be tenderized by taking a thick
cut and pounding it
They used a dull
butcher knife, a chain flail or even the
side of a dish
But the favored utensil
among old-time cooks was the six-
shooter
The standard Peacemaker
colt, single action .45 caliber with a
7-1/2" barrel had good weight and
balance
The barrel fit the hand, and
the butt was perfectly shaped to
tenderize the meat without punching
holes through it
The six shooter was
also used to pulverize peppercorns
and other various spices.
