Justin Jackson combines his love of outdoor cooking and Western heritage
HOWE, OKLA. – As a boy, Justin Jackson began cooking at deer camp with his grandparents, using the tools reminiscent of days gone by.
“In high school, we did our own with my brother, cousins and friends,” the Howe, Okla., native recalled. “I was the oldest, so I cooked. I loved it and got into making Dutch oven chili, deer roasts, and biscuits. I got my first Dutch oven and didn’t even have a cookbook or a how-do-you-do-it.”
A little later, he began honing his skills as a pitmaster and smoking meats.
“I didn’t know what I was doing there either,” he said. “I just loved cooking outside.”
In his senior year, Justin wrote a paper about cattle drives and chuckwagons.
“I grew up watching Westerns, my dad watched Westerns, and my grandpa watched Westerns,” Justin, who owns a cattle ranch, said. “I was drawn to that section in the library, and I picked Charles Goodnight because he was a successful rancher. He happened to invent the idea of the chuckwagon.
“He said they were going to fasten the kitchen cabinets to a wagon to feed the cowboys, and ‘chuck’ is slang for food, so it was going to be called a chuckwagon. From that moment on, I wanted a chuckwagon.”
Today, Justin has his chuckwagon and participates in several events around the country. The more than 100-year-old Bain chuckwagon, which Justin has owned for about eight years, features many of the original pieces, including the original wheels.
“We’ve gone out west and cooked on some ranches, done some veterans events, and won the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo twice. My son, Grady, who is 17 now, has gotten into the youth cook-offs and won some buckles and helped me,” Justin, who is a member of the board of directors of the American Chuckwagon Association, said.
Justin’s wife Janissa, daughter Addison, and fellow rancher Kenny Matlock also help on the wagon. For the last two years, Justin and his Horse Pen Ranch Chuckwagon have been invited to be a part of the Silver Dollar City Cowboy Camp and have been asked to return in the fall of 2024.
Justin said there are two types of chuckwagon enthusiasts — those who are all about the wagon and those who are about the cooking. For him, it’s a little of both.
“I love the cooking, and I love the history of the chuckwagons,” Justin said. “I don’t geek out on the wagons, but I enjoy them. I’m very much into Dutch oven cooking; I think it’s a lost art. I love entertaining and educating folks, and I love cooking off the wagon; things just taste better.”
Justin uses coals from a hardwood fire to cook his specialties, the way “Cookie” did on the trail.
“We do it the original way,” Justin said. “We encourage folks to learn how to do it the old way because there might not be a time you can go get charcoal briquettes.”
Among Justin’s favorite things to make is a peach cobbler, which is a variation of his grandmother’s cobbler.
“That’s what we make the most,” Justin said. “It’s a simple recipe, but very, very good. I love making cobblers, and you can use that same recipe and make apple or cheery cobbler.”
He added that slow-roasted meats, especially brisket, are also very popular.
“I tell people that anything they do in their oven at home, they can do in a Dutch oven. We’ve done a Granny Cake in a Dutch oven and a bread pudding that I worked up.”
The bread pudding is a pumpkin pecan bread pudding.
“It turned out pretty good, and people love it,” he said.
Dutch ovens aren’t the only way Justin cooks “on the trail.” He has a 3-foot wide, 200-pound skillet, a large grilling grate, and an antique 25-gallon kettle.
“Last year, I made 25 gallons of jambalaya,” Justin said. “That fed over 300 people. I love bringing out things that attract people.”
Justin posts videos on his YouTube channel. Many of the videos also include recipes and step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the recipes, including Cowboy Coffee.
“It’s a lost art,” Justin said. “At Silver Dollar City, in the morning show, I talk about how coffee is made in a pot with water on a fire, no filter.”
He said people are often worried the coffee would be too strong, but once they hear Justin explain how it’s made, they are eager for a cup.
Justin said he is about “maxed out” on “toys” and time between his farm and family lives, but there is always time for a bit of cowboy cooking.
“We just love going to events and meeting people and feeding them good food,” he said.
