Panamint Valley Days 2008 - Saturday Night Barbecue

I have to confess that I'm addicted to good food, and enjoying a fine meal is to me, one of the greatest pleasures in life. As you've probably noted, Sharlene and I had an absolute blast at the 23rd Annual Panamint Valley Days, enjoying the four wheeling, the wonderful scenery, and the great company of our fellow CA4WDC members, but as far as I'm concerned the highlight of the event is the Saturday Night Barbecue, orchestrated by none other than Chef Andy Cunningham, and his crew at the Ruff Rock Run Café.

Photo: Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008, has the lights on, everybody is at home, and preparing for the Saturday night barbecue dinner.

Photo: The day before the big event, specifically Friday night, a wood fire is built in the pit, across "Main Street" from the Café, as some of Chef Andy's younger helpers tend the fire.

The Saturday Night Barbecue is a huge undertaking, as Chef Andy and the crew barbecue 300 pounds of beef, and prepare a complete meal, featuring the beef entrée, mashed potatoes, brown gravy, vegetables, salad bar, rolls, butter and pudding for desert. Mind you, this takes place in remote Panamint Valley, under sometimes very difficult conditions. We've attended many Panamint Valley Days since 1993, and each Saturday night, Chef Andy and the gang have produced some of the best barbecue I've ever eaten.

Left: Firewood is stacked, ready to burn for the barbecue. Right: A few pieces of the 300-some pounds of beef that will be slow barbecued, over a wood-fired pit, in the ground, at Panamint Valley Days 2008.

The barbecue doesn't happen in a New York Minute, as it's an overnight event. Andy and the crew set up their café on Thursday, and as the griddles are unpacked, and the tent goes up, several of the guys are digging the pit, where the beef is barbecued. The pit measures about four by six feet, and its six feet deep, and its dug by guy--power, using ordinary picks and shovels. That in itself is an undertaking... Chef Andy brings about a quarter cord of hardwood, usually oak, to provide the heat for cooking, and a nice, smoky taste to the meat. The fire is lit late Friday afternoon, about the time dinner is served, and its lovingly tended to by a couple of Andy's helpers, which are almost always young teenage boys. Don't all boys love to play with fire?

Photo: Chef Andy, literally, stirs the pot, this time, of beans. Chef Andy has a talent of stirring any pot.

Photo: The salad bar is prepared, by one of Chef Andy's talented helpers. Note that she wears latex gloves, as all contemporary health precautions are observed.

By 11:00 in the evening, the wood has been reduced to glowing coals, and its time to place the meat in the pit, all 300 pounds of it! The beef comes in big chunks, of about 30 pounds each, and each piece is tightly wrapped in moist burlap, to seal in the juice, and to protect the meat from the coals. The meat is placed directly on top of the coals, and by the time all the meat has been placed in the pit its nearly full. Then a heavy steel plate is placed over the meat, and about 18 inches of dirt is shoveled on top of the meat. That's it... the meat will cook for around 16 hours until it's removed from the pit, just before dinner is served at 5:00 on Saturday afternoon.

Photo: Hard work, on a late Saturday afternoon, as members of Chef Andy's crew dig up the pit.

Photo: A 50-pound sack of beef is unloaded from the pit. The beef has been smoked for 14 hours, under very primitive conditions. Note the thick steel plate to the right of the photo, which was used to seal the pit.

About an hour or so before dinner is served, it's time to dig up the pit, and that's no small task, as you've got 300 pounds of beef, under a heavy steel plate, covered by about 18 inches of dirt. Any able-bodied helpers of Andy's crew that aren't busy performing other chores are recruited to help uncover the pit, as it's a huge undertaking. Bystanders are recruited as well, and are usually lured by the promise of free strawberry shortcake, or a free breakfast in the morning. After the pit is uncovered, one guy removed a wrapped chunk of beef with a long-handled meat hook, and hands it to another guy, who brings in to the cutting table in the café. The process is repeated until all the meat is on the cutting table. Then, Andy and his crew get out their sharp knives and quickly slice the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Photo: The salad, slash, fixin's bar is almost ready, as Chef Andy's helpers proudly show, as they proudly display their hard work before my digital camera. Chef Andy's salad bar offers a vast array of salad items, fixin's, and is comparable to the fare that you'd enjoy at any high-class resort.

Photo: The lineup for the Saturday night barbecue dinner, at Panamint Valley Days 2008.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crew are preparing the side dishes for the meal. I wandered into the café and watched Barbara and the gang prepare huge pots of mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables, and cut up mountains of vegetables for the salad bar. Andy has about a dozen people working in the kitchen, not to mention several others who are engaged in supporting roles, such as fetching things, cleaning, and attending to the many details necessary to make this event happen.

Photo: Food is served to hungry four wheelers, at Panamint Valley Days, 2008.

Photo: I'm in the chow line, awaiting my turn for a delicious barbecue dinner...

At five o'clock, on the dot, dinner is ready. Sure there's a line, reminiscent of a Navy chow line, but its worth the wait and the line moves quite fast, as Chef Andy and his crew are very efficient. Most dinners have been purchased in advance, with registration for Panamint Valley Days, so everybody has a ticket, so no money is exchanged prior to serving, which makes things go a lot faster. (A limited number of dinner tickets can be purchased on-site at registration at a slightly higher price) You had your ticket to Barbara, and she hands you a plate, and utensils. Then you go through a line-up, cafeteria style, of a half dozen of Andy's helper, and each one dishes up a different item. For example, one girl dishes up your potatoes, you move to the next station, and another girl puts gravy on your potatoes, and so on, and so forth. The last station is where you get your helping of beef, topped by spicy barbecue sauce, if you desire. Then, if you have room on your plate, you head over to the salad bar, where you'll find your salad items presented restaurant-style, in individual bins. You help yourself to whatever you want, and then it's time to enjoy your delicious meal. The salad bar is quite complete, as it features both macaroni and potato salad, olives, grated cheddar cheese, onions, cherry tomatoes, shredded lettuce, pickled jalapeño pepper slices, several varieties of salad dressing, and a whole lot more. After receiving generous portions of the main and side dishes, you probably won't have much room for salad, unless you mix 'n match, and pile 'em high, like I do. Whatever the case, you can always come back for seconds at the salad bar, that is, if you have room in your stomach, which you probably won't. Nobody will go away hungry from the Panamint Valley Days Saturday Night Barbecue.

Photo: Line up for dinner!

Photo: Chef Andy cuts and dices the beef. At the Panamint Valley Days Saturday night barbecue dinner, you don't have to cry our the pleading phrase, "Where is the beef?" ... as Chef Andy provides plenty of beer with your barbecue dinner...

Photo: Oh boy! ... My dinner of barbecued beef, roasted for 14 hours in the pit, with side dices of a roll, potato salad bar salad, macaroni salad, and a huge amount of mashed potatoes, topped with beef gravy. Such a fine Panamint Valley dinner.

Unless you've had the opportunity to enjoy beef cooked slowly over hardwood coals, in a pit for 16 hours, it's difficult to describe how good it is. Chef Andy's beef almost melts in your mouth, and its so tender, that you don't need a knife to cut it. It has just a hint of smoke flavor, but it's moist, tender and delicious. The side dishes are great, and the salad bar features fresh ingredients... nothing about the meal will disappoint you. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, the portions are generous, and you'll leave the Saturday Night Barbecue with a big ol' Panamint Valley smile on your face.

Photo: Sharlene enjoys here dinner, and I'm about ready to enjoy mine, as I take this photo at our camp, at Panamint Valley Days 2008. We love to eat delicious barbecue, by the light of a Coleman lantern.

Chef Andy's Ruff Rock Run Café Saturday Night Barbecue is truly delicious, and it's the highlight of Panamint Valley Days.