CHANDLER, Ariz. – Come and get it! Chandler’s Tumbleweed Ranch will host the Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-off on Nov. 10 and 11. This unique family-friendly event features a Dutch oven cooking competition in which 1880s-style chuck wagon teams cook five courses, meat, potatoes, beans, bread and dessert, over a wood fire. The Ranch is an event space within Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road.
While the main culinary competition is on Saturday, this year’s event includes a Meet, Greet and Eat VIP Dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10. The menu features Southwestern Pork Tenderloin Tips, Fire Roasted Pork Ribs, Baked Dirty Rice, Summer Corn Salad and dessert. Enjoy the opportunity to visit with the chuck wagon teams at this intimate dinner. Seating is limited and tickets are $50 per attendee.
On Saturday, the Chuck Wagon Cook-off runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free parking, admission and activities. Meals are served at noon. Saturday lunch tickets are $20 and can be purchased in advance at the Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch website. Each wagon cooks 50 meals, and the tickets always sell out quickly. Judges will reward the best meals with cash prizes.
Tickets for both the Friday evening event and Saturday lunch are available online. The Chuck Wagon Cook-off is hosted by the Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch, a 501c3 entity, and the Chandler Museum. Funds raised help develop educational outreach opportunities at Tumbleweed Ranch.
“Think of chuck wagons as the first food truck and the black iron pot, called a Dutch oven or camp oven, was the original slow cooker,” says Dave McDowell, President of the Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch. “The whole family will enjoy this homage to the Wild West, with comfort food prepared just as it would have been during an 1880s cattle drive,” McDowell adds.
Saturday’s activities include a welcome from Mayor Kevin Hartke, a flag ceremony, trick roping with Cowboy Steve, a Lil’ Rustlers kids’ game area, a performance from the Maricopa County Cloggers and more. Small plates, like Mesquite Fire Roasted Chicken, Camp Pork stew, biscuits and peach cobbler, will be available both Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets, ranging from $4-$15, will be available for purchase onsite.
“The Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-off is one of the largest events of its kind in the Southwest,” says Chandler Museum Administrator Jody Crago. “The Chandler Museum team is honored to work with Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch to bring this event to the community each year.”
More information for the Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-off can be found online at Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch, or by calling 480-782-2717.
Chandler Museum is an innovative learning environment where the community comes together to share our stories, store our cultural heritage and experience Chandler as a people and place. The vision of the Museum is to be the community’s principal resource to explore its people’s history, culture, and place in the rapidly changing world of today – within and without the walls of a building.
Chandler Chuck Wagon Cook-off: For more than ten years, this signature culinary event has provided attendees with the rare experience of the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of authentic 1880s chuck wagons. Teams from across the West compete using slow-cook, wood-fire methods from the time period. More information online at Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch.
Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch: The Pardners is a 501(c)(3) organization of volunteers who help interpret Chandler’s agricultural heritage through programs and events, while also enhancing Tumbleweed Ranch’s amenities through the donation of money, resources and time. More information online at Pardners of Tumbleweed Ranch.
Media contact:
Tiffani Egnor
Chandler Museum, Programs and Operations Manager
480-782-2874