Recently, we came across an old advertisement for Hamilton Shirts in an ancient copy of The Houston Civic Club Cook Book from 1906 (full disclosure- its in the Google digital archives).  I really like to cook, so I was very curious to see what the recipes in the book were like, so I could compare the cooking from today to what was eaten back then.  I was more than a little surprised to find how many of the dishes are extremely different to what we eat today.  While many of the recipes look very delicious, two of the recipes that stood out were Oppossum and Potatoes submitted by Mrs. T.W. Archer, and also Stewed Brains, submitted by Mrs. Robert Clarkes, who recommends that her dish is served for breakfast with toast. If you’ve got the hankering, I’ve posted both these recipes over on our Facebook page.  Many of these recipes seem to reflect back to the old pioneer days, and to the basics of what Texas cowboy cooking was all about.

I started doing a little more research into cowboy cuisine from the days of the chuck wagon (more on that topic soon) and I found a recipe, where if you have a weak stomach, you might as well just throw that in the pot and cook that too.  Serve this at your next dinner party, it’s sure to be a hit.

Son of a Bitch Stew (Traditional)

Ingredients

• Calf Heart (1)
• Calf Liver (1)
• Calf Tongue (1)
• Marrow Gut (1) *see note below
• Calf Tenderloin (1)
• Calf Sweetbreads (1)
• Calf Brain (1)
• Suet (1)
• Onion (1) Cut in half
• Water

Instructions:

Use personal discretion with ingredient measurements, take it from me- a little liver goes a long way.

1. Dice the suet and melt in a large cast iron pot. Remove any cracklings.
2. Cut the heart into small cubes, add to pot.
3. Skin and cube the tongue, add to pot.
4. While cooking these tough pieces of meat over a low heat, cut up the sweetbreads, tenderloin, and liver into small pieces, add to pot.
5. Cut the marrow gut into rings, and add to pot.
6. Add hot water and onion, raise heat to slightly simmering.  Skim off any scum that floats to the surface and add additional water that is lost during the cooking process.
7. Clean the brains of blood and membrane.  Cook them separately with a little flour added, this will become the thickening agent for the stew.
8. Slowly add brains mixture to the pot, raise heat.
9. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Simmer for at least six hours, adding water as necessary.  Variations may also include potatoes, Lea & Perrins, and adding beer as a simmering liquid.

Yield: 10 Servings. Adapted from “Come an’ Get It”, by R.F. Adams, and Alexander Rozin

* A note about Marrow Gut.  This is not an ingredient you’ll be able to pick up at the Krogers easily.  I suggest befriending, or perhaps becoming a cattle rancher first.  The Marrow Gut (now hold on to your cowboy hat) is the tube connecting the stomachs of a cow, but must be from a calf that is still living on milk, which provides the stew with its critical flavor.

Filed under: Food & Drink, History, Houston, Texas by Stephen : No Comments »