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Annual Turkey Cookout
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After using a Bobcat to dig the pit, Scout's still have to 'finish' it by lowering the bottom another couple feet and then shaping the sides and ends. | Getting
ready for the Turkey Cookout starts about 3 weeks before the campout when
every dad with a chainsaw and all the Scouts show up at Camp Wygant to cut
wood. One the property are several huge brush piles that the owner
lets us cut up. These piles are mostly Bois D' Arc trees (we
pronounce it bo-dark, it is a HARD, yellow
wood) that's perfect for our fire pit, but dulls a chainsaw in a
hurry.
Then, four days before the campout, we buy the turkeys and put them in refrigerators so they'll thaw slowly before we need them. Grocery stores in the are sure appreciate our business that week! We leave the church at our normal time, around 6 pm, and make it to Camp Wygant well after dark. As soon as we arrive, a Scout crew heads for the pit to begin digging while everyone else unloads the trailer. Even though we've used a Bobcat and a backhoe to dig the pit the last couple years, there's still plenty of digging to even up the sides, get the bottom level and put steps on each end. We work a rotation so Scouts work about 20 minutes and then get to rest by going to their campsite area and setting up their tents, patrol boxes and putting away their personal gear. Once the digging is finished, Scouts build three or four large wood teepees in the pit to get it ready to light. In the end, about the time the pit is finished (around 12:30 - 1:00 am), the campsites are ready for the Scouts ... and the Scouts are ready for their sleeping bags. The Dud patrol gets up at 3 am to put the torch to the wood. Once the teepees are burning real well, Duds start loading wood into the pit. They were fortunate this year and had plenty of hands, so the work went fast. Then, some head back for bed while others post a fire watch . Seven a.m. rolls around and the bugle blows reveille. Scouts eat a hearty breakfast, raise the flag and in no time are ready to start preparing the turkeys. The picture captions tell the story of how we fix the birds, load them into the pit and cook 'em. They sit in the coals for four hours and come out at 2 pm, where they sit and start to cool. Families start showing up at 3 pm and the patrols are busy preparing the feast. Each patrol gets at least one turkey and some get two if they have many guests coming. We eat at 4 pm and no one walks away hungry. After KP, Scouts and their families have free time until our campfire, where everyone is treated to gonzo skits. By 10 pm, the camp is quiet and most everyone is asleep. It is a great experience for everyone. The Scouts get to show their abilities to their families and the families eat far better than they imagined before coming out. It is a lot of work ... and worth every minute of it. |
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Scouts take shifts from the time we arrive until the pit is done. Then, they build several 'teepee' fires in the pit and load the first layer of wood until its ready to start, around 1 am, when they finally get to bed. When they're not digging, Scouts are setting up their tents and campsites. | |
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Around 3 am, the Duds get up and start the fire. No flint and steel used here! | |
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Once blazing, Duds start loading firewood into the pit. We use from three to four cords of wood to build a deep set of coals. | |
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Once the wood is in the pit, the Duds maintain a fire watch through the rest of the night. Coffee and conversations makes the wait enjoyable. | |
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Scouts wake up about 7 and after breakfast, it's time to start preparing the 'babies' as they call the turkeys. Each bird is washed, cleaned and then coated in butter before being wrapped in three layers of heavy-duty foil and sealed air-tight. Once the babies are fully dressed and ready for the fire, Scouts begin getting camp ready for our guests. | |
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Once the babies are wrapped, Dud's put a layer of chicken wire around each one. This keeps the foil from breaking in the pit. | |
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The chicken wire cage is then attached to a long pole by bailing wire so the bird can be lowered into the coals. | |
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Once lowered into the pit, the Scouts cover the coals with dirt to kill combustion and trap the heat. If the coals aren't covered, they burn the turkeys. When it comes time to remove the turkeys, the wires and poles make the job a lot easier because we can find where they're buried. | |
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This great shot shows the last bird being buried and you can see that half the pit has a covering of dirt. | |
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Scouts begin to gather in a troop formation once the birds are in the pit to get instructions on preparing the remainder of the meal. | |
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Fixing stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes and homemade pumpkin pies. | |
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When families arrive, we start the meal after a pray. Troop 168 feeds from 60-90 people at the cookout. |
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