I was just reminded of an incident that “almost” happened while on an elk hunt a few years back.   There were four of us at the camp this particular day (night) and we had pre-assigned ourselves jobs for each of the days.  At the cooking station, there was always a “cook”, an “assistant cook”, and a “go-fer”.  I was a go-fer this night.

As the cooking was going on, I was being asked to go for this and go for that and I might add I was doing a remarkable job at my task.

I was closely observing the chief cook of the night, Edjukateer, and absorbing his talents at cooking two very nice looking pounds of bacon to utter cripness.  Just like I like.  As the bacon reached the desired crispness, he would remove it and place it an foil lined container on a warming area of the cook station.  Meanwhile, Hunter, the assistant cook of the night, was busy with another part of the meal: Eggs!  Eggs would be placed on the grill at the very moment that when the spuds were done, the eggs would be done as well, and we would eat.  Eggs were always “done to order”, and most wanted theirs to have runny yolks.

Both Hunter and I were watching the master at work and when he removed the last of the crispy bacon, he looked at me and said, “Go get me the potatoes and I will dump them right here in this pan with the bacon grease”!!!

My eyes got really wide and I looked at Hunter and we both said about the same instant, “NO!!  Don’t cook the potatoes in all that grease”!!!!!  Edjukateer looked at us a bit on the quizzical side and then agreed that maybe that would not be such a good idea.  We were happy and Many Steps, who had the night off, did not know what we saved him from.

Take it from me, who just finished cooking two patties of regular ground sausage and my portion of potatoes in the same pan at the same time.  There isn’t any grease left in the pan.  I wonder why?  Will this day be a long one?  Will at some point I be able to leave the house?  Time will tell.  As for now, I GOTTA GO!!!!

Bears Butt

Sept. 2011