The one-minute story of my life
I've been a professional working cowboy all my life. Believe it, or not, there's a lot of ranches that still pull the chuck wagon to feed the cowboys. I fell in love with cooking by following the chuck wagon.
If I was to have a restaurant, it would be called "J. Paul's Campfire Kitchen". So, any recipes you see that begin with J. Paul's, you know they're mine.
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What I like to cook
First of all, I cook over an open wood fire; no gas or charcoal for me. Living this close to Louisiana, I incorporate a lot of Cajun influence into my cooking. I use Dutch ovens, a grill and a smoker. My favorite thing to cook & eat is fish and seafood, but I can cook anything. I tell people, "Anything your mamma can cook in the kitchen, I can cook out here over this open fire."
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Who I cook for
Family, friends, the cattleman's association, school functions, and the occasional biker gang.
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My greatest cooking triumph (so far)
I cooked enough rice for 50 people on a windy day in a large Dutch oven, and it came out perfectly! No leftovers. Guess that means they liked it.
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My worst cooking disaster (so far)
A long time ago, when I was still learning (still am), I burned the bottom of a loaf of herbed bread in a Dutch oven. I have since learned to control my heat.