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Naturalist-writer John Burroughs was born on this day in 1837. Brigand steak, a favorite of Burroughs, is more an experience than a recipe.

The story goes that an early scoutmaster introduced this meal experience to Burroughs and it became a favorite right away. Back in the day it was not unusual for “Outers” to carry basic grub out there. Bread, cheese, meat and root vegetables, commonly onions made a meal on trail or in camp. Waxed paper wrappings doubled as fire starter. An impromptu small fire punctuated many a’ trail day. Burroughs enjoyed thin beef chunks, tender young onions and folded bacon on his green maple skewer says companion Clara Barrus.

From Clara Barrus, Burroughs’ companion, secretary and biographer late in life we have the following:

Last spring, with a Boy Scout and his father, a Scout Master, he visited a beavers’ colony in a wild wooded chasm in the Dutchess County hills, and was the most interested of that interested three in the work of those beavers-in the trees they had cut down and peeled, and the dam they had built. He brought away some of their chips, and a maple walking-stick — a strong straight stick which they had cut and bevelled at either end in a thoroughly workmen-like way, and now he carries that beavermade cane on all his tramps afield.

“Sparrowhawk” and his father made a fire and then taught this experienced camper-out one thing he had never heard of-how to make a brigand steak: They selected, peeled, and sharpened a straight maple limb, six or eight feet long, which tapered to the size of a lead pencil, peeling about two feet of the tapering end. On this peeled end the Scout Master strung the pieces of steak, sliced very thin and cut in portions about one and one-half inches square, the folded slices of bacon, and the tender young onions, like beads on a string. Placing a big stone back of the fire on which to rest the tip of the long stick, they slowly turned the stick, thus roasting the meat and onions over the flame. And when all was done to a turn-several of them-in this picturesque rotisserie, and their appetites were whetted to distraction by the savoury smell, the salt added, the string unstrung, the three boys of varying age and size, but each with a brigand’s appetite, fell to, and made way with the feast.

Excerpted from “John Burroughs – Boy and Man” 1920 by Clara Barrus

I’ve sampled several versions of this elemental kabob and all turned out well, due in no small part to the flavor enhancement that comes with wind in your face and miles afoot. Hardwood smoke is the defining condiment. Oniony sweetness mingled with beef and bacon drippings lend a unique sweet smoked taste to the beef.

This day, I celebrate the beginning of the end of nature-faker dominance in turn-of-the century literature. Burroughs’ “Real and Sham Natural History” published in 1903 in Atlantic Monthly was the shot heard around the world. The heated nature-fakers debate led to involvement of Teddy Roosevelt himself. Nature-fakers were the fake-news purveyors of yesteryear, they never really went completely away. Competition among the nature writers of the day had devolved into a raw contest to see who could paint the most human-like animal behaviors and ingenuity into the storied lives of wild creatures and declare these same true, and accurate.

The Brigand Steak image…

• The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library. “The Brigand steak. John Burroughs and Clyde Fisher cooking a brigand steak, the last that Mr. Burroughs ever cooked at Slabsides. [from ‘Natural History, Sept. – Oct. 1931, pg. 509].” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-097a-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

Clara Barrus excerpt borrowed 08232018 from, http://www.catskillarchive.com/jb/bm-1.htm

Tom Bain @BainOutdoors