The Wagon Cook’s Book, by Clay Bramlett

Fifty years of wagon cooking, written down at last, with the coals counted.

Illustration of The Wagon Cook’s Book shown as a book, on a tablet and on a phone, with recipe cards and an iron skillet on a plank table. The book is a digital PDF.
Digital PDF + audio

290 pages. 100 recipes. Digital PDF. Nothing ships.

Get the book, $37

One recipe to a page. Every one has a Dutch oven coal count and a stove version, so you can cook it at the fire or in your kitchen.

Instant download through Gumroad, also emailed. 30-day guarantee.

Illustration of Clay Bramlett, an old cook in a straw hat and neckerchief, sitting at the back of a chuck wagon at sundown and writing in a small leather notebook.
Hello from Clay

I never measured a cup of flour for anybody.

I’m Clay Bramlett. I’m seventy-eight. I hired on as a cook’s helper in 1964, when I was sixteen, and I cooked for cow outfits in West Texas, Oklahoma and Montana until I quit steady wagon work at seventy-four. Ten hands in some camps, forty at a branding, six men in the winter.

All that time I measured with my hand, a can lid and a coffee cup that had lost its handle. Then a woman at a church supper asked how I made my biscuits. She stood there with a pencil, and I had nothing for her to write down.

Wanda said I had better get it on paper while I could still remember it. So I bought a set of measuring cups and stopped my hand before every handful. That is this book.

The amounts are my hand turned into cups, as near as I can say it. Take them as a starting place and change them to suit your people.

How it works

Pay once. The book opens. It stays in your email.

  1. You pay

    One time, through Gumroad, the shop that handles the sale. There is nothing to cancel later.

  2. The book opens

    Right after you pay, you get a button to your files. Tap it and the book opens on the phone, tablet or computer in your hand.

  3. It stays in your email

    Gumroad also sends you an email with the same link. Keep that email and you can get the book back any time, on any device.

Not good with computers?

You don’t have to be. If you can open an email, you can open this book. There is nothing to install and no program to learn. Phones, tablets and computers all open a PDF on their own.

If you get stuck, hand your phone and the Gumroad email to anybody you trust with a phone. It’s one tap for them.

Honest math

What a plate runs, as near as I can figure.

Every recipe has a cost line. These figures are my rough guess at fall 2026 grocery prices, off one list of round numbers. Your store, your town and next month will all be different. They don’t count salt, pepper or charcoal.

From the bookA plate, about

  • Plain Skillet Cornbread$0.388 wedges. About $3 the skillet. Page 110.
  • Plain Pintos, Done Right$0.42About 8 cups, feeds 6. About $2.50 the pot. Page 137.
  • Peach Cobbler$1.05Serves 10. About $10.50 the pot. Page 245.
  • Meatloaf in the Oven$2.50Serves 8. About $20 the pan. Page 162.
  • Chili Beans with Hamburger$2.88Serves 8. About $23 the pot. Page 140.
  • Cow Camp Stew$3.65Serves 10. About $36.50 the pot. Page 173.
  • Crew Chuck Roast and Onions$4.81Serves 8. About $38.50 the pot. Page 152.
  • Oxtails and Gravy$7.70Serves 5. About $38.50 the pot. Page 157. The dearest plate in the book.
Illustration of a chuck roast under brown onions in a black Dutch oven, on a worn wooden tailgate with burlap, rope and a blue coffee pot.

Forty-eight of the hundred come in under a dollar a plate, but that counts biscuits, gravy and coffee, so don’t read it as a whole supper. The fourteen beef recipes run from $2.50 to $7.70. Cheap beef isn’t what it was. Chuck on my list is about $8.50 a pound.

I won’t tell you this book pays for itself. I don’t know what you spend now. It will let you lay one supper against another before you go to the store.

Look inside

Real pages from the book.

Tap a page to see it bigger.

Page 95, recipe 1, Wagon Sourdough Biscuits: ingredients, six numbered steps, a coal count of 21 on the lid and 10 under, and a stove version.
Recipe 1, page 95One recipe to a page, with the coals counted and a stove version.
Page 28, the coal chart: lid and under coal counts for 8, 10, 12 and 14-inch ovens from 325 to 450 degrees.
The coal chart, page 28Read across from your oven and down from your heat.
Page 245, recipe 87, Peach Cobbler: ingredients, six numbered steps, a coal count of 17 on the lid and 8 under, and a stove version.
Recipe 87, page 245Peach Cobbler, and Clay’s tip at the foot of the page.
Page 88, the opener of Chapter 1, Biscuits and Sourdough: an illustration of biscuits in a Dutch oven above the list of nine recipes with their page numbers.
Chapter opener, page 88Each chapter opens with its recipes and page numbers.
Page 266, the first fix-it page, When It Goes Wrong, with biscuit problems laid out as what you see, why, now and next time.
When it goes wrong, page 266What you see, why, what to do now, and next time.
What is inside

290 pages, and where to find things.

Before the fire

  • A letter from the wagonp. 4
  • All 100 recipes, listedp. 10
  • How to read a recipe pagep. 14
  • Read this first: food safetyp. 16

Part One: The Fire and the Iron

  • Dutch oven basics: choosing an ovenp. 21
  • Charcoal, wood coals and lightingp. 24
  • The coal chartp. 28
  • Keeping heat over a long cookp. 32
  • Wind, cold, altitude and sunp. 33
  • Cooking at home: yard, driveway, patiop. 37
  • Your first three cooksp. 39
  • Ten mistakes everybody makesp. 40
  • Cast iron carep. 42

Part Two: Feeding a Crew

  • The cheap beef guidep. 53
  • The chuck box pantryp. 64
  • Scaling up for a crewp. 70
  • Nine menus, from a two-person cook-out to a branding dinner for 40p. 76

Part Four: When It Goes Wrong

  • 56 fix-it problems: biscuits, cornbread, beans, beef, gravy, cobbler, coals, ironp. 266
  • What I left out, and whyp. 276
  • Wagon wordsp. 278
  • Tablesp. 282
  • Indexp. 285

Part Three: The Recipes

Biscuits & Sourdoughp. 88
9 recipes. Camp story: What the Dogs Got, p. 89
Cornbread & Camp Breadsp. 104
7 recipes. Camp story: The Wheel That Went on Ahead, p. 105
Breakfast Before Daylightp. 117
8 recipes. Camp story: Three-Forty in the Morning, p. 118
The Bean Potp. 131
8 recipes. Camp story: Three Days on the Rise, p. 132
Cheap Beef, Low and Longp. 145
14 recipes. Camp story: Forty on the List, p. 146
Stews, Chili & Soupsp. 166
10 recipes. Camp story: Lupe’s String of Pods, p. 167
Skillet Suppersp. 183
9 recipes. Camp story: The Relief Cook, p. 184
Pork, Chicken & Gamep. 199
8 recipes. Camp story: Wanda and the Bird, p. 200
From the Chuck Boxp. 213
8 recipes. Camp story: Nell’s Flour Sack, p. 214
Gravies & Saucesp. 227
5 recipes. Camp story: Nine Days of Gravy, p. 228
Cobblers & Wagon Sweetsp. 239
9 recipes. Camp story: The Peach Truck, p. 240
Coffee, Jerky & Keepingp. 254
5 recipes. Camp story: The Last Pot, p. 255
See all 100 recipes by name

Biscuits & Sourdough

  • Wagon Sourdough Biscuits 95
  • North Wind Buttermilk Biscuits 96
  • Drop Biscuits in a Hurry 97
  • Big Fist Biscuits 98
  • Sourdough Camp Loaf 99
  • Green Chile and Cheese Biscuits 100
  • Sweet Potato Biscuits 101
  • Sunday Cinnamon Rolls 102
  • Branding Day Rolls 103

Cornbread & Camp Breads

  • Plain Skillet Cornbread 110
  • Hot Pepper Corn Pone 111
  • Hoecakes on the Lid 112
  • Cracklin’ Cornbread 113
  • Spoon Bread 114
  • Pan de Campo 115
  • Molasses Brown Bread 116

Breakfast Before Daylight

  • Sourdough Flapjacks 123
  • Corned Beef Hash and Eggs 124
  • Sunup Egg and Potato Bake 125
  • Steak and Eggs off the Lid 126
  • Wagon Breakfast Sausage 127
  • Fried Cornmeal Mush 128
  • Oats with Raisins and Molasses 129
  • Migas at the Tailgate 130

The Bean Pot

  • Plain Pintos, Done Right 137
  • Salt Pork Pintos 138
  • Refried Beans in Bacon Drippings 139
  • Chili Beans with Hamburger 140
  • Molasses Baked Beans 141
  • Ham Hock and White Beans 142
  • Black-Eyed Peas and Bacon 143
  • Red Beans and Sausage 144

Cheap Beef, Low and Long

  • Crew Chuck Roast and Onions 152
  • Chuck Roast in Black Coffee 153
  • Sunday Pot Roast 154
  • Round Steak Smothered in Onions 155
  • Short Ribs in the Oven 156
  • Oxtails and Gravy 157
  • Dutch Oven Brisket 158
  • Beef Shank and Barley 159
  • Swiss Steak 160
  • Braised Beef Tongue 161
  • Meatloaf in the Oven 162
  • Cabbage Rolls 163
  • Hamburger Steak and Onion Gravy 164
  • Corned Beef and Cabbage 165

Stews, Chili & Soups

  • Cow Camp Stew 173
  • Red Chili, No Beans 174
  • Cold Camp Chili with Beans 175
  • Beef and Barley Soup 176
  • Beef Stew with Dumplings 177
  • Green Chile Pork Stew 178
  • Chicken and Dumplings 179
  • Potato Soup with Bacon 180
  • Vegetable Beef Soup 181
  • Caldo de Res 182

Skillet Suppers

  • Chicken-Fried Steak and Cream Gravy 190
  • Liver and Onions 191
  • Pork Chops and Apples 192
  • Hamburger Hash 193
  • Skillet Macaroni and Beef 194
  • Fried Chicken on the Coals 195
  • Cornmeal Catfish 196
  • Skirt Steak Fajitas 197
  • Steak Fingers 198

Pork, Chicken & Game

  • Roast Chicken on Potatoes 205
  • Smothered Chicken 206
  • Pork Shoulder, Low and Long 207
  • Oven Ribs 208
  • Brown Sugar Ham 209
  • Venison Roast 210
  • Smothered Quail 211
  • Turkey Thighs and Sage Dressing 212

From the Chuck Box

  • Camp Potatoes and Onions 219
  • Scalloped Potatoes 220
  • Fried Cabbage and Bacon 221
  • Stewed Tomatoes 222
  • Dutch Oven Macaroni and Cheese 223
  • Green Beans and Bacon 224
  • Glazed Carrots 225
  • Spanish Rice 226

Gravies & Sauces

  • Sawmill Gravy 234
  • Brown Pan Gravy 235
  • Red Chile Sauce from Dried Pods 236
  • Wagon Barbecue Sauce 237
  • Tomato Gravy 238

Cobblers & Wagon Sweets

  • Peach Cobbler 245
  • Dried Apple Cobbler 246
  • Blackberry Cobbler 247
  • Spotted Pup 248
  • Sorghum Bread Pudding 249
  • Pineapple Upside-Down Cake 250
  • Molasses Gingerbread 251
  • Buttermilk Pie 252
  • Fried Dried Apple Pies 253

Coffee, Jerky & Keeping

  • Camp Coffee, Boiled Right 260
  • Beef Jerky the Safe Way 261
  • Icebox Pickled Onions 262
  • Apple Butter in the Oven 263
  • Cocoa for a Cold Morning 264
Free sample

A full recipe page, and the coal chart, for nothing.

Here is one page just as it sits in the book. Cook it before you buy, if you want to.

Page 152, recipe 33, Crew Chuck Roast and Onions, the full page. The same recipe is written out as text just below.
Read this recipe in big type

Crew Chuck Roast and Onions

Twelve men, nine pounds of chuck, two ovens. This is one oven’s worth, cut down, and the onions still go first.

Serves 8. 3 hr 50 min. About $38.50, $4.81 a plate. 12-inch Dutch oven.

What you need

  • 4 lb chuck roast, cut in two along the seam
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp lard
  • 3 lb yellow onions, sliced thick
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

How to do it

  1. Rub the beef all over with salt and pepper while the coals burn down.
  2. Set the oven on hard coals and melt the lard until it shimmers. Brown the beef 4 minutes a side, one piece at a time. Crowded meat steams and stays gray.
  3. Lift out the beef, drop in the onions and stir 5 minutes. Pour in water and Worcestershire and scrape the brown off the bottom. That’s your gravy.
  4. Set the beef on the onions. Move the oven to the roast coals, put the lid on and add the lid coals. Braise 3 to 3 1/2 hours, swapping in fresh coals as the old go to ash.
  5. It’s done when a fork twists in the meat with no fight. Rest 10 minutes, slice across the grain and spoon the onions over.

12-inch Dutch oven

Brown: 25 under, none on the lid, 15 min. Braise: 12 on the lid, 11 under, 325°F, 3 hr 15 min. Start fresh coals about every 45 minutes.

On the stove

Brown the beef in a heavy 6-quart pot on the stove, add onions, water and Worcestershire, cover, and braise in a 325°F oven 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until a fork twists easily.

Clay’s tip

Cheap beef just wants time. If the fork still drags, put the lid back on and give it thirty more minutes.

Safe temperature

145°F, rest at least 3 minutes. A long braise passes that well before the beef turns tender. Keeps: fridge 3 to 4 days, freezer 3 to 4 months. Reheat to 165°F.

The free coal chart

First page of The Coal Chart, a printable table of coal counts by oven size and heat.

Two pages to print: the full chart for the shop wall, and cards to keep in the lid of your oven. Digital PDF. No email needed. It’s yours either way.

Download the free coal chart
The offer

One price, one time, and it’s all digital.

Cover of The Wagon Cook’s Book by Clay Bramlett, a digital PDF.

The Wagon Cook’s Book

Digital PDF
  • The book290 pages, US Letter. 100 recipes, 12 camp stories, the coal chart, cast iron care, the cheap beef guide, crew scaling, nine menus, 56 fix-it problems and an index.
  • Print versionThe whole book on white pages, for your own printer.
  • Large-print copy14-point type or bigger, 451 pages.
  • Coal chart cardA chart for the wall and cards for the oven lid.
  • First Three CooksA starter of 3 recipes for your first time at the coals.
  • Family recipe pagesBlank pages to write down your own people’s recipes.
  • 3 audio stories told by ClayAbout 8 minutes in all.
  • Free updatesIf the book changes, you get the new one.
$37One payment. Everything is digital. Nothing ships.

Launch price ends soon. Then it's $47.

Get the book, $37

Instant download through Gumroad, also emailed.

Cover of The Wagon Year almanac, a digital PDF.
Add-on, if you want it

The Wagon Year almanac, $17

45 pages. Twelve months of what to cook and what to do. You choose it at checkout, and the two together are $54.

Digital PDF

30-day guarantee

Read it, cook from it. If it’s not for you, ask for your money back within 30 days of buying, through your Gumroad receipt.

A note from Clay

I don’t promise you anything about how it comes out. I don’t know your fire, your wind, your iron or how high up you live. The first thing you cook may burn on the bottom. Mine did, and the dogs got it.

You don’t need a ranch or a horse. You need a driveway and a sack of charcoal, or a stove. If you never light a coal in your life, you can cook every page of this in your kitchen.

Start with one oven and one recipe. Write down what you did. Burn something and try it again.

Keep the fire low and the lid on.

Clay Bramlett
West Texas, fall of 2026

Questions

Before you buy

Is this a printed book?

No. It’s a digital book, a PDF file, and nothing ships to your house. Some of the pictures show it as a book because that is how it reads, but what you get is files.

You can print it yourself. A print version on white pages comes with it, for your own printer.

Will it open on my phone?

Yes. iPhones, Android phones, tablets and computers all open a PDF with nothing to install. If the type looks small, spread two fingers on the page, or open the large-print copy, which is set in 14-point type or bigger.

I can’t find my download.

Look in your email for a message from Gumroad. Search for the word Gumroad, and check the junk or spam folder too. If you have more than one email address, check the one you typed when you paid.

The link in that email takes you back to your files, as many times as you need. If the email is gone, Gumroad holds the files, so ask at the help page on gumroad.com and give them the address you bought with.

What if I don’t have a Dutch oven?

Every recipe has a stove version, so a heavy pot with a lid and your kitchen stove will do. If you want a Dutch oven later, “Choosing an Oven” on page 21 tells you what to look for.

Do I need to cook outdoors?

No. Every recipe can be cooked in your kitchen. If you do want to try coals, a yard, driveway or patio is plenty, and page 37 covers that.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print all the pages you want for your own kitchen. I’d print a few favorite recipes, the coal chart and the family recipe pages, and leave the other 280-some on the screen.

Is there a monthly charge?

No. You pay once. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel.

Will the price go up?

Yes, once. The $37 launch price ends soon. Then it goes to $47 and stays there.

Do I need the almanac?

No. The book stands on its own. The Wagon Year is an add-on for $17: 45 pages, twelve months of what to cook and what to do. If you want it, choose it at checkout. The two together are $54.

What if it isn’t for me?

You have a 30-day guarantee. Ask for your money back within 30 days of buying, through your Gumroad receipt.

Questions and refunds are handled through your Gumroad receipt.

One hundred recipes, with the coals counted.

Get the book, $37

Digital PDF + audio. Nothing ships. 30-day guarantee.

Get the book, $37