OUTDOORS

Seven years ago my friend Lee Buffington (Friendlee) who is a wellknown radio personality in northeast Texas, told me he had an idea he thought I might be interested in. “Luke, let’s plan the first ‘Luke Clayton’s Outdoor Rendezvous’. It will provide a good opportunity for folks to get out in the early spring before the weather gets hot and enjoy a day of food, music, and visiting around the campfire.”

At first I was hesitant to name the event after me. I liked the idea but did not wish it to be about me. After a bit of coaxing by Friendlee and others, I was convinced putting my name on the event might actually be a good idea. I have for years written an outdoor column that many newspapers run on a weekly basis and my radio show is aired on many radio stations across the state. After forty years in the media, a lot of folks, especially outdoor types, know about me. We began making plans for the first Rendezvous.

The first couple events were held on 4 acres just north of downtown Greenville. The land was owned by Randy Koon and proved to be a great spot for the outdoor event. The first couple events drew a few hundred folks, and the Rendezvous has grown each year. Randy decided to sell the land, and when Charlie Nassar with the Top Rail Cowboy Church offered to host the event on the 12 surrounding the church, everyone involved was delighted. Charlie is an avid outdoorsman and tournament fisherman, and he liked the idea of having an event devoted to the outdoor lifestyle and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. The church has a big covered arena that would make a great headquarters in case of inclement weather, but to date, the early spring weather has been sunny each year with just enough nip in the air to make sitting around a campfire pleasant.

Through the years, more and more folks and events have been added. This year will be our first chili cook-off, which is open to the public. The church has a chuck wagon team that always cooks up some tasty camp food, and the Dutch Kettle Society sets up and gives instructions in campfire cooking. Live music is provided throughout the event, and vendors are present offering everything from outdoor gear to jewelry.

I set up a little ‘camp’ right in the middle of things and have a campfire going throughout the event. Larry Weishuhn, aka. “Mr. Whitetail”, has been present at every event with the exception of the very first when he had a speaking engagement. There are always several fishing and hunting guides around my campfire, and they are always ready to chat about their areas of expertise. I keep a couple of big pots of cowboy coffee on the fire, and everyone is welcome to come by for a cup.

There is no way I can cook enough food at my camp to feed everyone, but I try. My plan is to prepare enough to feed the friends that help with the event, but there is usually plenty left over for folks that drop by the campfire to chat during the afternoon. The Purtis Creek Dutch Kettle Club and Chuck Wagon Cooks always offer food that they prepare on site as well.

I enjoy planning the menu each year, and this year I’ll make a huge pot of Pozole. I will smoke a pork shoulder, tomatillos, and poblano peppers as the basic ingredients and add hominy and all the other spices. Through the years, I have made pozole several different ways and found the smoke adds a layer of flavor that most folks enjoy. I’ll have plenty of corn tortillas to go with the soup. I’ve cooked a Dutch Kettle cobbler each year, but the cobbler has presented a problem. I always seem to run out early because, well, cobbler is just tasty. I don’t think mine is anything special. I mean how can you go wrong with peaches, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and cake batter mixed together, especially when cooked on a campfire on a cool early spring day? The folks at Kuby’s Game Processing in Dallas are great friends, and I always have a big Dutch kettle full of their tasty smoked fajita links. My guests are invited to grab a piece of light bread, a link out of the kettle, and maybe squeeze on a little barbeque sauce.

My friend Bill Carey with Striper Express on Lake Texoma has been present at every event, and this year he and my nephew retired crappie guide Billy Kilpatrick will be frying up some very freshly caught catfish thanks to a recent fishing trip with my new friend Glenn Miller who has forgotten more about catching catfish than I’ll ever learn. Mr. Donny Lynch will be traveling up from Lake Caddo. Donny is well known for his line of squirrel dogs, and he will probably have some of his top dogs to show off. Conner Crockett and his deer trailing dog Boone (Boone and Crockett) from Rusk County will hopefully be there to talk hunting. Outdoor writer and wellknown book author Reavis Wortham will drop by the campfire and hopefully bring some of his books to sign for folks.

My good friend Jeff Rice who produces our weekly outdoors show, “A Sportsman’s Life” which airs on Carbon TV and YouTube as well as several other venues, will be on hand to film the event for an upcoming show.

This year, Pastor Nassar has turned the local promotions of the event over to James Carr (903-4262045) and Marshal Jarvis (903-461-9917). Contact either of these guys to reserve a booth space or sign up for the chili contest; we ask for a donation to the church if possible but not a prerequisite. This year’s event will be on Saturday, March 1 from 9 am until 4 in the afternoon. For directions, Google “Top Rail Cowboy Church Greenville, Texas”. LUKE’S SMOKED POZOLE In an aluminum pan, place a pork butt and several tomatillos, peppers of your choice (I prefer several poblano and a couple jalapenos for heat). Allow the meat and peppers to smoke for two hours and then cover with foil and slow smoke for 10 hours at 200 degrees (I use a Smokin Tex electric smoker which makes the process trouble-free). After a night of slow cooking in the smoker, the meat is fall off the bone tender and veggies simply need to be squeezed rather than put in a blender. Make sure and reserve the liquid which will be flavored well by the peppers. Place in a large pot and add hominy, a bit of cumin, Mexican oregano, lime juice, salt, a few pods of garlic, onion, chicken stock, and chopped cilantro. Allow to simmer a couple hours and serve with sliced avocado and warm corn tortillas.

Contact Luke Clayton through his website www. catfishradio.org.