Cow patties?

J

jamaljahda

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Mar 4, 2009
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I just saw N older episode of survivorman and have heard o using dried cow patties for using for coal, mosquitos, and heat but I was wondering if used for cooking does it impart flavor and smell into the food? I know if you use certain woods like mesquite or oak it will give the meat a good flavor? Just wondering how a cow pattie would affect the smell and flavor of food.
 
Yup. Used them a few times just for practice. You will taste it if you cook over them openly. In a pot, not as much. Great for slow burning fires... but they do have a particular smell.
 
i think there mostly to keep the fire going for a long period and save u relighting your fire
 
cow patty coal,now that's good eaten!
as long as I can wash it down with a jug of cow piss!
 
Been many years since I've used cow patties for fuel. when it gets going it smells like the peat that was used in Ireland to heat and cook many years ago.
dried it is lighter in weight than wood , burns slow like char coal. I dont remember a lot of smoke. but i don't think it would be a good idea to use indoors. its also a good a good idea to bring a small sharp stick.to check patties fuel readiness:eek:not a bad fuel source when wood is scarce.
American Pioneers in wagon trains crossing the Continent to California.used the patties from there oxen and Buffalo Herds to keep them in fuel.worked for them.
 
MIKE MACINTOSH said:
I dont remember a lot of smoke. but i don't think it would be a good idea to use indoors. its also a good a good idea to bring a small sharp stick.to check patties fuel readiness
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Yup. Smoke has all to do with the freshness of the particular prairie apple you pick. If there is any moisture retained in them... smoke that doesn't smell so great. Little-to-no moisture... slow burning fuel.

As an aside, you shouldn't count on them for an immediate fire/fuel source. It takes a good amount of heat to get one burning to the point that it'll be useful.
 
From what I have heard it seems that cow pies are mainly used for either real slow cooking/simmering or to throw one or two on the fire at night just before retiring because they burn very slowly and chances are that you'll still have some hot embers in the morning.

I remember seeing a TV show a while back where they took a tour of this ladies house in, I want to say, rural India. Her house consisted of a very simple shack with a small kitchen, a bed, a fireplace with chimney and a HUGE pile of dried cow dung. I mean they were stacked on top of eachother probably 5 feet high one after another several stacks deep. She used them exclusively in her makeshift stove for cooking everyday. I can't remember what show it was but it was on the travel channel, probably Andrew Zimmern or Anthony Bourdain. I found it pretty interesting.
 
interesting note on the slow burning!
 
Surprisingly, growing up and living on a farm I've never tried burning one (although I tried burning about everything else available to me).

The wet pies do make interesting reactive rifle targets. I will warn that the splatter does travel quite a ways.
 
at that point it's mostly just dried packed grass... I haven't noticed any major differences. I was iffy using it at first too but then started out of necessity... alot of times I'm stuck with piles of cow crap and no significant wood sources. It's hard to keep a sustainable fire going though...
 
When I was in Colombia, folks (essentially Indians) in very rural Colombia used cow manure to coat the outside of their huts and as a fuel source for cooking. I don't recall any particlar smell as they were very dry when used for cooking.
 
I recently came back from India and it is very common to see dung being used for fuel for cooking and heating, and insect control. when dried properly, there is no offensive odor, or taste, although covered cooking seems to be the best. I saw some open cooking, and some pit cooking. Some foods were wrapped in foil or leaves, and buried under the fire and coals.
It is very good as an insect repellant, without a noxious odor, although it does have a smell. When I first noticed the smell, it was not identifiable as dung, but nobody in my group could identify it until we were told what it was.
Dried dung is an industry in india.
 
As has been said, many people in 3rd world countries use dung for fuel.

I can't remember where I read it but there was a calorific breakdown of different dungs, sheep, goat, camel, cow, and how long they might burn for. I think cow dung was the best because there was still a lot of calories left in it so it would burn longest.

Also, if you find a cow pat that hasn't got too hard, cut the top off it and look inside. You can quite often find small maggots that can be used for fishing bait.
 
I grew up in rural Kansas so I am a bit familiar with this particular topic. One thing to note is that all cow patties are not created equal. Cows being fed grain as opposed to grass produce dung that does not burn as well as grass fed cows.

They are hard to light directly so you usually have to get a smaller fire going first and then throw them on as someone already mentioned.
 
We burn them when we are hunting and there are mosquitoes. Works well.They will burn very slow. I wouldn't cook openly over them. They definitely give off a smell. Also good for keeping a coal going all day if you leave.
 
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