Man Food: Recipes from Iron Trade

The secret history of manly eating in the Heart of Dixie

Man Food: Recipes from the Iron Trade is a flavorful tribute to Alabama’s industrial soul and culinary heart. Born from the legendary Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham―once the beating heart of the Magic City’s iron industry―this cookbook blends Southern tradition, foundry grit, and backyard hospitality into one unforgettable volume.

Collected from the pages of Pig Iron Rough Notes, a magazine once circulated among Alabama’s ironworkers, these recipes reflect the lives of men who forged metal by day and cooked with cast iron by night. Inside, you’ll find dishes like Brunswick Stew, Catfish Chowder, and Bean Hole Beans―hearty meals rooted in Alabama’s outdoors, work camps, and family kitchens.

With colorful stories, vintage illustrations, and a deep appreciation for cast-iron cooking, Man Food celebrates the “Gentlemen Cooks” of the South―men who knew that good food and good company were just as important as hard work. Whether you're a native Alabamian, a history buff, or a lover of Southern foodways, this book offers a delicious slice of Alabama culture.

Fire up your skillet, pour a cup of camp coffee, and taste the legacy of the Iron Trade―Alabama style.

Muskrat Stews

Skin, decapitate and remove entrails, being careful not to puncture musk gland.
Cut into 2" pieces. Place in cast iron pot and simmer until tender, allowing
2 cups of water for each cup of meat, adding 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of
pepper for each cup of meat.


Take another cast iron pot and heat fat (olive oil is best), allowing 1/2 cup fat to
each cup of meat. Add to fat one large chopped onion for each cup of meat.
When onion is brown, add one can of tomatoes and one green pepper chopped finely.
Simmer while muskrat is cooking. When muskrat is tender, pour sauce into muskrat pot.
Allow to simmer for 10 minutes for each can of tomatoes added.
Serve hot directly from pot. Corn sticks or hushpuppies are very good with this dish.


*Readers who may not have muskrats running around their front yards can easily substitute
veal or lean pork with excellent results.


--From the Pig Iron Rough Notes, 1948