The Texas Cowboy Kitchen

by Grady Spears, June Naylor

  "Grady's probably the only guy I know who could dress up a Frito pie and make it look pretty, and the only cook who'd think of marinating skirt steak in Dr. Pepper. . . . [He is equally] at ease in a worn pair of leather chaps as he is wielding a saute pan."—Nolan Ryan, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and lifelong cowboy

  As at home on the coffee table as it is on the kitchen counter, this definitive cowboy cookbook features historical essays and photographs depicting life on the Chisholm Trail alongside recipes that reinvent cowboy cuisine. Cowboy-turned-chef Grady Spears reinvents chuckwagon dishes from Barbecued Quail Tamales to Pork Tenderloin with Watermelon Salsa to Butterscotch Pie by elevating them to haute cowboy cuisine.

  Equal parts cookbook, history lesson, and photographic essay, The Texas Cowboy Kitchen blends Spears's distinctive culinary recipes with June Naylor's narrative of life on the Chisholm Trail and Erwin E. Smith's award-winning black-and-white cowboy photography and four-color culinary shots. Divided into 10 chapters ranging from "Campfire Cocktails" to "Things You Don't Rope" to "Chuckwagon Secrets," The Texas Cowboy Kitchen contains 100 original recipes perfected at Spears's renowned former restaurants, the Chisholm Club in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Nutt House Restaurant in Granbury, Texas—both of which satisfied wags of hungry customers.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food

228 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Cowboy cook Grady Spears is famous for his signature-style cowboy cuisine and has created menus for co-owned restaurants such as Reata Restaurant, the Roadrunner, the Chisholm Club, the Burning Pear, the Nutt House, and more.

Reviews

[Krystyna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have lived in Texas for nearly 20 years, and I know Texas food. When I first received this book as a gift, I thought it was going to be some sort of touristy gimmick. I was surprised to learn that the recipes aren't some bland reproduction of Tex-Mex, or country cuisine. These recipes are refashioned updated versions of true cowboy food. I keep returning to this cookbook over and over again. The recipes are fresh, with combinations I never would have thought to try like shrimp with nuts. We love the Sage Onion Rings, Frito Pie with Venison Chili, Dutch-Oven Strawberry Cobbler, Spinach Salad with Deviled Nuts and Blue Cheese Bacon Dressing, Chiles Rellenos with Garlic Shrimp and Deviled Nuts, the Cheddar Black Pepper biscuits featured on the cover, Chicken and Dumplings, Pork Chops with Piloncilla Rub. And there are recipes for pantry items like Port Wine Jelly, red chili sauce, and flavored butters. I can't recommend this cookbook enough!

[Allen Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

I thought it was informative and I love the bits of history and poetry. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes.