Spears Grady - Cooking the Cowboy Way Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons and Ranch Kitchens

L ife in the saddle, on the trail, and in the outback has forged a lifestyle that renowned restaurant owner and cowboy-turned-chef Grady Spears calls the Cowboy Way. In Cooking the Cowboy Way, he takes you on a journey around the country to amazing places full of food, history, and people who have an appreciation for the land. These are places where life and living (and that always includes cooking and eating) come alive in the spirit of the cowboy.

In Cooking the Cowboy Way, youll have a ringside seat at the rodeo as Grady wrestles down new recipes from some incredible cowboy cooks and kitchen wranglers who know what hungry cow folks want to eat. And in the process, youll be carried away by the magic of starry nights by the campfire and seduced by the heritage of the chuck wagon and ranch kitchens, where the menus are still stoked by the traditions of the Old West just as they have been for a century or more.

Cowboys live life by a simple code that is shared through their rustic lifestyles and the delicious recipes found in Cooking the Cowboy Way. Cowboy cooks, ranchers, and locals from across North America share their recipes, cooking secrets, photos, and stories about their unique and proud way of life. From the Lone Star State to the Grand Canyon State, and from Florida to Alberta, Canada, cowboys have a way with the land and the food that comes from it. Each chapter focuses on a different location, including the Wildcatter Cattle Ranch in Graham, Texas; the Bellamy Brothers Ranch in Darby, Florida; the Homeplace Ranch in Alberta, Canada; Rancho de la Osa in Tucson, Arizona; and more.

ALSO BY
GRADY SPEARS
WITH JUNE NAYLOR

The Texas Cowboy Kitchen

COOKING THE COWBOY WAY
Text copyright 2009 by Grady Spears and June Naylor. Photographs copyright 2009 by David Manning. All rights reserved. Printed in China. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews. For information, write Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC, an Andrews McMeel Universal company, 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

Spears, Grady.
Cooking the cowboy way: recipes inspired by campfires, chuck wagons, and ranch kitchens / Grady Spears with June Naylor; foreword by Colman Andrews; photography by David Manning.
p. cm.
E-ISBN: 978-0-7407-9074-4
1. Cookery, American--Southwestern style. 2. Cookery, American--Western style. 3. Cookery--Texas. 4. Cowboys--United States. I. Naylor, June. II. Title.
TX715.2.S69S697 2009
641.59764--dc22

2009009323

Design by Diane Marsh

www.gradyspears.com

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TO GAGE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THERE ARE DOZENS OF generous souls who helped make our cross-continental journeys for the research and production of this book possible. Were forever grateful for the time, hospitality, enthusiasm, and wonderful food shared with us by Bob and Sonja Bratcher and Anne Skipper at the Wildcatter Ranch; Marty and Mary Margaret Richter at the Edwards Ranch; Terry Chandler and Bulldog McLeroy, Jim Wiginton and Bo Powell from Freds Texas Caf; Amy Smith and Fort Worths Sweethearts of the Rodeo; Lisa and Tom Perini from Perini Ranch Steakhouse; Veronica and Richard Schultz and Ann Sullivan at Rancho de la Osa; Judy Love Rondeau and Alberta Tourism; Rob and Marci Matthews in Calgary; Mac Makenny and Brad McCarthy at Homeplace Ranch, near Banff; Diana Pfaff at the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau; John and Gina Puente Brancato at La Buena Vida Vineyards in Grapevine; David and Susan Bellamy and Howard and Jennifer Bellamy in Darby; John, Taunia, and Ashlyn Elick at Texas Ranch Life; Laren Mahoney and the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association; Carolyn Wells and the Kansas City Barbecue Society; Tim Keegan and Case Dorman at Fiorellas Jack Stack in Kansas City; Arzelia Gates and Mr. Ollie Gates at Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City; Louis Lambert at Lamberts Fort Worth; Billito and Kathy Donnell in Alpine; and Colleen Hodson and the Dude Ranchers Association.

Out infinite gratitude goes to the many who made the idea work in the first place. We want to thank Kelly Frazier and Brian Mac, as well as Sia Antunues and the unbelievable, magical Lisa Ekus. At Andrews McMeel, we are grateful for the steady guidance and deep wisdom shared with us by Jean Lucas, Tim Lynch, and Kirsty Melville.

We owe a world of thanks to Dr. Anne VanBeber, chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, and to her students, Denise Bennett, Melissa Cossich, Tom Davies, David Fishel, Candice George, Jaclyn Gomez, Jordan Hamon, Ryan Hamon, Carrie Hoover, Stephanie Isak, Katelyn Kelly, June Lietz, Nick LoPresti, Celeste Manner-McDade, Brittani Mincher, Katy Murray, Kirk Oliver, Emily Paper, Jessica Petersen, Stali Riley, Jennifer Salim, Crystal Sherman, Brett Singer, Cynthia Spurgat, Elizabeth Staples, Dylan Taylor-Smith, and Thuy Tran. Without their tireless help, we might never have finished testing recipes. Their sharp instincts and grounded cooking sensibilities kept us in line.

And at home, a world of heartfelt thanks to David Manning, who entertained us while shooting his heart out, and Dawnne Manning, who generously loaned her husbands time; Richard and Barbara Chowning, who kept doggies happy and home fires burning; Barbara Rodriguez and Meda Kessler, who gave us the right words when we couldnt find any that worked; and Jen and Gage, whose love and patience made everything worthwhile.