Cooking the Cowboy Way

Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons, and Ranch Kitchens

by Grady Spears, June Naylor

Price: $29.99
ISBN-13: 978-0-7407-7392-1
ISBN-10: 0-7407-7392-5
Format: Hardcover
Size: 8 x 10 in.
Page Count: 240 pages

“If you associate cowboy cooking with barbeque, beef, and beans, you’re in for one Texas-sized surprise. In his latest cookbook [Cooking The Cowboy Way] with June Naylor, Grady Spears travels North America in search of food that celebrates what he calls the “cowboy way,” a lifestyle born of life in the saddle or on the trail. The cowboy-turned-chef visits kitchens from Florida to Texas to Alberta, Canada, gathering a varied, if not eclectic, collection of recipes inspired by campfires, chuck wagons, and ranch kitchens.” ––Cowboys & Indians http://bit.ly/dAMoeF

“[Grady Spears] has mastered the nuances of Kansas City barbecue, Mexican chili peppers and Cuban seasonings from other cowboy cooks reaching west to Arizona, north to Canada and east to Florida. He’s as comfortable offering a recipe for citrus remoulade and tomatillo hollandaise as he is for chili and cornbread. But all of Spears’ dishes are infused with the “cowboy code,” which he defines as “a respect for hard work, an understanding of the rhythms of nature and … an appreciation for honest food.” ––Detroit News www.detnews.com

“Immerse yourself in cowboy culture with the majestic images, hearty recipes and rancher lore in Cooking the Cowboy Way: Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons, and Ranch Kitchens. Author and cowboy-turned-chef Grady Spears takes you to ranches and restaurants frequented by cowboys and wranglers from Texas to Arizona to Alberta. The book features range-worthy comfort food recipes like Chuck Wagon Stew and Golden Cornbread Muffins, hearty Ancho Strip Steaks and decadent Blueberry-Peach Cobbler.” ––Oh Ranger http://www.ohranger.com/all-parks/news/2010/cooking-cowboy-way-brings-rancher-fare-tables-everywhere

“Overall, Cooking the Cowboy Way is a great cookbook with lots of good recipes for how to cook beef, poultry, fish, and other meat according to traditional regional styles.  The mole sauce, for instance, stuck out as being something that looked really good, but something I could make despite having so many ingredients.  Plus, I learned something about my own town…apparently we were one of the originators of the Arnold Palmer drink, a mixture of half lemonade and iced tea. Plus, the photography in the book is nothing short of stunning.” ––Bay City Mom and Pop http://baycitymomandpop.org/flashflashrevolution/2010/02/01/masonry-barbeques/

“”Few folk understand that a real cowboy lives by a code defined by respect for hard work, and understanding of the rhythms of nature, and — you can’t overlook this — an appreciation for honest food,” [Grady Spears] writes That latter quality gives us something in common with cowboys. We all love good food. And good cookbooks with good recipes. That’s why you may want to check out Spears’ Cooking the Cowboy Way: Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons and Ranch Kitchens. In it, Spears, a native Texan who owns Grady’s Restaurant in his hometown of Fort Worth, shares some of his favorite recipes from cooks who are old hands at feeding hungry cowfolks.” ––Houston Chronicle Blogs http://blogs.chron.com/forkandcork/2010/02/cowboy_up_meet_grady_spears_in.html#more

“This is a collection of recipes and stories gathered on the trail from cowboy cooks, chuck wagons and ranch kitchens. The story of cooking the cowboy way is told through local knowledge and visits to ranches and cafes all across North America; from Calgary, Alberta to the southern state of Florida. Each chapter includes an introduction to the ranches and recipes from that area. Photography by David Manning is evocative of life out on the range and modern day cowboy life. There is also a handy glossary if your unfamiliar with some of the cowboy terms. To be honest, from the outset I had expected and looked forward to nothing but meat based recipes, large chunks of steak on the BBQ or over the fire with a few beans, but I was pleasantly surprised. The recipe selection is as diverse as the range of cooking methods; including many vegetable dishes, salads, baked breads, cakes and desserts. There are over fifteen different rubs, marinades, dressings and sauces that can be adapted to meat or fish, and after a long dry day in the saddle there are a selection of drinks to quench the thirst.” –Cyder with Eloise http://www.bramptondeli.co.uk/?p=783

“Life in the saddle, on the trail, and in the outback has forged a lifestyle that renowned restaurant owner Spears gives us a glimpse of in this book. He takes you on a journey across the continent to amazing places full of food, history, and people who have appreciation that always including cooking and eating. That cowboy spirit comes from a simple code of rustic lifestyles and hearty recipes. Cowboy cooks, ranchers, and locals from across North America share more than 100 of these mouthwatering creations. Each chapter focuses on a different region of the country such a places like the Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, Texas, the Bellamy Brothers Ranch in Darby, Fla., the Home Place Ranch in Alberta, Canada, and Rancho de la Osa in Tucson, Ariz.” ––Los Cruces Sun-News http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-lifestyle/ci_14269594

“Campfire, chuck wagon, and ranch cooking is a very distinctive way of cooking and one that I love. There’s nothing quite like the experience, and the flavors, of cooking bacon and eggs, or a steak over an open campfire. The book is a wonderful compendium of this style of cooking. Chef, restaurant owner, and author Grady Spears explores this way of cooking by highlighting working ranches, and their food and recipes across North America. Each chapter is devoted to a different ranch in such states as Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Florida and Alberta, Canada. He includes cooking secrets, photos and stories about the cowboy way of life. While I was reading through it, it made me want to pack up my cast iron pan, and my camping gear, grab my horse, and hit the open road. I have everything but the horse. Maybe car camping is in the near future instead. I cooked several recipes from the book and they were all a huge success. The recipes were well-written, easy to follow and pleased several friends that came over to eat them to the point that they asked for the recipes for themselves.” ––100 Miles http://1hundredmiles.blogspot.com/2010/01/review-cooking-cowboy-way.html

“This new compilation from Grady/Spears duo is as much a travel guide as a cookbook. The authors are Texans, as are most of the destinations, beginning at the Wildcatter Ranch, about ninety minutes north of Fort Worth on the Brazos River. Here, city slickers can ride with the wranglers, shoot clay pigeons, stay overnight in one of the cabins, and enjoy Bob’s Famous Baby Back Ribs. The recipe for this and other famous dishes from the selected ranches/restaurants appear along with photos of the landscape, the chefs, and the food. Sidebars offer hints for when to go, shopping, and historical points of interest.” ––ForeWord Reviews http://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/cooking-cowboy-way-recipes-inspired-campfires-chuck-wagons-and-ranch-kitchens

“The mouth-watering food in this book of recipes inspired by campfires, chuck wagons and ranch kitchens is sure to strike a Texas-sized chord with people who grill or simply love to eat.” ––South Bend Tribune http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20091206/Lives/912059946/-1/XML

“Cooking the Cowboy Way: Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons, and Ranch Kitchens presents the story of foods inspired by life in the saddle, on the trail, and in the outback.  It’s a food journey across the continent to amazing places full of great food, interesting history, and unique people who have an immense appreciation for the land.  These recipes were created by cooks who know what to feed hungry cowboys in style!” ––The Texas Food and Wine Gourmet http://www.thetexasfoodandwinegourmet.com/review_story.asp?category_id=25&story_no=5

“[Grady Spears] book “Cooking the Cowboy Way” is a collection of recipes from across the U.S. and Canada. Ranch cooks, cowgirls and cowboys who live the life and know how to tend a fire are creating dishes such as Grilled Oysters with Pico, Ranchero Grilled Quail and Blackened Grouper with Orange Remoulade. It’s a great collection of what’s cookin’ in the back yards and pastures across the ranching community. More than biscuits and beans…. actual stick to your ribs, hearty feasts fit for hard working cowgirls like me.” ––Cowgirls Country http://cowgirlscountry.blogspot.com/2009/10/cooking-cowboy-way-by-grady-spears.html

“Spears, former cowboy turned chef and restaurateur known for taking cowboy classics and making them upscale, along with Naylor, journalist and author, traversed the country finding cowboy cuisine and getting a look behind the scenes at the different ranches and places where the recipes are from. As you would expect, much of the time is spent in Texas but they also visited Arizona, Calgary, Alberta, Florida and Missouri. With stories and gorgeous pictures combined with the recipes, the reader gets an interesting glimpse at the cowboy life. The book manages to fit in close to 100 recipes and there is a big variety of dishes to choose from. There are breakfasts, salads, side dishes, baked goods, cocktails and desserts (who knew cowboys eat crème brûlée?).” ––Kahakai Kitchen http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/2009/10/cookbook-review-cooking-cowboy-way.html

“Find simple, comfort-food recipes from Texas and beyond in Fort Worth chef Grady Spears’ latest book, “Cooking the Cowboy Way: Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons and Ranch Kitchens.” … The resulting book makes for good reading as well as good cooking, telling the story of each outpost through words, recipes and photographs that present authentic vignettes of life on the ranch.” ––SanLuisObispo.com http://www.sanluisobispo.com/entertainment/national/story/899000.html

“If you think this story can’t get any better, grab your car keys and bring this recipe along with you to the supermarket. I just got the book “Cooking the Cowboy Way“, and flipping through it, I found a recipe for Cowboy Corn Casserole that is way better than anything else. It’s less cake-y, less sweet and cheesier, and an easy side dish with minimal prep time.” ––Tampa Bay Online http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/oct/21/love-corn-bread-saddle-fabulous-side-dish/news-breaking/

“Cooking the Cowboy Way follows cowboy cooking across the continent – from Perini Ranch in Buffalo Gap all the way to Homeplace Ranch in Alberta, Canada. There are a couple of urban detours along this tour: the famous Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City, and Spears’ own tailgate party in Arlington. … Cooking the Cowboy Way is not a guide to old-fashioned ranch and trail grub. And that’s a good thing. The book is an homage to the cowboy legacy, which Spears finds evolving on the nation’s ranches. ” ––Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com

“Today,  I spoke with Grady Spears, cowboy turned chef, and author of “Cooking the Cowboy Way“.  The book is beautiful, full of delicious recipes, and stories of the cowboys and the ranches where the food is made. I was inspired by many of the recipes and decided to make a Skillet Buttermilk Cornbread and Tom’s Ranch beans, from two of the ranches in the book. The cornbread is about the best I’ve ever had, packed with cheese and spicy tomatoes. It tasted spicy, a tad sweet, and super moist.” ––Sandy Gluck, Living on 112: Martha Stewart Radio http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/radioblog/2009/10/cooking-the-cowboy-way.html

“While his many restaurant roles and cookbooks have built a career centered on cowboy cooking, Cooking the Cowboy Way is also something of a departure for Spears: In the book, he goes beyond Texas to explore cowboy cooking all over North America, from Homeplace Ranch in Calgary, Alberta, down to the Bellamy Brothers Ranch in Darby, Fla. Spears, who worked as a cowboy in West Texas before falling into the restaurant business, used his many connections and forged new ones to visit far-flung ranches, cooking with the owners and gathering cowboy recipes and stories along the way” ––Star-Telegraph http://www.star-telegram.com/food/story/1682205.html#tvg

“Spears went all over the country, with a logical and heavy focus on the Lone Star state, to pull together his collection of nearly 100 down-home recipes of the Old West. Whether a city slicker, rodeo sweetheart or true cattle hand, these recipes and stories are sure to transport you back to the simpler cowboy way of life. If you’ve ever had the strange urge to grab a big iron triangle and ring in the dinner crowd, this one’s for you.” ––Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com/2009/10/02/cooking-the-cowboy-way-cookbook-spotlight/

“”Cooking the Cowboy Way” is subtitled “Recipes Inspired by Campfires, Chuck Wagons and Ranch Kitchens.” From the rural life in Florida to Texas to Alberta, author-restaurateur and chef Grady Spears has gathered recipes that take hearty ranch and trail fare and kicked them up to a delectable sophistication with the use of authentic ingredients with a twist.” ––The Westerner http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-offers-cowboy-recipes.html

“[Grady Spears and June Naylor]  went all over the country, with a heavy emphasis on Texas, of course, drawing inspiration from cooks on and around ranches large and small. They then took these recipes and adapted them for regular kitchens and modern uses (i.e.,  dinner parties and backyard cooking). The results sound great.” ––Texas Monthly http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/eatmywords/

‘Cook the Cowboy Way’ With Grady Spears on Good Morning America

http://www.nbcdfw.com/around_town/dining/Grady-Spears-is-Back-.html

Fort Worth chef opens first restaurant with his name on the door.

Grady Spears quietly opened his new restaurant in Fort Worth’s Berkeley neighborhood this month.

Grady Spears is back in the kitchen whipping up the southwestern cuisine that turned a cowboy chef into a star.

Grady’s is what Spears does best  — “Big portions and rich food.  Don’t expect me to do Chinese or Japanese.  We didn’t take any chances.  All the things on the menu are in my book (A Cowboy in the Kitchen) or have been in other restaurants,” Spears said.

His favorite item is the quail tostadas.

After being the chef and/or a part owner in restaurants that include Reata, Chisholm Club, Dutch’s Burgers and Beer and Lambert’s, this time his name is on the door.  Spears has resisted that kind of attention, but “this time they talked me into it.” he said. Spears added he felt grateful and very lucky to have this opportunity.

Grady’s seats about 90 and is only open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.  By mid-April, Spears expect to open the patio to accomodate more guests.  Later, seating downstairs will expand indoor capacity to 160.

Grady’s is located at 2443 Forest Park Boulevard and is one of three restaurants in that same block.  Ruffino’s is just down the sidewalk; Sapristi! is across the street.  Reservations can be made at 817-922-9980 or after Friday, when their new Web site launches, at gradysrestaurant.com.

Because cowboys spend long days outdoors in every kind of weather, sometimes for weeks at a time, satiating a cowboy’s hunger is a challenge for ranch cooks from Texas to Florida, north into Canada, and south of the border into Mexico. This collection of almost one hundred recipes is not only the result of Grady’s journey across North America, but also the cowboy’s journey through history.

In Cooking the Cowboy Way, you’ll 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, you’ll 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.

Serves 4

Like every rancher I’ve ever met, John Elick loves to grill a big steak for supper. We had some ancho chiles—those are dried poblano chiles—on hand, so we added them to the steak rub we made up when we were cooking together. It added a great smoky flavor.

4 (10-ounce) New York strips
3 to 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 dried ancho chile, seeds and stem removed
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup kosher salt

Wipe the steaks dry with a paper towel, then rub them with the vegetable oil. Place the ancho chile in a food processor and pulse until the chile is shredded as finely as possible. Combine the shredded chile with the brown sugar and kosher salt in a bowl to create a rub. With your hands, coat the steaks with the rub. Prepare a charcoal, gas, or wood-burning grill; over medium-hot, ash-covered coals, grill the steaks to desired doneness, 11 to 13 minutes for medium rare, or an internal temperature of 145°F. Turn the steaks once during cooking.

Serves 6 to 8

In Texas, we like to soak beans overnight in water, then start cooking early in the morning and slow cook all day. This is a great Sunday meal, with a big pan of cornbread or hoecakes on the side.

1 pound dried pinto beans
4 ounces salt pork
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 sliced jalapeño, optional
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves, optional

Rinse the beans and remove any stones or dirt. Cut the pork into thin strips and rinse. Place the beans in a large pot and cover with water. Add the pork, garlic, salt, and chili powder, and boil over medium heat for about 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. The beans should always be covered with water. If needed, add more hot water while cooking, to cover. When the beans are tender, add the sliced jalapeño and the chopped cilantro leaves. Allow the beans to sit for about 30 minutes to absorb these flavors before serving.

If you like, you can speed up the process by soaking the beans in water overnight. Drain before beginning the cooking process and add fresh water. Be careful not to add the salt too early or the beans will become too tough.

The Cowboy Way
Tom Perini has traveled from California to Vermont with his 1890s chuck wagon. He’s been a spokesman for Pace Picante Sauce for several years and makes frequent visits at food events to give educational tours of the chuck wagon, showing people how the hardworking cowboys ate, and how
inventive chuck wagon cooks prepared meals on the trail, back in the day.

Makes 12 muffins

Brad makes muffins and cookies just about every day at Homeplace Ranch, and guests help themselves to sweets and coffee anytime they like. We made these muffins with fresh apples for breakfast; try Golden Delicious or Red Delicious apples in yours.

1 egg
1 cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 ½ medium-sized apples, cored, peeled, and grated

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter 12 regular (1/3-cup) muffin cups and set aside.

Combine the egg, milk, and oil in a bowl and mix by hand with a spoon or fork. In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, and mix with a fork. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center. Mix lightly, then add the grated apples. Mix just until all the ingredients are moistened. Spoon the batter equally among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes away clean.

Note: For blueberry muffins, substitute 1 cup of blueberries for the apples. For cranberry muffins, substitute 1 cup of cranberries and the zest of 2 oranges for the apples, and substitute 1/2 cup of orange juice for half of the milk.

Award-winning journalist and author June Naylor has covered food, dining, and travel for more than twenty years. She is a frequent contributor to a number of Texas newspapers and magazines, as well as to national periodicals and Web sites. With Grady, June wrote The Texas Cowboy Kitchen. A native Texan, she lives in Fort Worth, Texas.