Cowboy Junkie?

This one’s for you.   Written by Robb Walsh, James Beard nominee and food critic for The Houston Press, The Texas Cowboy Cookbook explores the myths and realities of the Texas cowboys, what they ate, and how it reinforces culture. 

Arranged by region, the book is split into chapters such as “Los Vaqueros: Sirloin Guisada and Fideo,” ”Black Cowboys: Pork, Sweet Potatoes, and Cane,” and ”West of the Pecos: Sourdough and SOB,” a slow cooked concoction that rivals haggis, with its stew of tongue, chitterlings, liver, kidney, skirt steak, and brains. 

Included in the collection of antecdotes, recipes, and old photographs are features on residents who are maintaining cowboy traditions, such as Sam Bass, who has worked to revive chuck wagon cooking,  Ft. Worth’s Lonesome Dove chef, Tim Love, and Paula Disbrowne, a European trained chef who left New York to cook at the Hart & Hind Ranch in the Texas hill country.

Even for non Texans, it’s an enlightening read on the myths, the food, and its relevance in contemporary American cooking.