Smoked, slow-cooked and simple are the name of the game when it comes to cowboy-inspired cuisine. Since the 1700s, this style of cooking has relied on a short list of versatile ingredients—beef, flour, potatoes, beans and onions—that can be transformed into biscuits, stews, fried steaks and more. On today’s menus, Dutch ovens and cast-iron skillets replicate the techniques used on the frontier, creating savory pies, casseroles and even desserts that pay homage to the chuck wagons of yore. The bold flavors of chicory, molasses and sorghum can be incorporated into marinades, batters and basting sauces that reflect a distinct period in America’s regional culinary heritage while appealing to the tastes of today’s patrons.
Tex Mex Turkey Chili
Slow-cooked turkey chili filled with pinto beans, green pepper and tomato, seasoned with Custom Culinary® Master’s Touch® Herb Roasted Beef Base, chili powder, Mexican oregano, garlic and cumin.
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Fajita Marinade for Beef
Custom Culinary® Master’s Touch® Beef Base serves as the flavorful foundation for a versatile marinade, seasoned with lime juice, toasted cumin, chili powder, red pepper and garlic.
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Beef Steak Pie
Beef braised in Custom Culinary® Gold Label Beef Base until tender, simmered with vegetables and aromatic seasonings and baked in a casserole dish with a flaky biscuit topper.
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Macaroni Con Queso
Kick up classic mac ‘n’ cheese with the addition of green chilies, Custom Culinary® Master’s Touch® Southwest Flavor Concentrate and Gold Label Chicken Base, folded with tomatoes and cilantro and topped with crushed tortilla chips.
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Smokehouse Bacon Jam Burger
An Angus beef patty topped with smoked Texas-style brisket, buttermilk-battered fried onions, pepper jack cheese and Custom Culinary® Gold Label Bacon Onion Marmalade.
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Country-Fried Steak and Eggs
A juicy rib eye pave breaded and shallow fried, smothered in Custom Culinary® Chicory Brown Gravy, served with pickled onion petals, sliced green onion, charred leeks and finished with a sunny-side up egg.
Calabacita Rellena
Farm-fresh zucchini hollowed out, stuffed with melty Oaxaca cheese and roasted; topped with crispy bread crumbs and finished with a drizzle of warm Custom Culinary® Fire-Roasted Corn and Poblano Cream Sauce.
Pickled Onion “Wagon Wheels”
Extra-thick onion rings pickled in Custom Culinary® Chuckwagon Pickle Brine, breaded and fried to a perfect golden brown, garnished with green onion and served with smoky ancho ketchup.
Skillet Fritter Pot Pie
A savory chicken, pea and pearl onion stew topped with light, crispy fritters made with Custom Culinary® Jalapeño Cornmeal Fritter Batter, served in a sizzling cast iron skillet.
Trail’s End Biscuits and Pimento Cheese
Two buttery Dutch oven biscuits spread with creamy pimento cheese, drizzled with Custom Culinary® Ancho Pepper Sorghum Sauce studded with crispy bacon lardons.
Carly Fisher, “Cheese to Please,” Flavor & The Menu, October 25, 2018.
Dan Myers, “Cheese Balls and Other Retro Foods That are Primed for a Comeback,” The Daily Meal, January 4, 2017.
Dan Myers, “No More Crab Louie? 11 Menu Classics That Have Almost Disappeared,” The Daily Meal, May 4, 2017.
Heather Lalley, “Newcomers to the Retro Luncheonette,” Restaurant Business, August 15, 2017.
Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, “Classic Comfort Food Makeovers,” Wine Enthusiast, accessed January 2019.