The Nolan Ryan Beef & Barbecue Cookbook

THE EDUCATION OF A CATTLEMAN

BY NOLAN RYAN, WITH RUTH, WENDY, REESE & REID RYAN

I talked my parents into taking me to visit a dairy farmer who was a member of our church, and I bought a day-old calf from him and started bottle-feeding it. I went back the next week to buy another calf, and that was the first time I learned about price increases, because the first calf cost a dollar fifty and the second (only ten days later) cost two dollars.

I built up my small herd to about seven heifers, but once I got into junior high school and started playing football, basketball, and baseball, I decided to sell the heifers. That was the right thing to do at the time, but a serious commitment to ranching was in my future.

I had spent my summers helping out on my uncle's dairy farm, and then, as I got older, I'd go over and help him with milking. After a while I knew I didn't want to be in the dairy business, but I think that it is where my love of land and my love of cattle started.

Once I met Ruth, my high-school sweetheart, I was focused on playing sports, doing my best in school, and spending as much time with her as possible. She is a wonderful person and has been tremendously supportive of everything I've strived to achieve. She always enjoyed the cattle business, and has appreciated how much pleasure I get from being on ranches and spending time around livestock.

With all the factors that are out of your control in ranching and agriculture, I can honestly say that if you don't have passion and dedication, I don't see how you can stay with it. I have applied many of the same principles that guided me in baseball—focus, determination, and discipline—to my cattle operation.

In fact, I got back into the cattle business while I was pitching for the California Angels in 1973. I had been taking classes at Alvin Community College during the off-season, studying and reading up on cattle breeding and genetics. I was still living in Alvin, about an hour outside of Houston, and finally decided it was time to start a herd. George Pugh Sr., the father of a good friend, was retiring from working in the oil fields, and I knew that I could hire him to look after my cattle operation while I was pitching for the Angels.

Alvin used to be a big dairy farming community, but a lot of those dairy farmers switched over to raising beef cattle. One dairy had Jersey cows and bred them with a Brahman bull to create half-and-half Jersey-Brahman cows. Then they came back with a Hereford bull, and I felt that a three-way cross would be a good base cow, so I bought their heifers two years in a row.

The first piece of ranch property I bought in Gonzalez County dates all the way back to just after the Mets won the World Series in 1969. From that first ranch in 1970, we have been buying and building ranches for more than forty years. When a piece of land would come up that would work in our operation, we would try to acquire it, and then we would try to acquire anything that came up next to that, in order to amass as much contiguous land as we could.

Nowadays, our basic herd is Beefmaster cattle, an American breed that was started right here in Texas to survive and thrive in the arid heat. It is a three-way cross between the Brahman, the Hereford, and the Shorthorn. Then we cross them with either Red or Black Angus bulls. We also keep a purebred Beefmaster herd.

My success in baseball gave me the economic resources I needed to get started in the cattle business. I have taken the same measured, careful, and passionate approach to all my business operations, and buying and selling cattle and starting Nolan Ryan Beef have been no different.

When Charlie Bradbury first proposed lending my name to the Beefmaster brand of beef, I had to give the matter a lot of thought. At that point I knew nothing about the commercial end of the beef business. We brought in all the industry experts, from retail to meat science, for a two-day conference in San Antonio to debate the pros and cons. After much reflection and analysis we decided to move forward with the formation of Nolan Ryan Beef. Our goal has always been to produce the best beef products available from the best cattle.

My son Reese is a tremendous asset to the company. He has a good feel for the cattle business. He is also an astute adviser on all subjects about beef; he can see trends in the consumer market and understands the changes and shifts in the economy. In fact, all my kids have been a huge help to me in my various business endeavors. And my son Reid was promoted to the position of president of the Houston Astros, an achievement that makes me extremely proud.

Cooking over charcoal, mesquite, and hickory has always been one of my passions. I love the smoke-infused flavors that make a grilled T-bone, sirloin, or tenderloin something special. I am always working to take my flavors and techniques to another level. Growing up in Texas allowed me the chance to enjoy the regional flavors of the Southwest, and this style of cooking has become increasingly popular in the past twenty years.

In deciding to write this cookbook, I wanted to share my love for Texas barbecue and for grilling, roasting, pan-searing, and braising all cuts of beef. And I wanted to find a chef who could express and communicate the authentic southwestern and Mexican style of grilled-over-fire beef dishes of South Texas. I was fortunate to be able to enlist Cristobal Vazquez ("Chef Cris"), executive chef at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The recipes we came up with are in some ways just the starting point on a journey of southwestern flavor: our goal is to liberate any chef to make good choices based on personal preferences, what's in the pantry, what's within the budget, and who is on the guest list for brunch, lunch, or dinner.

We worked together to create some seventy-five recipes that express my love of beef and cooking over fire in the great outdoors, and my passion for sharing these special dishes with friends and family.

Y'all enjoy!

A NOTE ON THE RECIPES

Working with Nolan Ryan to develop the recipes for this cookbook has been without a doubt the highlight of my career as a chef. I've had the pleasure to cook for Nolan and Ruth Ryan for the past five years, and through experimentation and improvisation I have learned to make the fresh, hearty, flavorful, and delicious food that they love.

We organized the book as a tour of the various cuts and preparations of beef, starting with a chapter of inventive burgers and sandwiches that capture the ballpark experience—taken to a higher level with the freshest ingredients and the flavors of the Southwest. Next come the cuts that work perfectly for grilling (indoors or outdoors), like rib-eye, T-bone, sirloin, and tenderloin. We then address Sunday roasts (some of Nolan's favorite family recipes) and regional specialties like beef ribs, brisket, and flank steaks that feature my special Tex-Mex spices. The journey concludes with classic side dishes, salads, and desserts, including Ruth Ryan's Special Occasion Carrot Cake.

Nolan and Ruth really appreciate good food. I talked to both of them almost every day to find out what they wanted to eat in "The Bunker," the private lounge where the Ryan family dined before each game while Nolan worked as CEO of the Texas Rangers. Nolan loves grilled T-bones, rib-eye carne asada, green bean casserole, and Sunday pot roast. Ruth enjoys the prime rib and, for dessert, my homemade flan with Tia Maria.

These recipes are based on Nolan's love for the Mexican and southwestern food of South Texas and my roots as a chef growing up in Aguascalientes, Mexico. This region of north-central Mexico is known for bullfighting, a state fair that attracts people from all over Mexico for its food, and the many beautiful hot springs from which my hometown derives its name.

Aguascalientes is the culinary home for enchiladas verdes, carnitas (crispy pork), barbacoa (meat cooked BBQ style), and carne asada. The food is fresh and honest. In Mexico, the concept of farm-to-table is nothing new. We have always prepared foods based on the local produce and meats to maximize freshness and flavor.

In crafting these recipes, we have integrated my love of Mexican ingredients such as guajillo peppers and Mexican chorizo (not cured like Spanish chorizo, but a fresh sausage that has to be cooked) with Nolan's appreciation for the simplicity and clarity of a beautiful grilled tenderloin or beef ribs cooked lovingly over charcoal.

Nolan, Ruth, and I want you to enjoy putting these recipes to the test at a Father's Day cookout with your friends and family, or at a special dinner when you'll discover that cooking prime rib is well worth the effort. We have given you simple, easy-to-follow instructions. And be on the lookout for Nolan's Tips—techniques for grilling and drawing out flavor as well as serving suggestions that can help you elevate every meal to something truly special.

Working with Nolan on this book has been a true pleasure. We hope you enjoy many wonderful meals from these recipes with your friends and family for years to come!