Beef, BBQ and baseball: A look at Nolan Ryan’s new cook book
Baseball great mixes his love of beef, barbecue, game.
In his post-Ranger life, Nolan N Ryan has become almost as well known ffor his love of beef as hhis skills on the pitching mound, and this month, the Georgetown resident and cattle rancher has teamed with Cristobal Vazquez, executive chef for the Texas Rangers, to write his first cookbook, “The Nolan Ryan Beef and Barbecue Cookbook” (Little, Brown and Company, $25).
The book features 75 recipes for steaks, ribs, burgers and side dishes and desserts, including smashed potatoes and carrot cake, as well as stories from Ryan’s life both on and off the field. He’ll share a few of the stories behind the dishes at several book events. He’ll be at Book People, 603 North Lamar Blvd., from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday,
and at the H-E-B at 1700 East Palm Valley Road from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday.
TEXAS RANGER DOG WITH BACON, PICODE GALLO, GREEN RELISH AND SAUTÉED ONIONS
I grew up eating grilled hotdogs with yellow mustard and green relish on a classic hotdog bun. But Chef Cristobal Vazquez came up with a very popular recipe that combines the salty, smoke-infused flavor of slab bacon and the fresh flavors of pico de gallo and sautéed onions. The onions, relish and yellow mustard add tang and depth, and this is an easy-to-prepare crowd pleaser on gameday.
— Nolan Ryan 24 slices bacon 12 all-beef hotdogs 1Tbsp. vegetable oil 2 large yellow onions,
sliced 12 hotdog buns,
toasted Green relish Yellow mustard 11/21/2cups pico de gallo, home made or store-bought
Preheat the oven to 350degrees.
Wrap 2 bacon slices around each hotdog. Cook the hotdogs on a baking sheet for15 minutes. Reserve the bacon drippings.
Finish the hotdogs in a large skillet overmedium heat until the bacon is crisp, andthen transfer to a plate. (You also can fifinish the hot dogs on a grill heated to medium.)
Add the reserved bacon fat andthe vegetable oil to the skillet and sauté the onions until goldenbrown.
Place the hotdogs in buns and top with onions, relish and yellow mustard. Serve the pico de gallo on the side. Makes 12 hotdogs. — From“The Nolan Ryan Beef and Barbecue Cookbook” by Nolan Ryan (Little, Brown and Company, $25)