Janet Davis

Before it was trendy, Before it was debated, Before someone put it on spaghetti,  It was cooking in Texas.   Chili,  real Texas chili , wasn’t invented in a test kitchen. It wasn’t a marketing idea. It was survival food. Borderland food. Cattle-camp food.   In the mid-1800s, on cattle drives and in frontier towns, cooks needed something affordable, filling, and bold enough to satisfy men who worked long days in hard country. Dried beef, suet, salt, crushed dried chilies, and maybe cumin if...

Pele has arrived!   Having started life as a propane tank on a ranch in Lockhart Texas, she’s now a 750-gallon offset smoker, built by Big Phil’s Metalworks in Caddo Mills, TX, all steel and promise—and she carries a name that is important. Because Pele  is not just a smoker. Her name is a reminder of fire as a creative force. Of heat that transforms, and of patience, power, and respect for the land beneath your feet.   About the Goddess Pele In Hawaiian tradition,  Pele  is the goddess of ...

This is comfort food with a backbone. Tender Llano & Rye "Dino" rib meat, slow-cooked on the bones until it practically falls apart, then shredded and folded into a rich tomato, garlic, parsley, and beef-broth sauce. Tossed with penne to catch every drop, it’s the kind of dish that feels familiar and generous—simple ingredients, deep flavor, and the unmistakable reward of time well spent.