Join Cowboy Kent Rollins and his wife Shannon on the chuckwagon trail as they share recipes for life, love and delicious meals in the new book Faith, Family & The Feast: Recipes to Feed Your Crew from the Grill, Garden and Iron Skillet. Kent’s parents taught him an important lesson at a young age; “Faith, love, and food will get you through anything in life that might happen to you.”

Kent and Shannon cook from their heart for the ranch hands and campers entrusted to their care. They wake up between 2 and 3 a.m. each morning to prepare the meals. You will enjoy their recipe for Cowboy Eggs Benedict with Lemon Hollandaise Sauce. For the avid grillers, you will be inspired by Kent’s tales about his portable 385 pound stove. Grace and gratitude are key ingredients to the recipe of a happy life for Kent and Shannon.

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Cowboy Kent’s three tips for the home chef are:

1. Always have faith in yourself and trust you can get it done.
2. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
3. Always bless the food and share it with family and friends.

Savor the day!

Prize-Winning Cowboy Chili is excerpted from Faith, Family & the Feast: Recipes to Feed Your Crew from the Grill, Garden, and Iron Skillet© 2020 by Kent and Shannon Rollins. Photography © 2020 by Shannon Rollins. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Prize-Winning Cowboy Chili

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

So, here’s the funny thing—we’ve never actually won any prizes ourselves with this recipe. However, we’ve gotten a ton of emails from folks who tell us they used this recipe at their local chili cook-off and won! You can use any type of meat, whether it’s ground beef or even wild game. A perfect blend of chili powder, cumin, and oregano gives it a classic chili flavor, and the chipotle chiles take it to blue ribbon status! Beans or no beans is always the question. I do love a bean, and we add kidney beans for more heartiness, but that’s you call.

1 pounds ground beef or chuck, cut into bite-sized chunks

Salt and black pepper

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 (10-ounce) cans Ro-Tel diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained

3 or 4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped

⅓cup chili powder

1 tablespoon mined garlic

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons paprika or smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions for serving

1.In a large pot or 12-inch Dutch oven, brown the meat over medium-high heat, breaking up the chopped beef or turning the cubes of chuck,8 to 10 minutes. As the meat begins to brown, season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the onion and continue cooking until the meat has fully browned and the onion is tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain the excess grease.

2.Stir in the Ro-Tel tomatoes and chiles, 1 Ro-Tel can of water, the tomato sauce, kidney beans, and chipotle chiles to taste. Stir in 2 teaspoons salt and the remaining seasonings.

3.Cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes, to let the flavors blend. Serve warm, topped with cheese, sour cream, and green onions, if desired.

Cast-Iron Tip

Acidic foods, such as tomatoes or barbecue sauces, are harsh on cast iron, but you can cook them in it. Just be sure to clean it well and reseason it after every use.

Prep Time: 15 minutesTotal Time: 55 minutes