Cowboy Cookin'
Close your eyes… You've just ridden down from the summit of one of the myriad peaks in the Chiricahuas, and it was easily one of the most indescribable adventures of your life. Fresh mountain air, bright blue sunshine, great company with other guests and your veteran Hideout wrangler, and the steadiest, most surefooted horse you could ask for on these trails - it has certainly been an amazing day. And after a few hours in the saddle, you're looking forward to a good stretch, [at least one] cold beverage, and a sizzling hot dinner. Those last few yards into camp are perhaps the longest of the day... then you hear the first crackle of a campfire, and you just know the marvelous day is going to end on a delicious note. The horses must smell the campfire, and they put some pep in their steps. Then you see him. Jerry Racicot, our cowboy chef, standing beside a fire pit, shifting Dutch ovens around in the hot coals. With a smile and a question about your ride, he steps away to greet you with an icy-cold beverage.
Cooking over an open fire is as much a part of cowboy life as riding fence and moving cattle from spring to winter pastures. Hideout Ranch has access to the freshest ingredients for all the camp-cooked meals you'll enjoy during your stay. Stews, chicken, steaks - all cooked over an open mesquite fire, never tasted better. Potatoes, other vegetables just taste better. And the desserts? Yummy!
But the best, unequivocally so, is waking slowly in the morning realizing that the sun might just be waking up, but Jerry's been up since first light, preparing a sumptuous Cowboy breakfast. And yes, the coffee is already bubbling merrily, waiting on you. Biscuits taste better from a hot Dutch oven. Chorizo and eggs meld over the coals and fill the early morning air with a spicy tang. Fresh fruit and juices add to the feast-like spread.
At the ranch or at the campsite, Jerry's cooking is one more ingredient in your Hideout Ranch experience which will leave you hungry for more…
Jennifer Racicot, Jerry's wife and Assistant Chef, helps prepare a sizzling, savory breakfast for Hideout guests.