
The Fresh Chile Company
A Taste of Cowboy
A Taste of Cowboy is a 256-page hardcover cookbook by Kent Rollins and Shannon Rollins featuring ranch-style recipes made from pantry ingredients, along with photographs of the American West and the authors' stories and poetry. It is intended for home cooks preparing simple comfort food and for readers interested in cowboy trail culture. The book includes recipe spreads such as Green Pepper Frito Pie.
- Style
- rustic, classic, heritage
- Category
- Media > Books > Print Books
- GTIN
9780544275003- MPN
fcc-taste-of-cowboy
Specifications
A Taste of Cowboy is a cookbook by Kent Rollins, featuring simple, comforting recipes, stunning photos of the American West, and lively tales and poetry. 256 pages.
256 pages; full of recipes using pantry ingredients; includes stunning photos of the American West; features Kent Rollins' lively tales and poetry; comfort food recipes anyone can do.
- Style
- rustic, classic, heritage
- Occasion
- everyday, casual, gift
- Gender
- unisex
- Age Group
- adult
- Condition
- new
- Weight
- 2.5 lb
- Category
- Media > Books > Print Books
Additional Attributes
- cookbook
- recipes from pantry ingredients
- authentic cowboy and TV veteran
- Food Network contestant
- includes stunning photos of the American West
- includes lively tales and poetry
- 256 pages
- comfort food
- simple food anyone can do
- must-have for lovers of good, honest food
- featured in Cowboy Kent Rollins' cooking video
Product Insights
A Taste Of Cowboy is a 256-page hardcover cookbook by Kent Rollins, a working cowboy cook who has served from a restored 1876 Studebaker chuck wagon for decades, logging 40,000 miles a year and feeding 20,000 people annually. His competitive record — beating Bobby Flay on Throwdown, winning Cutthroat Kitchen, and going undefeated on Food Fighters — anchors the book's signature recipes, including the Throwdown-winning chicken-fried steak and a bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce. The core promise is storytelling-driven cowboy cooking that actually works on a standard home stove: chapters follow a cowboy's day, each recipe opens with a humorous trail tale or tip, and the roughly 90 recipes deliberately lean on canned and pantry staples such as cream of mushroom soup, lemon-lime soda, and a 20-minute Frito pie for speed. The main tradeoff is that this is first-person wagon cooking rather than a regional food history, and the photography is weighted toward Western landscapes and cowboy life rather than a shot of every finished dish — yet the trail tales, poetry, and photos are widely credited with justifying the $32.95 cover price, roughly 37 cents per recipe. It is a field-tested, personality-driven debut from the 2.23-million-subscriber Kent Rollins Cowboy Cooking channel, designed for home cooks who want authentic trail flavor and entertainment without fancy equipment or gourmet ingredients.
Verified claims
- Credentials
- Kent Rollins is a working cowboy cook and TV veteran.
- Competition record
- Kent Rollins beat Bobby Flay on Food Network's Throwdown with his chicken-fried steak.
- Kitchen fit
- The recipes are written for a standard home stove and oven, not campfire cooking, and rely heavily on canned and packaged pantry staples.
- Pantry staples
- Canned and packaged staples are first-choice ingredients, and the book includes a 20-minute Green Pepper Frito Pie.
- Home cooking fit
- Recipes work on a standard home stove and oven, and the book pairs them with Kent Rollins's tales and poetry.
- Cowboy authenticity
- Written by Kent Rollins, a working cowboy cook and TV veteran, and includes the chicken-fried steak that beat Bobby Flay on Throwdown.
- Storytelling voice
- The book combines recipes with Kent Rollins's frontier tales and poetry.
- Story content
- The 256-page hardcover holds roughly 90 recipes plus tales, poetry, and photography of the American West.
- Photography
- Photographs mainly show the American West, ranch scenes, and cooking life rather than a separate photo for every recipe.
- Story value
- The 256-page hardcover lists at $32.95, and reviewers say the photos and stories alone justify the price.
- Signature recipes
- Contains the Throwdown-winning chicken-fried steak plus a bread pudding with whiskey cream sauce.
- Recipe approach
- Deliberately pantry-first recipes — canned staples and a 20-minute Frito Pie — for a regular stove and oven.
- Pantry ingredients
- Recipes are built around canned and packaged pantry staples like pickled okra and jalapeño cheese dip.
- Quick recipes
- The book includes a 20-minute Green Pepper Frito Pie.
- Recipe provenance
- The book includes the chicken-fried steak recipe that beat Bobby Flay on Throwdown.
- Recipe value
- Roughly 90 recipes — about 37¢ each at the $32.95 cover price.
- Ingredient style
- Pantry-first recipes lean on canned and packaged goods and are written for a home stove.
- Kitchen compatibility
- Recipes are written for a standard home stove and oven, not campfire or wagon cooking
- Recipe structure
- About 90 recipes fill 256 pages, with the remaining space given to tales, poetry, and photography of the American West.
- Author authority
- Debut cookbook by Kent and Shannon Rollins, the couple behind the Cowboy Kent Rollins cooking videos.
- Pantry cooking
- Recipes assume a standard home kitchen and rely on canned and packaged pantry staples.
- Publication date
- This edition was published on April 7, 2015, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
- Recipe mix
- The recipes are not all beef: the supper chapter includes chicken and pork dishes plus vegetable sides, while seafood is scarce.
Product record
- Title
- A Taste Of Cowboy
- Brand
- The Fresh Chile Company
- Price
- $32.95 USD
- Availability
- In stock
- Rating
- 0 reviews, scale 5
Buying Guide
1 comparison · 13 sourcesUses
Ranch-style comfort food from pantry staples
Use this cookbook to turn pantry staples into ranch-style comfort food at home — recipes include the chicken-fried steak Kent Rollins cooked to beat Bobby Flay on Food Network, plus quick meals like a 20-minute Green Pepper Frito Pie and four-ingredient Sweet Heat Chopped Barbecue Sandwiches. Many recipes depend on canned goods like cream of mushroom soup, and many call for a 12-inch cast iron pan. One reviewer also suggests it for a camping trip or a remote cabin stay where the nearest store is an hour away.[2,3,4,5,6,7]
Cowboy stories and poetry alongside the recipes
Beyond cooking, this book offers Kent Rollins's tales and poetry, with a review noting his sense of timing comes through clearly on paper. Its retained excerpt also describes touching stories of a tightly knit cowboy family and life lessons from the trail, matching the subtitle 'Ranch Recipes and Tales from the Trail.'[1,5,8,9]
Explore cowboy ranch life through stories, photos, and recipes
Use this cookbook to step into cowboy ranch life while cooking simple comfort food. Every chapter includes a story from Kent Rollins about life on the ranch, and photos from ranches in New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma bring that world onto the page. Alongside the recipes, readers find life lessons, home remedies, and even the cowboy code — "Don't question the cook."[5,8,10]
Browsing American West and ranch photos alongside the recipes
Page through this cookbook for the imagery as well as the recipes: the seller points to photos of the American West — describing them as stunning — and a newspaper piece on the book highlights pictures taken straight from ranches in New Mexico, Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. Recipe spreads are illustrated too, with a full-page close-up of a skillet Frito pie and an inset photo of a skillet dish topped with melted cheese.[5,10,11]
A reviewer's pick for the coffee table
One reviewer expects A Taste of Cowboy to become a new favorite coffee table book — one that stays out rather than being put away — and to get used often. Alongside the recipes, the book includes photos of the American West and Kent's tales and poetry — plenty to browse even when you're not cooking.[12]
A cookbook with cast iron and enamel cookware care tips
Beyond recipes, this cookbook by Kent Rollins includes practical tips for caring for cast iron and enamel cookware, including the coffee pot the author uses daily, per a book review. Shoppers looking to maintain their cowboy-style cookware can pick up care pointers alongside the comfort-food recipes.[1]
Product comparison
Compared within this brand.
| A Taste Of Cowboy: Choose this if you want simple ranch-style comfort food from pantry ingredients — like a 20-minute Green Pepper Frito Pie or hands-off, four-ingredient Sweet Heat Chopped Barbecue Sandwiches — alongside a ranch-life story in every chapter and photos of the American West. The winning chicken-fried steak recipe from Rollins's Throwdown! victory over Bobby Flay on the Food Network is also in the book. A reviewer notes many recipes depend on canned foods like cream of mushroom soup, and the author calls out a 12" cast iron pan in a bunch of recipes.[2,3,4,5,6,7,10] | Comfort Food The Cowboy Way: Choose this for family-style comfort-food cooking: 125 recipes the seller describes as easy-to-follow, with chapters running from breakfast to dinner plus grilling, desserts, and cowboy classics. Its range spans classic Southern and Western favorites to more spice-forward Mexican-style dishes—French Toast Casserole, Beer Can Chicken, Hearty Beef Stew—plus one-pot meals and backyard grilling and smoking. True chuck wagon stories and cowboy history run throughout, for cooks who also want storytelling alongside what the seller calls hearty, scrumptious food.[13] |
Image Analysis
4 images- 01

Product
Front-facing portrait of a man in a red long-sleeve shirt and cowboy hat standing behind a grill with several sauced grilled steaks; large overlaid title text covers the upper half of the image.
- Primary subject poseAdult man shown from mid-chest to top of head standing behind a grill; his left hand rests near his hip and his right hand holds a metal spatula pointed down toward the steaks.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.06 · w 0.64 · h 0.70 (high) - Shirt and clothingLong-sleeve button-up shirt in a solid saturated red with visible chest pocket and white buttons; blue denim jeans visible from waist downward with a decorative belt buckle.
1 region
x 0.30 · y 0.20 · w 0.45 · h 0.50 (high) - Hat and faceTan or light brown wide-brimmed cowboy hat; man's face with mustache is visible and angled slightly downward toward the grill.
1 region
x 0.42 · y 0.02 · w 0.40 · h 0.22 (high) - Grill and spatula interactionRectangular metal grill grate at bottom foreground with a metal spatula held by the man contacting or hovering over the food; spatula has a wooden handle.
1 region
x 0.20 · y 0.62 · w 0.60 · h 0.28 (high) - Cooked steaks with sauceSeveral thick grilled steaks on the grate, topped with a chunky reddish-brown sauce that appears glossy and unevenly spread.
1 region
x 0.22 · y 0.72 · w 0.56 · h 0.22 (high) - Background propsAntique wagon or farm equipment in the left-mid background near the horizon line, partially visible behind the man.
1 region
x 0.03 · y 0.62 · w 0.18 · h 0.18 (medium) - Large overlaid title textProminent multi-line title text printed over the image in large block letters occupying the upper half of the image.
1 region
x 0.03 · y 0.04 · w 0.94 · h 0.36 (high) - Text: main title line 1“A TASTE OF”
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.06 · w 0.40 · h 0.10 (high) - Text: main title line 2“COWBOY”
1 region
x 0.03 · y 0.12 · w 0.94 · h 0.20 (high) - Text: subtitle“RANCH RECIPES AND TALES FROM THE TRAIL”
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.28 · w 0.90 · h 0.06 (high) - Text: author line“KENT ROLLINS”
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.76 · w 0.28 · h 0.14 (high) - Text: coauthor line“AND SHANNON ROLLINS”
1 region
x 0.05 · y 0.88 · w 0.30 · h 0.06 (medium)
Other
Outdoor daytime shot with clear blue sky and horizon grass; front-on composition centers the man and grill; lighting from above creates soft shadows; the image includes texture of a paper-like overlay effect.
- Background sky and horizonClear blue sky fills the upper background with a low grassy horizon at the bottom third of the image.
2 regions
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 0.50 (high); x 0.00 · y 0.50 · w 1.00 · h 0.20 (high) - Shot compositionVertical portrait crop showing subject from upper torso to grill in foreground; large title text is overlaid and partially obscures the subject's torso and arms.
- Lighting and textureEven daylight illumination with mild directional shadowing; the image has a visible crinkled-paper texture or filter applied across the entire frame.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 1.00 (high) - Foreground focus and depthGrill and steaks are in sharp focus in the foreground while background elements are less detailed, creating shallow depth separation.
1 region
x 0.18 · y 0.66 · w 0.64 · h 0.32 (high)
Colors
saturated red· shirt#C23D3Bdenim blue· jeanstan· hat#AB5D3Dreddish-brown· steaks and saucematte black· grill grate#131A24distressed white· title text (large)vivid yellow· subtitle and small text#F5D549- Primary subject poseAdult man shown from mid-chest to top of head standing behind a grill; his left hand rests near his hip and his right hand holds a metal spatula pointed down toward the steaks.
- 02

Product
An open hardcover book shown flat, displaying a two-page photographic spread of silhouetted cowboys; visible cover edges and page gutter, with a glossy paper finish producing a vertical glare band near the center.
- Open two-page spreadBook is opened roughly flat showing a full-bleed photographic image across the left and right pages with a visible central gutter where pages meet.
1 region
x 0.08 · y 0.05 · w 0.84 · h 0.86 (high) - Photograph subjectA monochrome or low-saturation photograph of multiple standing figures wearing wide-brim cowboy hats, shown largely as dark silhouettes against a lighter sky background.
1 region
x 0.30 · y 0.18 · w 0.56 · h 0.60 (high) - Silhouette detailsSilhouetted bodies include visible hat brims, shoulders, and arms; one figure on the right leans on a horizontal railing or fence element visible across the right page.
1 region
x 0.60 · y 0.16 · w 0.34 · h 0.60 (high) - Page gutter and bindingCenter gutter is visible as a narrow vertical shadowed seam where the two pages meet; small portion of binding/tip-in visible at bottom center with a yellow thread or marker.
1 region
x 0.48 · y 0.60 · w 0.04 · h 0.30 (high) - Glossy paper glareA vertical glossy reflection band runs along the right side of the left page and the left side of the right page, producing a bright vertical patch over the image.
1 region
x 0.36 · y 0.32 · w 0.28 · h 0.60 (high) - Right cover edgeA red hardcover outer edge and inner board with a light woodgrain patterned endpaper are visible along the far right edge of the book.
1 region
x 0.89 · y 0.03 · w 0.10 · h 0.94 (high) - Left cover edgeA blue colored cover or endpaper is visible along the far left edge of the book underneath the fanned pages.
1 region
x 0.02 · y 0.18 · w 0.12 · h 0.64 (high) - Page edgesFanned white page edges are visible along the left side of the opened book indicating many pages; edges appear slightly offset from the cover.
1 region
x 0.02 · y 0.12 · w 0.12 · h 0.72 (high)
Other
Image is a top-down, slightly angled lifestyle shot on a textured light-gray surface with soft diffuse lighting and a visible camera perspective; no people or hands are visible holding the book.
- Shot compositionPhotograph taken from above at a shallow oblique angle showing the book rotated slightly clockwise so the spine is toward the bottom center.
- Background surfaceBook rests on a flat mottled light-gray textured surface that fills the frame around the book.
1 region
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 1.00 · h 1.00 (low) - Lighting and shadowSoft diffuse lighting with mild directional shadowing and a specular reflection on the glossy pages producing a highlight band near the page centers.
- Image qualityImage is in focus with visible paper texture and minimal noise; mild lens distortion causes slight curvature of page edges near the top.
Colors
deep charcoal black· photograph silhouettes#131413pale gray· photograph sky#E5E6F1medium barn red· right hardcover edge#933D4Ddeep medium blue· left cover/endpaperwarm off-white· page paper#F1F1FClight beige woodgrain· inner board / endpaper#C1B6AC- Open two-page spreadBook is opened roughly flat showing a full-bleed photographic image across the left and right pages with a visible central gutter where pages meet.
- 03

Product
An open hardcover book laid flat, showing a two-page photographic spread of tents on a grassy plain with a rainbow and cloudy sky. The visible product includes the book's pages, gutter, and portions of the book board at each outer edge.
- Open book geometryHardcover book opened flat to a two-page spread; visible gutter runs vertically near center with slight shadow where pages meet.
1 region
x 0.40 · y 0.05 · w 0.20 · h 0.90 (high) - Left page imageLeft page shows a large beige canvas tipi/tent occupying lower-left quadrant, photographed on dry grass under a cloudy sky.
1 region
x 0.02 · y 0.38 · w 0.45 · h 0.45 (high) - Right page imageRight page shows a lighter cream-colored tipi near center-right and a distant small white triangular tent near far right, with a low rocky hill on the horizon
1 region
x 0.52 · y 0.40 · w 0.42 · h 0.40 (high) - Printed rainbowA multicolored arc rainbow printed across both pages, crossing the lower-middle sky area from left toward right horizon.
1 region
x 0.20 · y 0.52 · w 0.60 · h 0.18 (high) - Paper texture and finishInterior pages show a matte photographic print with slight visible paper grain and no glossy reflections.
Other
The book is photographed on a textured gray surface with soft directional lighting from top-left producing subtle shadows; image is cropped to show most of the spread and outer book boards.
- Supporting surfaceTextured cool gray surface beneath the book, visible around the book margins and corners.
2 regions
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 0.22 · h 0.18 (high); x 0.78 · y 0.88 · w 0.22 · h 0.12 (high) - Shot compositionOblique top-down view showing the full two-page spread at a slight angle; top of pages tilts slightly away from camera.
- Lighting and shadowSoft even lighting with a faint shadow in the gutter and subtle tonal falloff toward page edges.
- Image qualityHigh resolution with clear detail and visible paper grain; no visible creases or major image artifacts.
Colors
warm beige· left tent canvas (printed on page)#D2B58Cpale cream· right tent canvas (printed on page)muted sky blue· sky in photographic spread#B4BED2dry grass brown· foreground grass#937553muted red· book outer board edge (visible right)#6C2935rainbow multicolor· printed rainbow arc#E2E6F1- Open book geometryHardcover book opened flat to a two-page spread; visible gutter runs vertically near center with slight shadow where pages meet.
- 04

Product
An open cookbook showing a full-page close-up photo of a skillet dish on the left and a recipe page on the right with the heading 'GREEN PEPPER FRITO PIE'.
- Left-page food photoLarge full-bleed photograph of a skillet filled with yellow corn chips (Fritos) and a gravylike mixture; a wooden spoon with visible wear rests on the food, partially submerged and angled toward the right page.
1 region
x 0.02 · y 0.03 · w 0.54 · h 0.95 (high) - Wooden spoon detailRounded wooden spoon head with visible grain and a worn edge; spoon surface shows sauce residue and is oriented diagonally from lower-left toward upper-right over the skillet.
1 region
x 0.33 · y 0.28 · w 0.28 · h 0.30 (high) - Right-page layoutRight-hand book page containing a vertically stacked recipe layout: a green headline at top, a narrow ingredient column at left of the page body, and a longer instruction column to the right with numbered steps and a small inset photo near the lower center.
1 region
x 0.56 · y 0.04 · w 0.42 · h 0.92 (high) - Recipe inset photoSmall rectangular inset photograph of a skillet dish with chips and melted cheese located near the lower center of the right page.
1 region
x 0.72 · y 0.68 · w 0.09 · h 0.10 (high) - Page gutter and book bindingVisible gutter at the book center where left and right pages meet; slight curvature of pages and visible hardcover spine edge at the top right corner of the right page.
1 region
x 0.48 · y 0.00 · w 0.10 · h 0.98 (high) - Page edgeTop-right corner shows a red hardcover edge visible outside the page margin.
1 region
x 0.97 · y 0.02 · w 0.03 · h 0.20 (medium) - Recipe headline text“GREEN PEPPER FRITO PIE”
1 region
x 0.66 · y 0.08 · w 0.23 · h 0.12 (high) - Footer page text“WASHING OFF THE DUST (LUNCH, AKA DINNER) 75”
1 region
x 0.84 · y 0.92 · w 0.14 · h 0.06 (high)
Other
Book placed on a textured gray tabletop photographed from a shallow angled top-down view; soft natural lighting with mild shadows and no hands or additional props visible.
- Shot compositionTop-down oblique view showing the open spread at a slight perspective angle, left page larger in frame than the right due to foreshortening.
- Background surfaceGray textured tabletop visible around the book, occupying the outer areas of the image.
2 regions
x 0.00 · y 0.00 · w 0.25 · h 1.00 (high); x 0.75 · y 0.00 · w 0.25 · h 1.00 (high) - Lighting and shadowEven diffuse lighting with soft shadows under the page edges and slight specular highlights on the glossy photo page.
- Image qualitySharp, well-exposed photograph with readable large text and clear photographic detail on the left-page food image.
Colors
golden yellow· corn chips in left photo#DBB474warm brown· wooden spoon#847573olive green· recipe headline#94949Bpaper white· right page background#D9DBE9black· skillet rim in left photo#1A1A1A- Left-page food photoLarge full-bleed photograph of a skillet filled with yellow corn chips (Fritos) and a gravylike mixture; a wooden spoon with visible wear rests on the food, partially submerged and angled toward the right page.
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Documents & Data
Customer Reviews
So fresh, so authentic. that’s what it is. So much flavor in a spoonful.
Reddit Insights
4 threads · r/hotsauce, r/SalsaSnobs, r/LubbockReddit users generally praise Fresh Chile Co products for their fresh, flavorful Hatch chile taste, especially the 575 line, though some find certain varieties bland.
Majority of comments are enthusiastic, citing fresh flavor and repeat purchases; a minority criticize specific salsas or mild varieties as bland.
Themes
Use Cases
- As a topping on burgers
- Eaten by itself with a spoon or as a condiment on anything
- As a fresher jarred substitute for freshly roasted Hatch green chile
Watch Out For
Compared To
vs Fresh roasted Hatch chile
Users find it the closest jarred product to fresh roasted Hatch, though a few note sweetness or need for salt.
vs Their own salsas
The chile is thicker and more pepper-forward than their salsas, which are thinner.
Source Threads
Native New Mexican recommends Fresh Chile Co as closest jarred Hatch to fresh
I'm native to NM. This is the only jarred Hatch product that comes close to the fresh stuff I get every harvest. I recommend it.
u/QuiverofSamView thread →
User praises 575 sauce and recommends ordering
575 is amazing. The ads got me on FB. Super delicious, unique flavor and very fresh. You can eat it with a spoon by itself but really good on anything. I’ve probably gone through 10 jars. Here’s a 575 burger I made. Do it!
u/PennTechView thread →
Detailed comparison of Fresh Chile Co green chile varieties and salsas
I ordered several jars of these as well. The medium green chilies are pretty good, but a little bland. I also ordered a jar of the red and green hot Sandia chile version, and that was much more flavorful. There's also an extra hot Matador version that I'd like to try. If you're looking for a little more flavor, they also offer salsas, but they obviously won't be as thick. I ordered a red enchilada sauce that I haven't tried yet. I would definitely recommend the red and green mixed chile version to anyone who's looking for something more pepper-forward in flavor and thicker than salsa.
u/joefitzpatrickView thread →
Local availability and freshness praise for Fresh Chile Co
If not that one, the one on 82nd/Frankford carries it - have gotten it at both the last few months. Goes with the name, but they really are the freshest you can get outside of just roasted.
u/ScruffasaurusView thread →
Provenance
- Merchant Link
- https://freshchileco.com/products/a-taste-of-cowboy
- Platform
- shopify
- Updated