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Rocky Mountain Oysters, Buttermilk Pie and What Cowboys ate in Old Hollywood Western Movie
Mar 11, 2026
Printable recipe below! Were going back to the old west and Hollywood to explore cowboy cooking the facts and the myths. We're retracing the roots of famous western movies to get to the bottom of what cowboys really ate.
Used in this video:
Propane camp stove https://amzn.to/2MG9vo9
Kent's Original seasoning https://www.kentrollins.com/shop
DJI Mic 2 https://amzn.to/4ewAHAw
Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com
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Printable Recipe:
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/beef/rocky-mountain-oysters
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/dessert/buttermilk-pie
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0:14
Now, if you believe them old Western
0:16
movies, cowboys eat steaks this big
0:18
every night and drink [music] whiskey by
0:20
the thousands of gallons.
0:28
>> [music]
0:37
>> Well,
0:38
that's not entirely the case. So, we're
0:40
going over the myths, the facts, and we
0:43
might even throw in some Rocky Mountain
0:45
oysters.
0:48
We're talking about what was really on
0:50
the plate in the Old West.
0:54
>> [music]
0:59
[music]
1:08
[music]
1:10
>> You know, in them old Western movies, it
1:12
looked like every cowboy went into a
1:14
[music] gigantic steak house because
1:16
when you seen the plate come out there,
1:18
it was like they cut a whole hindquarter
1:19
off and just laid it hanging off the
1:21
plate. But, in reality, there was a lot
1:24
of beef in the Old West, [music] but it
1:26
wasn't as if John Wayne made you think
1:28
it was hanging off the plate everywhere.
1:30
Beef back in the Old West would have
1:31
used much cheaper cuts of steak like
1:34
chuck steak. [music] More prevalent
1:35
dishes would have been beef stew or even
1:38
hash, where you could make a meal
1:39
stretch further. Boiled beef was another
1:41
popular method of cooking, but a ribeye
1:44
wasn't the standard cut, and fancy steak
1:46
house culture came later. Now, here's
1:48
something that might surprise you. Now,
1:51
out West, there was a delicacy that was
1:53
served, and what was it?
1:55
Oysters. When most people think of
1:57
oysters, they picture coastal cities
1:59
[music] like New York, New Orleans, San
2:02
Francisco, but not Dodge City. But in
2:04
the mid-1800s, oysters were one of the
2:07
most popular foods in America. They were
2:09
cheap, abundant, and harvested by the
2:12
millions along the East Coast. [music]
2:13
In fact, New York Harbor alone produced
2:16
millions of oysters every year. They
2:18
were packed in ice or brine and shipped
2:20
inland. And once the railroads expanded
2:23
westward [music] in the 1870s and 1880s,
2:26
everything changed. Rail cars packed
2:29
with ice carried fresh oysters hundreds
2:32
of miles from the ocean to landlocked
2:34
towns. They can survive several days out
2:36
of the water if [music] kept cool. They
2:38
were shipped in barrels layered with ice
2:40
and seaweed to keep them [music] fresh.
2:42
Mining towns and cattle towns begin
2:44
serving oyster stew regularly. In
2:46
[music] fact, if you had a little money
2:48
in your pocket, you could sit down in a
2:50
place like Denver or even a small
2:52
frontier towns and order yourself a
2:54
bowl. And after the Civil War, canned
2:56
[music] oysters became popular, too.
2:58
Those cans showed up in frontier general
3:00
stores making oysters available even in
3:03
remote settlements. But in cattle
3:05
country, there was another kind of
3:07
oyster. Rocky Mountain oysters.
3:09
>> [music]
3:13
>> Y'all stick with me cuz you sure are
3:15
going to learn something today. And
3:16
we're not going to get graphic about it.
3:18
So, if you want to fast-forward through
3:20
this a little bit, you can. But we're
3:21
talking about something that I grew up
3:23
on all my life. And that is
3:26
calf fries, mountain oysters, Rocky
3:29
Mountain oysters, all are the same
3:31
thing. Now, I will tell you this right
3:33
off the top of the bat. You know, when
3:35
you talk about oysters, sometimes you
3:36
find a pearl in them. You ain't going to
3:38
find no pearl in these, but what you are
3:40
going to find is some really good
3:42
eating.
3:43
And just grip it tight, take your knife
3:45
to score the outside edge, pull that
3:47
first membrane of skin plumb off of it.
3:49
It'll just pull down. Then you slice
3:52
plumb to the bottom side. Then you have
3:54
two halves. All you got to do is just
3:56
peel them out of there, lay them on a
3:57
cutting board. Now, I like to cut mine
4:00
in really small enough pieces that I
4:02
know they're going to fry up really well
4:04
cuz I have been in them branding pens
4:06
where them old men would just take one
4:07
that's this big around, cut it in half,
4:10
throwing it over there on top of some
4:11
hot coals, let it cook for a minute.
4:13
Hey, it's good to eat. I never did like
4:16
them that way, but I did eat them. So,
4:18
this is really something that if you
4:20
take your time, you do it right, you're
4:22
going to be so impressed and you're
4:23
going to order them every time you go to
4:25
a restaurant that has them. Always seen
4:27
them. Never do this in a bowl.
4:29
My mother would just take some flour,
4:32
put in a paper sack.
4:34
And we're going to
4:35
have about two of them.
4:36
Same amount of cornmeal.
4:40
We ain't even going We're just going to
4:41
guess.
4:43
I'm going to guess just a little more.
4:46
Little bit of our original seasoning.
4:54
Now, what do you put in fried chicken
4:55
when you're going to make it really
4:56
good? Some ground mustard, you do. So,
4:59
we're going to add us a little bit of
5:00
that in there.
5:04
And some garlic powder.
5:06
Now, them old men putting these on a
5:08
branding fire or just stringing them on
5:09
that wire, they didn't have none of this
5:11
stuff. But,
5:13
y'all ever watch Mayberry RFD?
5:16
Seen old Andy Taylor there and he said
5:18
everything tastes better with a Ritz
5:20
cracker. It sure does and they make good
5:22
breading, too. You just crumble them up
5:24
really good in here. They'll mash. You
5:26
can see they sort of disintegrate pretty
5:27
easy.
5:29
But, they help make a crunch. I usually
5:31
just do it in the sack.
5:32
Just roll them around in there till you
5:34
can get them all mashed up.
5:36
Used to use cracker crumbs. I have done
5:38
that many times as well.
5:41
Well, I know y'all seen that little girl
5:43
on TV. She was in black and white when I
5:45
was growing up. And she got to do that
5:47
shake and bake deal. This shake and bake
5:49
and I got to help.
5:51
That's what we're talking about.
5:53
Shake and bake. Let's get our
5:55
They don't make sacks near like they
5:57
used to make them in 1960s. I promise
5:59
you that or we wouldn't be losing some
6:02
of our ingredients.
6:04
So,
6:06
one thing you want to make sure of,
6:08
don't just grab a handful of them and
6:09
throw them in there cuz they'll stick
6:11
together.
6:12
Just scatter them out in there amongst
6:14
it.
6:16
Then we'll give them a shake. Don't
6:18
overcrowd the boat none at all.
6:27
Hey, shake and bake and I got to help.
6:35
Branding gatherings often turned into
6:37
community events. Hard work followed by
6:40
a shared meal. And that's where Rocky
6:42
Mountain Oysters became part of the
6:43
tradition across Colorado, Texas,
6:46
Wyoming, and New Mexico. They weren't a
6:48
novelty or a dare. They were simply
6:51
practical frontier cooking, making use
6:53
of what was available and feeding the
6:55
people who showed up to work.
7:14
>> [music]
7:15
>> All set up we are.
7:17
Peanut oil, about 355 the first batch
7:19
because them things is cold. Paper towel
7:22
over here in this little old tin.
7:24
We got these on a wire rack. Again,
7:26
we're not going to overcrowd the boat.
7:29
Drop them in there. That is a wonderful
7:30
sound it is.
7:33
I remember when we would have a really
7:35
big party after we'd been to a branding
7:37
or me and daddy had went and worked
7:39
2 or 300 head for somebody,
7:42
cut all them bulls.
7:44
Them old-timers would get out there with
7:46
a 30-gallon cast iron wash pot,
7:50
dump buckets of lard in it, just keep
7:52
dumping them in there.
7:54
Then they'd dump maybe 40 lb of calf
7:56
fries in there, scatter them out, fry
7:58
them, dip them out.
8:01
Next comes fish. Same thing, dip them
8:03
out. People would gather up in
8:05
backyards, bring potato salad, pies,
8:08
cakes, homemade ice cream. Best thing
8:10
ever seen, but what really thrilled me
8:12
the most was how them old men checked
8:14
the oil temperature when it was time to
8:16
fry in that big old black pot.
8:18
They'd take one of them matches, wooden
8:20
match,
8:21
throw it in that grease. When it
8:24
made a fire,
8:25
it's time to fry.
8:29
You want to fry these probably, I'd say,
8:31
4 to 5 minutes. Keep rolling them around
8:33
all the time. You just want them good,
8:35
crispy, and golden brown.
8:42
>> [music]
8:51
[music]
8:57
[music]
9:15
[music]
9:20
[music]
9:30
>> Folks, I have [music] served these on
9:31
appetizer on a work like at a wagon when
9:34
I was cooking on ranches, have them done
9:35
early when cowboys come in. [music] But,
9:37
and you go to telling yourself where can
9:39
I find them at? Well, a lot of times if
9:41
you'll go to your local grocery store in
9:42
your town and say, "Hey, can you order
9:44
me a box of calf fries?" Usually they
9:46
can. But, one thing I have done a lot of
9:48
too is that is turkey fries. Try you
9:50
some of these, you will really
9:53
He missed it. He had one in his mouth.
9:56
Well, I had some really good help here
9:58
today, I did.
9:59
Snows, I want to thank you so much.
10:02
Whiskey, come on. You need a bite Oh, my
10:05
gosh, Whiskey bites hard, he does.
10:08
Duker,
10:09
come here and get you bite. Duker, come
10:11
on, this one's cooked.
10:15
In the movies, cowboys started the day
10:17
off with a shot of whiskey and ended it
10:20
the same way. And it nearly seemed like
10:22
they spent all day in the saloon
10:24
drinking, gambling, and telling some
10:26
lies. But, in reality, many trail
10:28
[music] bosses banned alcohol
10:30
altogether. A drunk cowboy around a
10:32
thousand head of cattle was a liability.
10:34
[music]
10:35
One bad decision could trigger a
10:37
stampede and that meant lost cattle,
10:40
lost money, and sometimes lost lives.
10:43
And when cowboys did get to town,
10:44
[music] the whiskey often wasn't top
10:46
shelf. It was cheap, sometimes even
10:49
watered down. Now, here's one we've seen
10:51
and heard a lot about going down the
10:53
trail. Beans. They were cheap, filling,
10:57
and packed with protein. [music]
10:59
More importantly, they traveled well.
11:01
Dried beans could sit in a chuck wagon
11:03
for months without spoiling. All you
11:05
needed was water and time and a little
11:07
heat from a fire. They were dependable
11:10
and on the trail, dependable mattered
11:12
more than fancy.
11:14
But, in Hollywood, seems like the bowl
11:16
never went empty and there was a endless
11:19
pot of beans always cooking. But, folks,
11:22
really that's not the way it was going
11:23
down the trail with old Cookie. He had
11:25
to ration out what all them cowboys were
11:28
going to eat because he may not get to
11:30
restock the wagon in time before they
11:31
run out. So, he made sure there was
11:33
plenty at every meal, but it was limited
11:36
conditions a lot of the time. But,
11:38
Hollywood is pretty close, so we'll give
11:40
them this one.
11:47
Now, on our new podcast that's coming
11:49
out this Sunday, we had the privilege of
11:51
bringing [music] Santee in from Arizona
11:53
Ghost Riders. A great historian he is.
11:56
And we will do this as a really deep
11:57
dive from what was really fiction or
12:00
fact from Hollywood to the Old West. So,
12:03
be sure [music] and check that episode
12:05
out.
12:09
You know, out on the trail, desserts
12:11
weren't plentiful. They weren't. They
12:13
were pretty scarce. Now, a cook might
12:15
have had some dried fruit that he'd
12:17
rehydrate, make a pie or a cobbler, but
12:20
that was about it. But, when them
12:22
cowboys got to town, things got
12:24
different. Out in the West and in
12:26
Southern kitchens,
12:28
desserts weren't fancy or flashy. But,
12:30
one that you might see on the table
12:32
quite a bit for dessert, buttermilk pie.
12:35
>> Did someone say buttermilk?
12:37
>> Oh my gosh, thank you for joining me.
12:39
>> I always travel with my buttermilk. You
12:41
know me.
12:42
>> Yes, ma'am. [laughter]
12:43
>> There is a restaurant here in Ruidoso,
12:46
and we've featured them before. Uh the
12:48
Village Buttery. They have a buttermilk
12:50
pie, and it is one of the most amazing
12:53
things that I have ever eaten. So, I
12:55
tried to recreate it.
12:56
>> done it.
12:57
>> So, when y'all come to visit, because
12:59
you will, you have to try them out. But,
13:00
I'm going to create a pie that I think
13:03
is really close.
13:04
>> Oh, I think it's better from the one you
13:06
made the other night.
13:07
>> Let's cross our fingers.
13:08
>> Boarding houses, hotel dining rooms, and
13:11
small town cafes often served pies.
13:14
Apple pie, mince pie, [music]
13:17
dried fruit pie, and custard pies. They
13:19
were practical desserts built from
13:21
ingredients that could survive long
13:23
distances and long storage. Fresh fruit
13:26
wasn't always available in the frontier,
13:28
[music] so dried apples, raisins, and
13:30
preserved fruit were common.
13:32
Custard-style pies were popular because
13:35
eggs, milk, and [music] sugar were more
13:37
dependable than seasonal produce. In
13:39
Hollywood, there was almost always a
13:41
perfect pie sitting at the saloon
13:43
counter. Golden crust, steam rising,
13:46
ready for the hero to grab a bite before
13:48
the gunfight.
13:49
>> You don't mind helping me, do you?
13:51
>> No, ma'am. I'll I'll sure watch, anyway.
13:53
>> Well, I'm going to put you to work. So,
13:54
I have already creamed together some
13:56
softened butter and sugar there for you.
13:58
Can you go ahead and add three large
14:01
eggs one at a time?
14:02
>> One at a time and whisk them in?
14:04
>> Yes, please.
14:05
Um and then I'm going to put together
14:07
the dry, which is just half a cup of
14:09
flour.
14:10
Now, typically, buttermilk pies, like I
14:13
mentioned, are little more custardy. I
14:15
like to err on the side where it's a
14:17
little more cake-like, kind of like a
14:19
chess pie, I guess.
14:21
So, that's what we're going to be doing
14:23
today, and I think it's going to turn
14:25
out good. Well, salt, and then just a
14:28
towel tad of baking powder.
14:33
Then I'm going to also have you mix in
14:35
about a teaspoon of vanilla.
14:37
>> All right.
14:39
>> And while you're doing that,
14:42
I'm going to grate some lemon zest. Now,
14:45
typical recipes I have noticed use lemon
14:48
juice,
14:49
and what I found happened is with the
14:52
buttermilk and the lemon juice, the pie
14:54
comes out pretty tart. So, I wanted the
14:57
lemon flavor, but I didn't want the so
15:00
much of the tartness to it. So, that's
15:01
why I'm using zest.
15:03
>> Huh.
15:07
>> Looks good.
15:09
Okay. Then, I'm going to give you this.
15:11
>> All right.
15:12
>> Can you
15:15
>> Mixer's on low.
15:16
>> Great mixer here.
15:17
>> Yes.
15:18
>> 3/4 cup buttermilk.
15:23
>> Mhm.
15:24
>> There you go.
15:25
Go a soft whisk until you just get that
15:28
incorporated. Do not like over beat
15:30
this. Just whisk that in until
15:32
everything gets incorporated.
15:34
Okay.
15:36
>> [snorts]
15:36
>> I do recommend using a deep pie plate
15:38
and I have realized I love cooking pies
15:41
in stoneware because they the heat
15:43
transfers better and they cook up
15:45
better. Um metal conducts heat
15:48
more intensely. So just watch it if
15:51
you're ever cooking a pie in metal.
15:52
>> And did you know that you could put this
15:54
pie plate in a Dutch oven?
15:55
>> You can and then we will show you. And
15:56
it's um it's my Christmas pie plate. So.
16:00
Okay, folks. I'm cheating today. Don't
16:02
judge me.
16:04
>> I'm going to use a pre-made pie crust.
16:08
Um we've done videos before on homemade
16:10
pie dough, so feel free. If you want
16:13
extra bonus points, go for it and make
16:15
your own. But let's just lay this in
16:17
here.
16:20
And just pat it around. All right, Kent.
16:23
Can you gingerly
16:25
pour that in there, please?
16:26
>> Gingerly.
16:34
Mhm.
16:34
>> Okay. You can see why we use a deep pie
16:37
crust or pie plate because this is going
16:40
to fill it up. So you're going to freeze
16:41
this for about 15 to 20 minutes, then
16:43
cook it at 400° for 15 minutes. Then
16:48
turn your oven down to 350° [music]
16:51
and cook it for about 40 to 50 minutes.
17:03
>> [music]
17:09
[music]
17:19
[music]
17:25
>> Now we couldn't get through this episode
17:27
without [music] a great tribute to
17:28
cowboy coffee.
17:36
>> [music]
17:39
>> Now here's one thing that Hollywood
17:41
actually gets pretty close, coffee. If
17:44
there was one luxury on the trail, it
17:46
wasn't steak, it was coffee. [music]
17:48
There were no filters, no presses, no
17:50
creamers, just coarse ground coffee,
17:53
water, [music] and a pot over an open
17:55
flame. Coffee helped cowboys wake before
17:57
the sunrise,
17:58
>> [music]
17:58
>> ride long miles, and stay alert around
18:01
livestock that could spook at anything.
18:04
It was the first thing on in the morning
18:06
and the last thing off at night. It
18:08
wasn't refined, it wasn't smooth, but it
18:11
was strong, and that's what mattered.
18:13
Now coffee today is much different. Now
18:15
we have made a lot of cowboy coffee
18:18
videos, and you be sure you go back and
18:19
check them out because that is how a lot
18:21
of people said they actually found us
18:23
the first time was cowboy coffee. But I
18:26
got a few tips and tricks I want to
18:27
share with you to make it even easier to
18:30
make this great coffee. Number one
18:32
question I get the most, how do you wash
18:34
your coffee pot? Wash the coffee pot?
18:37
No, never with soap and water. I treat
18:39
the inside of a coffee pot like it's
18:41
cast iron. It don't get seasoned with
18:43
oil, but every time I get through using
18:45
it, rinse it out really good with hot
18:47
water, make sure it's clean, dry it over
18:50
a flame, open fire, burner, something
18:52
like that to where you get all that
18:54
moisture to get going out of it. Another
18:56
question is, well I've got one of them
18:58
big old pots, but I can't drink that
18:59
much coffee in a week. Did you know that
19:01
you can store this coffee in a mason
19:03
jar, in a plastic jar, whatever you got?
19:06
Just make sure you let it cool off
19:08
before you ever put it in there. And if
19:09
you want to, a lot of people ask this,
19:11
can I go ahead and sift it when I pour
19:14
it in there? You can, but if you make
19:16
coffee the right way, ain't going to be
19:18
no grounds till you get plumb to the
19:19
very last cup down there. So, it's
19:21
really easy to make. It's something
19:22
that's so smooth that it ain't like that
19:24
stuff that would float a horseshoe back
19:26
during the trail. And folks ask me this,
19:28
can you really put it in a sock? Please
19:30
don't cuz I don't know who wore the sock
19:33
before the coffee went in it. Well, I
19:34
got some bad news for you.
19:36
Company showed up before y'all got here.
19:38
They all ate calf fries. They did. And
19:40
they nearly ate all the pie. I had to
19:42
guard this much just to make sure that I
19:44
got a bite. And I had to make me a fresh
19:46
pot of coffee cuz they drank all of it,
19:48
too. Am I down on the neighbors? No, I'd
19:50
feed them again if they come on anytime.
19:52
But,
19:53
Shayan has created a masterpiece here. I
19:56
mean, when you let this stuff sit
19:58
overnight, chill up just a little, it
20:00
don't get no better than that. You cook
20:02
it in the house or in the Dutch oven,
20:04
whichever one you please.
20:09
>> [clears throat]
20:10
>> How How do you feel about my tweaks?
20:13
>> You did so well.
20:15
The lemon comes through just right now.
20:17
It's not the tartness of the lemon. You
20:19
get that lemon zest. And you increase
20:22
the sugar a little bit. What I like
20:23
most, I think, is you got this where it
20:25
stands up like a real custard pie there
20:27
you do.
20:28
>> No, it's not custard. It's like
20:30
>> I'll back up.
20:32
And the thing that impresses me most,
20:34
you got some volume in here now, girl.
20:36
And I mean, it has got the right texture
20:37
when you cut it.
20:40
And the homemade pie crust was out this
20:41
world.
20:47
Swing your partner [music] round and
20:49
round. Give her a kiss and go left. Here
20:51
we go. Going to spend the night. Whoop
20:53
whoop. Well, we hope y'all enjoyed it.
20:55
We hope you learned something from fact
20:57
versus fiction out there in the
20:59
Hollywood movies. But, be sure you check
21:01
out our podcast that's coming [music]
21:02
out this Sunday.
21:04
And mark it on your calendars because
21:06
Sante from the Arizona Ghost Riders goes
21:09
deep diving in there to find out what
21:11
was
21:12
>> [music]
21:12
>> myth
21:13
or the truth. All happened in Hollywood
21:16
and he knows what it was. But also for
21:18
you folks that are going to be in the
21:19
Kidron, Ohio area, I am coming back to
21:22
Lehman's, the best hardware store in all
21:24
the world. And most years we've been up
21:26
there, 300, 400 people have come to see
21:29
us. So, we ask you to make it a point to
21:31
come and visit cuz I sure like to shake
21:32
your hand. But it is with pride, honor,
21:35
and privilege that I tip my hat to all
21:37
the servicemen and women and all the
21:38
veterans that have kept that old flag
21:40
a-flying in camp. No matter where we
21:42
are, we commend you all. We do. Rest of
21:45
you, get up in here. I'm not going to
21:47
give you one of them fictitious hugs
21:48
from Hollywood. I'm going to give you
21:50
one of them great old big cowboy [music]
21:52
hugs.
21:53
God bless you each and every one and
21:55
we'll see you down How Was the Old West
21:57
Really Like Trail.
22:02
>> [music]
#People & Society