Up next in 10
The Evolution of Saloon Food of the Old West | Skillet Brisket Nachos
1 views
Aug 13, 2025
Printable recipe below! Join us to explore old west saloons and a recipe for a hearty nacho skillet! Used in this video: Hasty Bake Legacy 131: https://www.hastybake.com/?rfsn=5346419.73615f Use code: KENTROLLINS for 10% off Mesquite and Original seasonings: https://www.kentrollins.com/shop Smokey Woods BBQ charcoal: https://smokeywoodsbbq.com/ Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com For more suggested products seen in our videos click here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/cowboykentrollins ====================== Printable Recipe: https://kentrollins.com/brisket-nachos/ ====================== Check out our BEST SELLING cookbooks. Get your copy here: https://www.kentrollins.com/shop Also available at bookstores nationwide, and Amazon www.amazon.com/shop/cowboykentrollins
View Video Transcript
0:00
Today we're visiting some of the old
0:02
saloons out on the frontier. But here in
0:05
the Old West, the saloon was more than
0:08
just a place to wet your whistle. It was
0:10
the heartbeat of the community. Stories
0:12
were swapped, deals were made, and
0:14
sometimes fist flew faster than the
0:17
whiskey was poured. And the food served
0:20
up in these establishments, well, it
0:22
wasn't that bad at all. So, we're
0:24
revisiting Saloon Foods with a twist and
0:27
serving up some loaded brisket nachos.
0:30
[Music]
0:41
You know, being a cowboy and being out
0:43
there on the trail for weeks on end, I
0:45
mean, choking up dust, going through the
0:47
rainstorms, everything in the world.
0:49
When you went to town, what was the
0:51
first place you look for? the saloons.
0:54
And the first saloon really ever created
0:57
was in the 1820s in Browns Hole,
0:59
Wyoming, serving fur trappers as they
1:02
worked the Rockies. But by the time of
1:04
the gold rush and the cattle drives,
1:07
saloons had exploded across the West.
1:10
Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Arizona,
1:14
every boom town had at least one. And
1:16
the wilder the town, the rowdier the
1:19
saloon. Now, these joints weren't just
1:20
for whiskey, although there was plenty
1:22
of that. Saloons were social centers, a
1:25
place for cowboys, soldiers, outlaws,
1:28
lawmen, miners, and ranchers to gather.
1:32
Deals were struck, fights were settled,
1:34
war started, and legends were born. Now,
1:37
some of these saloons were quite fancy.
1:39
Velvet curtains, chandeliers, and ladies
1:42
in feathers singing from the balcony.
1:44
Others just a leanto with a tarp and
1:48
some pickled eggs floating in a jar.
1:51
Now, if these old walls could talk,
1:52
you'd probably hear fiddles playing,
1:54
tall tails, gun fighting, and a lot of
1:57
fist flying.
1:59
[Music]
2:09
Now, if y'all are ready to settle in and
2:12
explore these old saloons, the 1800s and
2:15
the frontier, hey, pull up a chair, give
2:18
us a like for this video, and let's open
2:20
them swinging doors and go in there and
2:21
visit some of these old historic
2:23
saloons. And first up, the Long Branch
2:26
Saloon in Dodge City. It opened its
2:29
doors in 1874, right in the middle of
2:32
the cattle boom. It was a saloon of
2:34
choice for cowboys, cattleman, and a few
2:37
fellas you might have heard of. Wide
2:40
Earth, Doc Holiday, Bat Mastersonson,
2:43
and Longman Charlie Basset were known to
2:45
frequent this establishment. They had
2:47
piano music playing, poker games
2:50
running, and the whiskey was flowing.
2:52
Sadly, the place burned down in 1885,
2:55
but it got a second life on television
2:57
thanks to Gunsmoke, which is also the
3:00
longest running western on TV. And
3:02
that's how legends live on. Now, if you
3:05
were riding further north, you might
3:07
find yourself at the accidental saloon
3:09
in Buffalo, Wyoming. It opened in 1880.
3:13
Now, this wasn't your typical dusty
3:15
dive. No sir. Crystal chandeliers, fine
3:19
furnishings, and some of the best food a
3:21
tired cow han could dream of. But back
3:23
in its prime, it was part saloon, part
3:26
hotel, part gentleman's club. Upstairs
3:29
had room for travelers and ranchers
3:31
passing through. Downstairs, a full
3:34
kitchen serving up steaks, stew,
3:37
sourdough biscuits, and good, strong
3:39
coffee. Teddy Roosevelt, Buffalo, Bill
3:42
Cody, and even Butch Cassidy passed
3:44
through those doors. Today, the
3:46
accidental is still standing. Then
3:48
there's the Crystal Palace Saloon down
3:51
in Tombstone, Arizona territory. one of
3:54
the crown jewels of the town that was
3:56
more bullets than buildings when it was
3:58
founded. It opened its doors in 1879
4:02
back when the silver was pouring out of
4:04
the ground. Originally called the Golden
4:06
Eagle Brewery, it was as fancy as they
4:09
came on the frontier, ornate woodwork,
4:12
massive Florida ceiling mirrors, and a
4:15
long mahogany bar that stretched nearly
4:17
50 ft. It had live music, gambling
4:21
tables, fine cigars, and even a dining
4:24
room where you could sit down to a meal
4:26
of steak, oysters, or prime rib if your
4:29
pockets was deep enough. Wyatt Herp, Doc
4:33
Holiday, Virgil Herp, and Morgan Herp
4:36
were regulars. In May of 1882, a massive
4:40
fire swept through Tombstone, destroying
4:42
most of Allen Street, including the
4:44
Crystal Palace. Rebuilt in brick and
4:47
stone, it became even more elegant. You
4:50
can't talk saloons without mentioning
4:52
the bucket of blood. Right in the heart
4:55
of Virginia City, Nevada. Opened in 1876
4:58
at the height of the Commtock load
5:00
silver boom. Virginia City wasn't just
5:03
some mining camp. It was the richest
5:06
silver strike the world had ever seen.
5:08
With that kind of money flying around,
5:10
the town filled up with miners, outlaws,
5:14
conmen, and a whole lot of whiskey.
5:17
Folks argued over the exact story, but
5:19
the legend goes like this. One night,
5:21
there was such a bloody brawl that when
5:23
the bartender came in the next morning,
5:26
the sawdust on the floor was soaked
5:28
through. And he said it looked like a
5:30
whole bucket of blood had been spilled.
5:32
The name stuck. But it wasn't all knives
5:35
and knuckles. The Bucket of Blood was
5:38
famous for its live music with fiddles,
5:41
banjos, and player pianos banging.
5:44
Remarkably, the Bucket of Blood is still
5:46
standing, rebuilt and re-imagined, but
5:49
still serving cold drinks and live music
5:52
in the same town where Mark Twain once
5:54
wrote for the local paper and vigilantes
5:57
once ruled the streets. Let's talk about
5:59
the food. Now, in honor of them old
6:01
saloons, I am going to fix me up some
6:04
great bar food today, which is loaded
6:06
brisket nachos.
6:08
God, it's going to be good. I can't
6:10
hardly wait. I went down there to the
6:12
grocery store, found the butcher, and I
6:13
said he had trimmed some of the fat off
6:15
of it he had. So, I left what was
6:17
remaining on there because there wasn't
6:19
much. Took it out there about 40 minutes
6:22
before I was going to cook it. Just let
6:23
it sit there on a cookie sheet. Then I
6:25
seasoned it with some of our original
6:27
seasoning. Pretty heavy. But then I
6:29
topped that back off with some of our
6:31
rib rub. Now, if you ain't got those
6:32
things, you could use you some salt,
6:34
pepper, and garlic. And then just finish
6:36
it off with your favorite barbecue
6:38
seasoning. Let it sit there about
6:39
another 40 minutes till you see that
6:41
meat begin to sweat because we want that
6:43
seasoning to penetrate. So, I went out
6:46
there and fired up the Legacy. Put all
6:48
the coals on one end cuz I'm cooking
6:50
this brisket indirect. But I ain't got
6:52
time to be cooking none of these 12 or
6:54
14 hour cooks today. I got a lot going
6:56
on. And I'm gonna put that brisket on
6:58
the smoker. And I'm gonna let it go 45
7:00
minutes to an hour. I just want it to
7:02
get that good smoke flavor. Now I added
7:04
some hickory wood to it to give it that
7:06
extra bit of flavor. And then I'm going
7:08
to finish it off in what? Grandma's
7:10
favorite utensil. What are we talking
7:12
about? The crock pot. But you got to
7:15
preheat that thing. Plug her in. Turn
7:17
her on high. I'm adding me about two
7:19
cups of beef broth because I want this
7:21
brisket to fall nearly plum apart
7:23
because this is nachos. We ain't slicing
7:25
it. But if you hadn't got a crock pot
7:27
and you ain't got, you know, smoker or
7:29
no grill, you can do this in the oven.
7:32
Just all you got to do preheat that oven
7:34
to about 300°. After you've got that
7:36
brisket well seasoned, go ahead and put
7:38
your little beef broth in there, slide
7:40
it in there, cover it, let it go about
7:43
three and a half to four hours, pull
7:46
that foil off of it, and let it cook
7:49
until you can take a fork and run in
7:51
there and that meat just begin to fall
7:53
apart.
8:01
[Music]
8:08
If you're talking nachos, you're talking
8:10
cheese. Now, I'm not talking about that
8:12
stuff you're pumping out of the jar
8:14
that's fake. That is Shen's favorite
8:16
stuff. But ain't no telling what that's
8:17
got in it. Might have diesel for all I
8:19
know. I'm talking about real cheese
8:21
sauce, but made with what? Three
8:24
different kinds of cheese. That's what
8:25
you got to go for. First off,
8:28
smoked gouda. So, we going to get that
8:31
grated in there. It takes a little
8:33
while.
8:35
And you going to be real careful when
8:36
you get down there to the end, not grate
8:38
your knuckles off in there with it. And
8:40
if you get down there and it gets pretty
8:42
thin, just break them pieces up because
8:44
all this is going to melt together and
8:46
you're tell telling yourself that's a
8:47
lot of cheese. What is a nacho if it's
8:49
not got cheese on it. Have I ever
8:52
scrimped on meat or cheese? Ask Dooker.
8:54
He'll tell you no. Dooker, wake up. It's
8:57
cheese time. 16 ounces of shredded
9:00
cheddar.
9:02
We're talking cheese sauce, but what
9:04
would cheese sauce not be if you didn't
9:06
have some cream cheese? But my favorite
9:08
kind to put in this, look at there.
9:10
Chives and onion. Gives it so much
9:12
flavor. It does. We're just going to
9:14
dump it right there on top. There's 8
9:16
ounces left in here. Dooker, it is
9:18
meeting your approval. I'm going to take
9:20
it to the fire and let it begin to melt.
9:23
[Music]
9:53
And when it's all blended in really good
9:55
and you can sort of stir it around. It
9:57
ain't sticking nowhere. Nobody wants
9:59
burnt cheese. Time to add some liquid.
10:02
And we're using heavy cream today. I'm
10:05
just going to add a little as I go
10:06
along. We want this to come out more
10:08
like a gravy consistency
10:11
than anything else. So, let me get rid
10:13
of that for just a minute. And you can't
10:16
walk off and leave this. You got to get
10:18
this to going.
10:21
And you're going to have to come back, I
10:22
promise you, and add more liquid to it
10:25
than you think.
10:26
[Music]
10:29
warm your cream up cuz when that cold
10:31
cream is hitting that hot cheese, I'm
10:33
just having to start over every time.
10:34
So, it'll make a difference if you'll
10:36
just warm it up just a tad. Now, one
10:38
other thing. If you run out of cream or
10:40
you ain't got nothing to thin it with,
10:42
take some of that beef broth you had on
10:43
that brisket and just go to adding it.
10:46
It'll jump out and get you. It will. You
10:48
want to get this to your desired
10:50
consistency, but you want to be able to
10:52
where it'll drizzle really good. Now,
10:55
I'm gonna move this over here. We may
10:56
have to thin it just a little more
10:59
before come assembly time. But I got me
11:03
some beans. Did y'all see that coming?
11:06
This is like a full meal deal. Now, I
11:08
took a can of black beans, drained them,
11:11
rinsed them, and then a can of ranch
11:12
style beans. I just let them drain right
11:14
through that colander and poured them in
11:16
there cuz I want them warm. Won't take
11:18
them beans long to warm. We'll set them
11:20
aside, get that brisket to go, and we
11:22
going to assemble up. Now, some barkeeps
11:25
figured out that if you fed folks salty
11:27
food, well, they'd drink more. So, the
11:30
free lunch was born. You'd pay a nickel
11:33
for a beer and get a plate full of food
11:35
to go with it. And it wasn't just
11:37
scraps, either. There was hard cheese,
11:39
salted meat, pickled eggs, beans, bread,
11:43
and maybe even a pot of stew if the
11:45
barkeep was feeling generous. But
11:47
whatever it was, it had to be salty.
11:50
They weren't feeding out of kindness.
11:52
They wanted to get those patrons thirsty
11:54
and stay thirsty. And for cowboys coming
11:57
off the trail with no home kitchen, that
12:00
saloon plate was often a welcome sight
12:03
from the same old beans Cook had been
12:05
making on the chuck wagon. So, let's
12:06
fast forward to today and you go in any
12:09
bar, any pub, and what do you see? It's
12:12
still there. Salty food. Yeah, we have
12:14
pretzels, we have chicken wings, but
12:18
also nachos. But hey, nachos weren't
12:21
even born till the 1940s. A group of
12:24
American military wives crossed over
12:26
into Pedras Negris, Mexico for a day
12:29
trip. They arrived at the Victory Club
12:31
late in the afternoon just after the
12:34
kitchen had already closed. But instead
12:36
of turning them away, Ignasio Ana,
12:39
nicknamed Nacho, got creative. He went
12:42
into the kitchen himself and threw
12:44
together a few simple ingredients he had
12:46
on hand. fresh tortilla chips fried from
12:50
corn tortillas, slices of KBY cheese,
12:53
one of the few cheeses available locally
12:55
at the time, and pickled jalapenos. He
12:58
melted the cheese over the chips, topped
13:00
it with the jalapenos, and served it
13:02
hot. When the women asked what this dish
13:04
was called, being humble, he replied,
13:07
"Well, let's just call them nachos
13:10
especi." The name stuck and eventually
13:14
shortened to just nachos. By the 1950s
13:17
and60s, nachos started showing up in the
13:19
border state and restaurants across
13:21
Texas and the Southwest. In 1976,
13:25
a version of nachos with pump cheddar
13:27
cheese sauce was introduced at the Texas
13:30
Rangers baseball games, turning them
13:33
into a stadium and concession stand
13:35
staple.
13:37
[Music]
13:40
Got our chopped meat here in this bowl.
13:42
Remember them beans we had warmed up?
13:45
We're going to go ahead and add them to
13:46
it. Dump them in there. Now, this part
13:50
is optional, but I like to use it. It
13:52
don't take much. I'm going to use a
13:54
little of our barbecue sauce. And I
13:56
ain't going to put much in there. I just
13:58
need just a little flavor. This is about
14:00
4 lbs of meat. So, we'll go to stirring
14:03
that up and see where we're at. But you
14:06
want to be able to make sure that you're
14:08
getting beans and meat in every bite.
14:10
That's what throw this over the hump of
14:12
the road to making it not an appetizer,
14:14
a full meal deal. Cuz if you got beans
14:16
and meat, I'd say he's in pretty good
14:18
shape.
14:27
[Music]
14:47
done deal it is. And I'm talking about
14:49
that is a skillet full. Now I figure
14:51
this might feed 8 to 10. Shan's saying
14:54
12 to 15, maybe even 28. So whatever
14:56
kind of vessel you use to put this in,
14:58
whether it's a full pan, big old sheet
15:01
pan, something like this, but you want
15:02
to come about three layers deep. That
15:05
way it just keeps mounding up. And hey,
15:08
I done finished it off with some pickled
15:10
okra.
15:12
There is some meat, some cheese,
15:14
jalapeno, avocado, and a chip.
15:21
[Music]
15:28
Miji,
15:31
I'm telling you, Maj, that is some fine
15:34
dining right there, folks. Get you some
15:36
napkins cuz you're going to need it with
15:38
this meal. It'll get all in your
15:40
mustache, your beard, everything you
15:42
got. But so easy to put together. All
15:45
our recipes you can find on our website,
15:47
and whatever we used in the video will
15:49
be linked down there below the
15:50
description. But it is with great pride,
15:53
honor, and privilege that I tip my hat
15:55
to that old flag. and all the servicemen
15:58
and women and all the veterans that have
15:59
keep it flying. But also, I tip my hat
16:02
to all them folks that built them first
16:04
saloons, whether they be a Leanto or
16:06
something fancy, and all them old
16:08
barkeeps and the cooks that they had in
16:10
there. We wouldn't have the food we have
16:12
today, if we hadn't had cowboys coming
16:14
off the trail drive and going in there
16:16
and trying out what was going on. Rest
16:18
of you, get on up in here. I don't know.
16:20
Can I pick this skillet up, but I'm
16:21
going to try.
16:23
I can't. It's too heavy. God bless you
16:26
each and everyone and I'll see you down
16:28
the loaded nacho trail.
16:33
Get in here. Come on, Dooker. You was
16:36
asleep most of the video, so you going
16:39
to get that little bite. Mage, since
16:41
you've been working hard, you going to
16:43
get that one. Lulu, you're hiding under
16:46
there. Come, get on out here. You got to
16:47
come get it.
16:50
A girl. Good help.