Texas legends are filled with tales of cowboys, cattle and campfires.  RJ “Bob” Lee built a legend of his own when he cooked steaks over an open flame until a bragging cowboy couldn’t eat another bite.  The result was the steak that made Amarillo famous.

In the early ‘60s when Bob Lee first opened the Big Texan Steak Ranch the cowboys still came into town at the end of the week.  One night a lanky cowboy came through the front door of the restaurant declaring he was so hungry he could “eat the whole darned cow.”

Bob, always ready to have some fun, gave him a big grin and started cooking steaks.  When the cowboy finally yelled, “calf rope,” he had consumed 4 ½ pounds of meat.  Bob declared from that day forward, the meal would be free to anyone who could eat it all in 1 hour. 

Since then, almost 42,000 people from around the world have traveled to Amarillo and attempted to eat the specially cut 72-oz. top sirloin steak, a baked potato, salad, dinner roll and shrimp cocktail.  About 8,000 have succeeded in completing the feat and joining the ranks of Big Texan champions.  They come from all walks of life.  Winners have included an 11-year-old boy and a 69-year-old grandmother. Former Cincinnati Reds Pitcher Frank Pastore did it in a record time of 9 ½ minutes.  The unofficial record for the fastest time belongs to a Bengal Tiger.  His meal was limited to the steak only and he dined in the front of the building.  The technique was the simplest we've ever seen: sniff, lick, gulp!  It took him less than 90 seconds.  One year the linebackers and linemen from UCLA flew into Amarillo to take the challenge.  Unfortunately, none of their names made it to the “Wall of Fame” on that visit.  Some come in on a regular basis to claim their FREE meal.  Back in the ‘60s professional wrestler Klondike Bill ate two of the dinners within the one-hour time limit.  Richard LeFavre, a soft-spoken gent from Nevada, ate two of the steaks on the Donny and Marie Show in the 1990s.

As the famous steak’s reputation grew, so did the price.  The meal was originally priced at $9.95.  By the mid 1990s the price had climbed to $39.50.  The popularity of the Texas beef drove the price of the meal to $50.00 just before the millennium.  Last year higher market prices for cattle pushed the price to $72.00.  If you come in to test your gastronomic skills, don’t be offended if they ask for a payment on the meal before you begin eating.  It’s been our experience that – win or lose – everybody who tackles the FREE 72-oz. Steak dinner has trouble reaching in their hip pocket for a wallet after they push back from the table.  We happily refund the money to the winners.  We also give them a T-shirt, a souvenir boot mug and a certificate.  They can add their comments to the winners on the “Wall of Fame” next to the lobby display, and then we’ll add their photo to the gallery of recent winners.  Their names go into the permanent list of Champions.

If you want to try the 72-oz. Steak, but you don’t want to do it sitting on the stage at the restaurant, go to ilovesteaks.com and let us ship it to your house.  If you can’t finish it, there will be plenty to share with your family and friends.