Day Trips

Photo By Gerald E. McLeod

The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo might be the most famous steak house in the world, or at least in Texas. During the last 40 years, the restaurant has built an international reputation on giving away 72-oz. steaks.

For those of you mathematically handicapped, 72 ounces translates into about 41/2 pounds of prime sirloin steak. That's a hunk of meat about the size of a big-city telephone book. Add to that the side dishes, and you've got a Texas-sized meal.

"It's pretty amazing how many people have tried, but not many have succeeded," says Hody Porterfield, the guest relations manager for the restaurant. Part of Porterfield's job includes administering the 72-oz. steak challenge.

According to the restaurant's records, about 30,000 diners have made the attempt, but only a few more than 5,000 have been up to the feat. Porterfield says that the shortest amount of time ever taken to finish off one of their steaks is 91/2 minutes. The oldest person to eat one was a 69-year-old grandmother, and the youngest was an 11-year-old boy. Klondike Bill, a professional wrestler, is still famous for having eaten two of the steaks within an hour. "No one has died yet from trying," Porterfield says, "but more than a couple have left in a wheelbarrow."

The Big Texan began in 1959, when R.J. Lee moved to Amarillo to serve meals at the airport. He opened the Texan on old Route 66 when he couldn't find a good steak house in town. Lee followed the traffic to the present location when I-40 was opened in the early 1970s.

Porterfield says the old restaurant was about a block from the feedlot. On payday the cowboys would come in saying, "I'm hungry enough to eat a whole cow." One Friday in 1963, Lee lined up a bunch of cowpokes for an eating contest. Each paid for a steak dinner, but the one who could eat the most got his money back. The winner ate 62 ounces of steak. Lee upped the ante by 10 ounces, and his world-famous promotion was born. At the time, the steak dinner cost $9.95.

The rules for getting a free steak are relatively simple. You pay for the $54 sirloin steak in advance. If you finish it – plus a dinner salad, shrimp cocktail, baked potato, and a roll – in 60 minutes or less, you get your money back. "You don't have to eat the gristle or fat," he says, "but there's not much on these steaks."

In addition to eating all of the food, the contestant can't stand or leave the table once the timer starts. If you get sick; you lose. "We like to see people eat it all. It's great advertising," Porterfield says.

Aware of this gimmick, which the National Restaurant Association called the best promotion of 1983, the seasoned day-tripper might be skeptical of the rest of the menu. With its two-story motel painted to look like an Old West town, a gift shop full of souvenirs, and an arcade, the Big Texan is definitely a tourist attraction for cross-country motorists. But even if they were giving away steaks half the size, the restaurant couldn't have stayed in business for 44 years if the food weren't top-notch.

"We're very serious about putting a good meal on the table," Porterfield says. The steak I tried was tender and juicy and cooked just the way I ordered it. If I hadn't been stuffed after finishing a 12-oz. steak, I would have ordered a second piece of the cheesecake for the road.

The restaurant offers 14 different cuts of steak, plus hamburgers, salads, barbecue, fried chicken, and an array of desserts. For the extra hearty, there are rattlesnake and mountain oysters to try. Porterfield says the restaurant cooks the equivalent of 40,000 cattle a year.

The Big Texan Steak Ranch is at 7700 E. I-40 on the eastern edge of Amarillo. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner 365 days a year from 7am to 10:30pm. The hotel next door includes a Texas-shaped swimming pool and horse boarding. The rooms rent for $40 to $65 a night. For more information or reservations, call 800/657-7177 or go to www.bigtexan.com.

703rd in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of Day Trips 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.