Nolan Ryan brings a different kind of heat with new cookbook

November 27, 2012

Either he’s hurting for money or has a real hankering to show he’s a renaissance man.

Whatever the reason, look for The Nolan Ryan Beef Cookbook at a bookstore near you — in May 2014. I have no idea why the publisher Little, Brown and Company chose to make the announcement so early, but there you have it.

From their press release:

Nolan Ryan is known for his prowess on the baseball diamond.  The only player in the Major Leagues to have his number retired by three different teams, he also holds the single-season and career major-league strikeout records, and the Guinness World Record for throwing the fastest baseball ever, clocked at 100.9 miles per hour.  Ryan has pitched seven no-hitters, a major-league record, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  He is currently a member of the owner’s group as well as , president and CEO of the Texas Rangers.

"Mmmm, beef."

But ever since he bought his first heifer at the tender age of ten, ranching has been close to Nolan Ryan’s heart.  Ryan was one of the first baseball players to sign a contract worth $1 million.  He invested his earnings in a ranch.  While still pitching for the Texas Rangers he was asked to run for Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, and during this period in his career, he started to compile his favorite beef recipes.  Ryan served on the Board of Directors of the Beefmaster Association, and while there started his own eponymous brand, Nolan Ryan’s All Natural Beef, to increase consumer awareness of the brand. Nolan Ryan’s All Natural Beef is available in retail grocery stores and fine-dining establishments across the Southwestern U.S.

“Growing up in Texas allowed me the chance to enjoy the regional Southwest flavors. This style of cooking has become increasingly popular in the past twenty years,” Ryan says.  “The recipes in my cookbook add a depth of regional flavor to the beef.”

The Nolan Ryan Beef Cookbook will include 75 to 100 of Ryan’s favorite family recipes [my note: glad they are so definite; has anyone told Ryan he’s doing this yet?], some of which are identical to what Ryan grew up eating in his mother’s kitchen. These recipes will emphasize Texas BBQ and grilling, along with traditional Sunday Dinner favorites, but will also include roasting, pan searing, scoring, braising, and deep-frying [my note: because he’s such a gourmand]. Never-before-told stories from Ryan’s playing days, and, more recently, from the era as CEO of the two time defending AL Champion Texas Rangers, will play a major part in the book as well 9my note: It’s two, two, two books in one].

Ryan has tested countless recipes and found the chef who understands his hunger for authentic, easy-to-prepare Texas beef dishes. Cristobal Vazquez, aka “Chef Cris,” is chef to the Ryans as well as the Texas Rangers. In addition to holding the prestigious title of Chef de Cuisine from the American Culinary Foundation, Chef Cris has won multiple awards around the country for his beef recipes.

The cookbook will also be published as a fixed format ebook illustrated with four-color photographs throughout.

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