September 3, 2022
by Cindy Williams
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Prep Time

1 hour
Cook Time

20 minutes
Serving

1
View

443

My FIRST LOVE was a cowboy. It may have been Marshal Dillon. It may have been Jimmy Dean. It may even have been John Wayne. All I know is that when I was a little girl, cowboys were my heroes. Surely, it had a lot to do with my father’s love for cowboy movies, epic or otherwise, spaghetti westerns and shoot-em-ups. But I vividly remember announcing to my mother that I was going to grow up and marry EITHER Jimmy Dean, the singing cowboy (now a sausage salesman) or Marshal Dillon. I was fickle from birth, apparently. In 1966, my dad took us to the Ritz theatre to see The Good, the Bad and the Ugly with Clint Eastwood, a movie that as a family we all thought was brilliant in its moral ambivalence (I’m sure our family discussion was not phrased quite like that at the time). And as a teenager I saw The Cowboys (1972) with John Wayne at the drive-in Anniston, Alabama. It was much easier to identify the good guys versus the bad guys in John Wayne movies. Watch True Grit (1969) again when you have time; it’s worth a fresh look. These movies are classics in my mind because they remind me of my Dad and they remind me of watching Gunsmoke while my mom and I waited for him to come home from work at night. Which further reminds me: My mom says she was watching Gunsmoke when she went into labor with me. Ha! Maybe that’s why I have such a fondness for James Arness. Well, at any rate, when I saw these “cowgirl” rib-eyes on the Gold Belly website, I had to try them. And I’m glad I did! The presentation was striking with that lollipop/Henry VIII bone for a handle. The prime beef was beefy and tender and inordinately satisfying after a long day’s hard work. On the side were big fluffy onion rings dipped in catsup. And to wash it all down… a bottle of red wine… choose one that’s firm, fruity and big enough to stand up to this big meal… a meal fit for a COWGIRL.

Here’s a picture of Marshall Dillon and my first ever romantic rival, Miss Kitty.

AND HERE IS MY BEST FRIEND ROBIN – RIGHT BEFORE I TIED HER TO A TREE DURING A RAUCOUS AFTERNOON OF COWGIRLS AND INDIANS IN WHICH SHE PLAYED THE PART OF AN UNFORTUNATE INDIAN.

Xmas circa 1965 when I got my first shotgun.

COWGIRLS ROCK!

Directions

The steaks take about 7 minutes on each side over a charcoal grill heated to 450 degrees. So, watch the clock! You want to have your oil at 375 degrees when you drop your onion rings into the pot. Don't crowd the rings in the pot. Fiddle with the heat under the pot to maintain the 375 degrees and watch it closely. It's important to keep a steady 375 degrees. And be careful with hot oil while you're sipping wine. I generally set my Iphone alarm to go off every 7 to 10 minutes just to remind me to check the oil because I get easily distracted by movies and cookbooks, and if I'm not careful I will forget the hot oil and potentially burn down my house. Don't do that.

Step 1

Cut the onions into thick rings and soak them in buttermilk.

Step 2

Mix the flour, baking soda and seasonings in a small bowl. Just before you're ready to cook the onion rings, add the milk and mix to make a thick batter.

Step 3

When your oil is at 375 degrees, dip each onion ring in a shallow bowl of flour, then dip in the batter, then drop in the hot oil. Do not crowd the pot. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels. Salt to taste.

Step 4

For the steaks, bring them to room temp and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning. Make a medium to medium hot fire in your charcoal grill. Grill the steaks about 7 minutes on each side, more or less depending on the thickness of your steaks.