Big Texan Steak Ranch

Did You Know?

• A 20-stall stable was added behind the main motel building in 2004.
• The motel's cinder-block construction is designed to resemble a main street in an old west town.

Description

Just off I-40, this 650-seat steakhouse draws about three-quarters of its customers from out of town. Its motel next door has 54 rooms and 28 horse stalls. Wagon-wheel chandeliers and mounted big game decorate the space. Regular events include country music and Texas hold'em. Besides the famous giant steak, the menu offers smaller cuts, seafood, sandwiches, quesadillas, and Rocky Mountain oysters—battered, fried bull testicles.

72 ounce Steak Challenge

The challenge consists of a 72-ounce steak, a bread roll with butter, a baked potato, a shrimp cocktail, and a side salad. Participants must eat everything within one hour; if they succeed, the meal is free; otherwise, it costs $72.00. Successful challengers have their names recorded and posted at the restaurant, and the table is shown on a 24/7 live stream. Over 10,000 people out of about 90,000 attempts have succeeded.

According to the restaurant, the challenge began in 1960 when founder Bob Lee held a contest among stockyard cowboys to see who could eat the most steaks in one hour for a $5 prize. One cowboy ate four and a half 1-pound steaks plus the other items in an hour, winning the $5. Lee then declared that anyone eating that much again would get it free. Participants sign a waiver, pay in advance, and receive a refund if successful.

The steak is cooked to preference, and the challenge takes place at a table for six on a raised platform in the main dining room; one bite is allowed beforehand to verify doneness.

In media

The Big Texan Steak Ranch's 72-ounce steak challenge appears in the film Waking Up in Reno, where Billy Bob Thornton attempts it. Adam Richman completes the challenge on Man v. Food, while Anthony Bourdain declines on No Reservations, though his cameraman tries and fails. A white Cadillac stretch limo with a longhorn hood ornament from the restaurant appears in Cars as Tex Dinoco, with the restaurant credited. King of the Hill parodies it as the Panhandler Steakhouse; Bobby Hill finishes the challenge to spite a vegetarian girl. A billboard for the restaurant appears in George Takei's graphic novel They Called Us Enemy.