Ranch Cooking Tips from Chef Grace Dvornik

I’m a traveling personal chef and have worked on yachts in all over the Bahamas, private islands in the Caribbean, and private jets across the US. But my favorite place to work is on a 30,000 acre cattle ranch out in Wyoming. Cooking on a ranch is a bit different than cooking in your average kitchen, so here are a couple tips and the tools you’ll need for your next outdoor adventure.

1. Adventure Chef Collection - My top tip for ranch cooking is to have tools that are easy to pack. When it’s time to load up the truck with food for a cookout in the backwoods, the last thing I want to do is race around the kitchen collecting the gear I need and spend time packing up my knives. The Adventure Chef Collection is the complete kit to take with me, packed and ready to go. A carabiner I can clip on a Yeti cooler or a horse saddle pack, the folding knives and cutting board save room, and there’s even enough space to add a spatula, meat thermometer, and apron. (Plus the folding knives always impress the cowboys and fishing guides).
2. Leather Knife Roll & Apron - On my ranch, we have an industrial sized grill on a trailer that we pull behind a pick-up truck and set up in the pasture during cattle branding. The grill is so large, I need a cowboy’s help to open and close it! Despite my small stature in comparison to the massive grill, I look the part with my leather apron and matching knife roll. It’s important to keep yourself and your tools protected from the elements- I’ve grilled in rain, snow, and high winds. The leather apron keeps me protected from the heat of the grill or any grease splatters and the knife roll keeps my knife set organized and my blades safe. The leather strap details also match my cowboy boots which is an added plus.
3. Steak Knives - When you think cattle ranch, you think free roaming cattle and grass-fed beef. I can personally assure you, a ranch-raised Wyoming ribeye with garden-grown herb butter will be the best steak you’ve ever had. Naturally, you need to have a steak knife that can live up to the task at hand. I keep my folding steak knife set with me to make sure our guests can cut through steak like butter.
4. Cleaver- Most chefs and cooks have a standard knife kit - chef, bread, boning, and paring knives. When cooking on a ranch, make sure you have a cleaver in your kit. Whether you’re breaking down a huge rib roast, splitting lobster tails, or chopping up ears of corn to throw on the grill, a cleaver will make the job easier when a standard knife just won’t cut it (literally).