No matter how you cut it, 72 ounces is 4 1/2 pounds. That's a lot of meat. In an upscale steakhouse chain, that 4 1/2 pounds would cost you around $200.
At The Big Texan, in Amarillo, TX, it's free. If you can eat it in an hour. While everyone else in the restaurant watches.
The Big Texan is a roadside icon which opened in its present interstate location in 1970, just as the local portion of I-40 was completed (It moved from the its original location on Rt. 66). Lots of people know something like The Big Texan exists out there, somewhere. Someone once told them about it, they think, but they aren't sure of the location or the exact weight of the slab. A Simpson's episode was based on The Big Texan -- it has that aura of urban myth.
But this is no Brigadoon of Beef. We arrive, fresh from a morning spent motoring past dilapidated "Oppose The New World Order" billboards, the hometowns of Lee Horsely and Waylon Jennings, and a statue of that other Big Texan, Big Tex Randall of Canyon. Amarillo's growth along I-40 takes away some of the singular destination feel that you get from the billboards leading up to the restaurant, but how many other steak houses have their own motel (Done up to resemble an old west main street)?
Before you are even inside, you know this is going to be good. The building is painted a bright yellow, with blue trim. A large cow statue advertises the free 72 oz. steak, as does the painted wood photo op that lets you put your head on the body of someone about to dig in.
When you walk in, it is dark; stuffed bears loom wearing cowboy hats. There is a shooting gallery, and a large gift shop with good postcards. Urinal screens have "Home Of The Free 72 oz Steak" imprinted on them. By the maitre d's table, under glass, is one of the real things, lying there, cooked. It inspires fear and excitement; a mountain to be climbed.
When you are led into the restaurant, it is akin to being led into a boxing arena. In the center of the large open floor is a raised platform. On the platform is a single chair and a table for one. There are two full shakers of salt on the table, and nothing else. A digital timer stands at the back. On the wall behind the platform hangs an enormous cattle skull. Other dead animal heads look down from the second floor, hoping for the last laugh.
Now here's the deal. It's not just a 72 oz. steak you have to eat in an hour. You have to eat a 72 oz. steak dinner. That means a salad, a potato, and a roll are included. They are normal-sized, however. As a further penalty, the restaurant's open grill sizzles just behind the platform. If you can't finish, the dinner will cost you... 72 bucks.
According to the menu, 27,500 have tried, 4,600 have succeeded. Pro Wrestler Klondike Bill ate two in an hour back in the 60s, while the quickest anyone finished was in 9 1/2 minutes.
To wash down whatever it is you ate, beer is offered in giant glasses and buckets, which you get to keep. But to show support for MADD, The Big Texan has a four drink limit. That means they cut you off after $32 of beer, no questions.
Can The Steak Ranch compete in modern times? In past years, big city headlines screamed "MAD COW PANIC SWEEPS ACROSS EUROPE" (Chicago Tribune) and "MAD COW DISEASE PANICKING EUROPE AS INCIDENTS RISE" (New York Times). And we could't help but notice a billboard for a local Hooters, cheek by jowl in front of The Big Texans' entrance. Still, things are humming. 1,000 people a day risk insanity and death to eat there, preferring the lure of free meat to that of a free peek.
