In Praise of Street Food: The Cowboy Roast House
No one can miss the Cowboy Roast House. It sits unapologetically right in the middle of the “Bragg Creek Triangle” – this awkward little piece of land stuck between Hwy 22, Balsam Ave and White Ave. A tiny plot of land owned by Tsuut’ina Nation, which over the years has seen many small ventures come and go. However, one of them seems to have lasting power. For the past five years, Wade Hornberger & his partner, Debi, have set up a unique street food venue.
About five years ago, Wade, a third-generation pig farmer from Diamond City (a hamlet north of Lethbridge), reasoned he could bring value to his free run, heritage pig breeds business serving meals directly to customers. Bragg Creek seems to be just the place to do this. He negotiated an agreement with Tsuu T’ina and Kevin Onespot to use the “Bragg Creek Triangle.” And so it started. Wade built, over time, four massive metal wood stoves, complete with water reservoirs, huge picnic tables, and a multicoloured sign advertising the Roast House. Guided by the principle, “you learn as you go,” Wade started to slow cook pig sides, not knowing exactly what it takes to cook a pig’s sides to perfection. Over time though, he refined his method. Now he favours pork briskets wrapped in foil, slowly cooked over 12 hours. No salt, no pepper. Nothing. The pork comes out basking in its own juices, super tender, falling apart, flavourful and ready for any seasoning the consumer may wish. To that end, Debi has borrowed from a couple of recipes and added her flair into creating a unique chipotle that people rave about.
With such a set up, it did not take muh time for the Cowboy Roast House to become a destination of a sort. When they are open, and the smoke rises from the wood stove oven’s chimneys, hungry people know that within a few hours, lunch will be served. They start to line up for their $20 plate of a generous portion of pork and sides of baked beans or corn and mash potatoes served in a carry-away food plate. On a regular weekend, they do 600lbs of meat, and on long weekends, 840lbs. Amazing success in such a short period but, it is perhaps not a surprise.
Over the past few years, street food has earned the respect of celebrity chefs such as the late Anthony Bourdain and other television celebrities and blog travellers who sang their praise. Inspired by local ingredients and culture, street food defines a region. The food is prepared without pretention using time-honoured culinary traditions unique to an area. The cooks are usually people who grew up eating the food they serve, meaning most of them do not have formal cooking experience. Their focus is simply on one or two dishes, and that’s it. However, what is offered is done very, very well.
Having said this, what does Cowboy Roast House say about Bragg Creek? Self-made, jack-of-all-trades Wade is proud to explain how he raises the animals, built his kitchen from the ground up, and learned to cook the meat all at once. He deeply cares for all aspects of the operation with an energy level that seemingly defies the laws of nature. People love Wade’s welcoming big smile and Debi’s measured, warm approach. They use local food ingredients to the fullest extent possible—corn from Taber, potatoes from a friend, honey from Highland Honey. Cowboy Roast House is indeed an expression of our local terroir, speaks of our homesteading roots, and the pride of using wholesome food ingredients.
Word of mouth and the woodstove smoke on cooking days has been the principal means of marketing for Wade and Debi. Still, the word got around fast. Here is a quote I found on Yelp from a young lady, Sophia, visiting from Los Angeles;
“Came here after hiking the Fullerton loop in Bragg Creek. We got there early, around 10, and he wasn’t open until 12. We came hungry after our hike, and it was so worth it. I didn’t catch his name, but the business owner was extremely friendly and hospitable. There was free water and coffee for us. Unfortunately, the brisket and the side of beans of mashed potatoes were so delicious that we scarfed it down before I could take a picture. This place is a must if you’re in the area!”
Cowboy Roast House is open on most weekends but that varies a lot these days. It is best to keep an eye on those chimney stacks and know that food will be served the day after if the fire is on. Oh! And notice to those interested – they are looking for help.
