by Leigh Ann Matthews
Photos courtesy of Kent and Shannon Rollins
When it comes to cowboy cooking, the name Kent Rollins shows up just about everywhere. In September 2025, Rollins and his wife Shannon launched “Cast Iron Cowboy” on The Outdoor Channel, a show that follows the couple as they hit the trail with their chuck wagon to cook for working cowboys across America, blending open-fire cooking, cowboy storytelling, breathtaking ranch scenery and hearty meals.
The Rollins are accomplished cowboy cooks. For over 25 years, Kent has been preparing meals from his antique chuck wagon using Dutch ovens and open fires. But his recipe for success is no secret. “We keep our recipes simple and filling because you can’t get full on fancy,” Kent says. He also performs at events as a cowboy storyteller, an equally important effort toward preserving Western heritage.
Growing up on a ranch near the Red River in southwestern Oklahoma, near Hollis, Kent helped his father manage cow-calf operations while also caring for their own herd. Remote ranches in the area and across the Texas border still used chuck wagons and cooks to feed working cowboys, and Kent wanted to be part of that tradition.
“I decided I wanted to try to cook for some ranches, so in 1991, I bought an 1876 Studebaker wagon,” he explains. “It needed some work, but I managed to get it in shape.”
At the time, advertising cowboy services was largely word of mouth. Kent received his first call from a ranch south of Abilene in need of a wagon and cook. He was soon recommended to other ranches, and most cooking jobs lasted about three weeks.
“Cooks make twice what the cowboys make, and it’s really not much money,” he says. “But when you’re there for three weeks, it’s pretty good,” he says. “Ranch work usually starts in February and goes through fall, so I got to visit a lot of ranches and see some different country.”
Kent also worked festivals and other events that year. “ I stayed pretty busy,” he says. “Between festivals, catering and ranches, I figured I’d spent about 200 nights in my ranch teepee.”
Kent began hosting all-inclusive cowboy cooking schools in 1996, with participants staying in cowboy teepees and cooking for several days. In addition to teaching cowboy cooking, he shared lessons on ranch life and preserving the cowboy lifestyle.
He and Shannon married in 2011, and Kent boasts that she quickly mastered Dutch oven and outdoor cooking. Although she was raised in cowboy country, she had never cooked on a chuck wagon. However, she soon took charge of the workshops.
“When we cook off the wagon, Kent pretty much takes care of the main dish and the sides while I bake the bread and dessert,” Shannon says.
The couple owns a big steel stove they named “Bertha,” which reduces the fire hazards of cooking outdoors on ranches, though they don’t always haul it along.
Kent’s career has taken him beyond the open range, from the TV spotlight to heartfelt personal moments. He has appeared on Food Network’s “Chopped Grill Masters” and faced off in a Throw Down with Bobby Flay, where he defeated Flay with his chicken fried steak. He’s also worked with Give Kids the World, a nonprofit in Central Florida that provides weeklong vacations to critically ill children and their families. He once surprised a 96-year-old cowboy —one of his early mentors — with a birthday party. Beginning in 2009, Kent started sharing his skills on YouTube, where he teaches 3.45 million subscribers to “work smarter, not harder.” Kent was also honored as Oklahoma’s Official Chuck Wagon by Governor Keating.
“Along with slinging hash, Kent has also become pretty good at slinging bull.” His tales at Western heritage festivals have earned him the title of Best Cowboy Humorist and Storyteller of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists.
Whether on the ranch or on the screen, Kent continues to carry on the traditions of the trail, bringing the spirit of the chuck wagon and cowboy cooking to new generations. For recipes, cookbooks and broadcast information, visit kentrollins.com.
RECIPE: Cowboy Casserole
4 to 5 servings | Prep Time: 15 Minutes | Total Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. 80/20 ground beef/ground chuck
- Kent’s Original Low Sodium Seasoning, salt and pepper, or your favorite all-purpose seasoning
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 – 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 – 15 oz can corn or creamed corn
- 2 cans refrigerated biscuits
- Coarse ground black pepper for sprinkling
- Garlic powder for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the beef to a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season with the Original or your favorite blend. Continue cooking until the meat is about half-way browned. Stir in the onions. Continue cooking until the meat has fully browned. Drain any excess grease, if needed.
- Remove half of the beef mixture from the skillet and place in a bowl. Set aside.
- Stir in the mushroom soup and ½ can of corn. Note: if using creamed corn, stir in about three tablespoons of all-purpose flour to thicken.
- Evenly spread half the sour cream mixture on top, followed by 1 cup of cheese.
- Evenly top the mixture with the reserved beef. Evenly spread another layer with the remaining sour cream, corn and cheese.
- Top the casserole with the biscuits and lightly press the biscuits down. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with pepper and garlic powder.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are set and golden brown. Serve warm.
