I truly believe it scarred my brother for life. It wouldn't surprise me if he still wakes screaming some nights, his sheets drenched with sweat, his brain branded with the image of the 72-ounce steak.
That's right, my brother is one of the 27,560 idiots that have walked into the Big Texan restaurant in Amarillo, Texas since 1959 and tried to eat the entire 72-ounce steak dinner. If you eat it in less than an hour, it's free. Plus, you get to brag to your buddies that you're an absolute pig.
The 72-ounce steak is the genius of Bob Lee, who owns the Big Texan. Lee came to Amarillo in 1959 to run the restaurant at the city's old airport. Being in the middle of cow country, one night he went looking for a good steak dinner. Well, he couldn't find one. That year, he opened the Big Texan on East Amarillo Blvd. and, for $9.95, began to offer the biggest steak in the biggest state.
How come 72 ounces? "Well, I found this cowboy who had the biggest appetite I've ever seen," says Lee. "And I sat him down and started feeding him steak. When he was finally fulI, I calculated how much steak he'd eaten. In total, he'd eaten 72 ounces, so that's how big I knew my biggest steak had to be."
In 1970, when Interstate 40 opened, Lee moved the Big Texan to its present location on the east side of town on the interstate. Then in 1976, when a fire cooked the west wing of the restaurant well done, Lee rebuilt it bigger and better. Today, the Big Texan seats 450 people, has a gift shop and a shooting gallery. Lee has even added a motel that looks like a town from the 1800s and has, of course, its own Texas-shaped swimming pool.
My brother and I didn't go for dip when we stopped by a couple of years ago, nor did any of this year's Trek to Texas participants when we piled into the Big Texan this past March. We were on our way to the World Import Challenge in Houston from Los Angeles and decided to sample Bob Lee's finest. The Trek, which you can check out on page 100 was a huge success and a whole lot of fun, but it would've been even better if a Trekie had made an attempt at the steak. Coverage of the World Import Challenge, by the way, begins on page 118.
But back to the steak, which is bigger and thicker than a catcher's mitt. Now there are rules. Rules that are strictly enforced. During the hour, you cannot get up from the table, no one can touch you or your food, and most importantly, you must eat everything. Everything. You can, however, ask for a ruling on oversized chunks of fat. To make things a little easier, the steak is cooked to your liking. You can even cut in and give a taste before they start the clock. When you approve, your fate is sealed.
Over the years, 4,670 people, including a 69-year-old grandmother and an 11-year-old boy, have managed to beat the steak. My baby brother didn't. With 15 minutes to go on the clock, I knew he was done for. More than half the steak remained on his plate, and the look on his face told me that the rest wanted to make a return appearance. Then with 10 to go, he looked up from the slab and said, "Dude, I don't think I'm gonna make it."
Believe it or not, it's the salad and the shrimp cocktail that kick your ass. Oh yeah, and the baked potato. On its own, eating the 4.5-lb steak really wouldn't be that difficult. Right bro?