GOBBLE UP

THE COWBOY LIFE is in Austin's bloodline. He's a direct descendant of Moses Austin, the Virginia lead baron of the 1790s whose son, Stephen F. Austin, went on to lead colonization efforts in what then was Spanish Texas. Most of the family stayed back East, but the lure of wide-open spaces kept calling. Josiah's grandfather left home to work as a hand on the XIT Ranch, a Texas Panhandle spread so big that it covered parts of 10 counties and featured at least 300 windmills. But few ever get rich herding cattle unless they own them. The elder Austin found better work with the railroad, then discovered a more lucrative trade in the Pennsylvania lumber business.Austin grew up in Maryland, on a picturesque farm. His father worked for a paper company by day and farmed by evening. As a young man growing up in the 1960s, Austin looked around for a purpose and found one - or so he thought at the time - by joining the U.S. Army and spending two years as a helicopter crew chief and door gunner in Vietnam. He then went to the University of Denver under the GI Bill, studied finance and spent his early career working in that field for firms such as Manufacturers Hanover Corp.

But the open skies of the West kept calling him. In the early 1980s, he started plowing his earnings into grazing land in Mexico, Montana and Southern Arizona. He built somewhere near 20,000 loose-rock dam structures on Cochise County's massive El Coronado Ranch, which he no longer owns. He now devotes most of his time to two spreads on either side of the western Chiricahuas: the HYL, on the north slope, and the Cienega, on the south. The latter's name means "marshland" in Spanish - a happy coincidence, because Austin didn't name it. That came from the Riggs family, who migrated here from Texas in the 1870s.

Austin bought much of his property from the Riggses' descendants, many of whom still live and ranch in the upper Sulphur Springs Valley, where the aura of the 19th century is all around. In most places, it's possible to look out onto the grassy expanse and not see a trace of modernity. The metate depressions where Apache women ground corn by hand can still be seen in some of the exposed granite reefs. The Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach passed through here. And just to the east is where the Army's Lieutenant Isaiah Moore hanged several relatives of the Apache leader Cochise at the end of the 1861 Bascom Affair, a complicated incident that triggered a quartercentury of hostilities. The historic spot used to be on Austin's ranch, but he recently deeded it to the Trust for Public Land.

An old Western maxim has it that the only time a rancher makes money is when he sells the ranch. It's a marginal business at best, suited for gamblers, and no sane investor would buy a spread that won't soon be in the path of an oncoming housing subdivision. "But I get incredible dividends," Austin says. "Those sunrises and sunsets. I'm up every morning before the sun comes up. I don't have time to be bored."

Walking around the Cienega Ranch with Austin is like attending a field survey with an experienced wildlife biologist. "This is a silverleaf nightshade," he says, squatting next to a weed topped with a purple flower. "It's similar to a tomato plant. The bees 'buzz-pollinate' this one. They land and they vibrate, and the pollen is funneled out by their vibrations."

Around a nearby mudhole framed by coyote tracks, he points out squiggling fairy shrimp, a crustacean species that can go into a kind of hibernation called diapause for several decades. When Austin creates a new check dam, they usually appear in swarms. Add them to the hovering bees and spadefoot tadpoles, and it amounts to a miniature metropolis of life swirling around this temporary puddle. The ranch, the valley and the mountains are so big around it, yet everything seems concentrated down to this round, brown chalice in the ground.

"I don't think I have all the answers," Austin says. "But I'm doing what's right for this land. You start small, and you see what incredible results you get. These dams opened my eyes to the incredible treasure of the Chihuahuan Desert." AH

There are two basic perspectives when it comes to a great recipe. Either keep it a secret, like the Colonel did, or share it with the rest of the world. There's no right or wrong approach, but in the spirit of the season, we found some friends at Arizona guest ranches who think giving is a key component of Thanksgiving.

Arizona has a long tradition of ranching. Even before statehood in 1912, cattle operations were a major element of the Territorial economy, and today, many ranching traditions remain from cowboys eating around a fire on an open plain to families gathering around a communal table. With that in mind, we reached out to a few of Arizona's guest ranches and asked them to share some recipes that might appear on their tables and around their campfires this holiday season. The result is the following collection of main dishes, sides and one decadent dessert. To the teams at Cherry Creek Lodge, Rancho de los Caballeros, Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch and Tombstone Monument Ranch, thank you. And to our readers, bon appétit.

HERB CRUSTED PORK CHOPS Sausage, apple, pecan and quinoa dressing Ingredients

3 ounces yellow onion, diced

2 ounces carrot, diced

2 ounces celery, diced

1 ounce garlic, minced

5 ounces white wine

10 ounces apple, diced

10 ounces tri-color quinoa

5 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme, dried

5 sprigs fresh sage

1/2 ounce apple cider vinegar

20 ounces chicken stock

5 ounces sausage, diced

3 ounces pecans, chopped

2 ounces parsley, chopped

Procedure

Sauté onion, carrot, celery and garlic until softened. Deglaze pan with white wine, then add apple, quinoa, bay leaves, thyme, sage, apple cider vinegar and chicken stock. Cook over low heat until quinoa is tender and stock has been absorbed.

In a separate pan, fry sausage until crispy, then add sausage and pecans to quinoa. Stir until mixed, then season with salt. Allow to cool, then add parsley.

Apple bourbon sauce Ingredients

1 ounce butter

4 ounces shallots, minced

2 pounds apple, peeled and sliced

1 ounce lemon juice

1 ounce apple cider vinegar

3 ounces brown sugar

1/2 ounce Worcestershire sauce

2 ounces chicken stock

1 cup bourbon whiskey

Procedure

In a saucepan, melt butter over mediumhigh heat. Add shallots and sweat until soft, then add apple, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Add lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and chicken stock, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Add whiskey and return mixture to a simmer, then cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste, then purée mixture in a blender until smooth.

Browned butter Brussels sprouts Ingredients

4 ounces Brussels sprouts

Salt and pepper

Browned butter

Procedure

Deep-fry Brussels sprouts until tender and crispy, then toss with salt, pepper and browned butter.

Pork chops and final preparation Ingredients

2 bone-in pork chops 1/4 ounce chopped herbs (sage, parsley, chives and rosemary)

Sausage, apple, pecan and quinoa dressing

Browned butter Brussels sprouts

Apple bourbon sauce

Small pinch of Micro Chef's Blend herbs

Procedure

Crust pork chops with herbs, then sear and roast to medium. Line quinoa dressing down center of plate and place Brussels sprouts on opposite corners of quinoa. Slice pork chops between the bones and place on top of quinoa, then top with apple bourbon sauce and micro herbs.

BEST BARBECUE RIBS

Tombstone Monument Ranch, Tombstone

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

1 tablespoon barbecue seasoning

1 tablespoon black pepper

Up to 4 racks baby back ribs

1 can (51/2 ounces) apple juice (per rack)

Barbecue sauce of your choice

Procedure

Preheat oven to 295 degrees.

Mix dry ingredients to make the rub, then coat ribs, place in hotel pans and add apple juice.

Cover pans with plastic wrap and foil, then bake for 5 hours.

Remove cover, drain liquid, coat with barbecue sauce and return to the oven until gooey, about 15 minutes.

For more culinary

inspiration, pick up a copy

of Arizona's Best Recipes,

which features some of the

state's best restaurants.

To order a copy, visit

shoparizonahighways.com

/books/cookbooks.

AUTUMN HARVEST MASON JAR SALAD

Ingredients

For the dressing:

For the salad:

Procedure In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients until well blended. Pour the dressing into the bottom of each Mason jar, 2 to 3 tablespoons per jar. Add the roasted butternut squash as a layer on top of the dressing, followed by a layer of the apples, dried fruit, carrots and pomegranate seeds. For the next layer, add the feta or blue cheese, followed by the nuts and pumpkin seeds. Finish with the mixed greens, filling the jar to the top. Seal the jar tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Before serving, shake the jar vigorously to mix the ingredients, or pour the salad into a bowl and toss to combine.

COWBOY BEANS Saguaro Lake Guest Ranch, Tonto National Forest

Ingredients

6 cups dry pinto beans

2 cups dry kidney beans

2 cups dry black beans

Salt

3 yellow onions, diced

4 red bell peppers, diced

3 green bell peppers, diced

1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, minced

2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced

2 cups roasted green chiles

5 or 6 roasted tomatoes, squeezed

Seasoning, to taste (see procedure)

Procedure

In separate containers, cover pinto, kidney and black beans with at least 8 inches of cold water, then soak overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, drain and rinse beans, combine them in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of new water, then cook over medium heat for 2 hours, salting halfway through. Retain enough of the cooking liquid to make the beans soupy.

In a skillet, sauté the onions, peppers, garlic and green chiles in oil until softened, then add the tomatoes. Heat through, then add to the bean pot. Season to taste with seasoned salt, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup or brown sugar.

PUMPKIN BARS

Ingredients

For the bars:

34 cup butter

2 cups sugar

1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1½ teaspoon nutmeg

For the frosting:

6 ounces cream cheese

1/3 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then blend in the pumpkin and eggs. Add dry ingredients and mix well, then spread mixture in a greased and floured 154/2-by-10-inch jelly roll pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For the frosting, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then add the vanilla. Add powdered sugar until the frosting reaches your preferred consistency, then spread on the bars once they have cooled.