Skip to main content

The Cowboy Cauldron Lets You Cook Like a Rancher (No Ranch Needed)

We’ve made it through much of the crappy cold weather. Spring is just over the horizon and beyond that, the beautiful warm summer months. That means it’s time to start planning for grilling season. How you ask? Saving up for a new grill, that’s how. What better way to get excited about late spring and early summer than unveiling a brand new grill.

There are tons of grills out there, many are beautiful, many are super functional, but only one is going to make you feel like Clint G-D Eastwood: the Cowboy Cauldron. (If you just heard an Ennio Morricone song playing in your head, then you definitely need one of these.)

cowboy cauldron grilling
Cowboy Cauldron Co./Facebook

Unlike a grill, a Cowboy Cauldron adds a rustic talking piece to your outdoor entertainment space, carrying a timeless aesthetic that will match any patio furniture whether traditional or modern. Case in point: Award-winning chef Michael Chiarello loves his cauldron so much that he featured the fire pits on the cover of his NapaStyle Catalog. Cowboy Cauldrons are catching fire at boutique hotels, restaurants, ski lodges, dude ranches, and even business offices; users loving the design for its functional yet sculptural uniqueness.

Recommended Videos

The man behind Cowboy Cauldron Company, Mike Bertelsen, says, “We’re seeing a lot of interest in the culinary and celeb chef universe, with a bunch of chefs requesting them … plus older hipsters, 35- to 45-year-old guys who like being outside and like to entertain.”

Apart from its aesthetic sizzle, Bertelsen remarks that cauldrons have an almost magic ability to connect family and friends. “Almost every day I get a picture on email or Facebook showing a customer with their cauldron and what they’re doing with it and how much they love it,” Bertelsen says. Which, for him, is his biggest success yet. That’s because, before Bertelsen was an iron-cookin’ cowboy, he worked as a high-power lobbyist for the mutual funds industry. He made the drastic career switch to create a better family lifestyle, and now that intent is spreading like wildfire thanks to a simple cooking pit.

cowboy cauldron
Cowboy Cauldron

In the process of fitting the right cauldron to each family, Cowboy Cauldron walks its buyers through a fit process that helps recommend the right cauldron for the desires space — depending primarily on the amount of space available and the number of people being entertained. Their full range runs from 24 to 42 inches in diameter.

Cauldron cooking pro tip: Make sure you’re wearing pants that cover your legs and workman gloves when you’re setting up or touching the cauldron. They get pretty darn hot.

So the real question is: Are you an urban cowboy or big-time ranch boss? Each cauldron unit comes complete with tripod frame, suspension chain/hook/pin assembly, cauldron basin, two-piece, removable fire grate, and a double-hinged cooking grill. Prices range from $1,420 to $3,825.

The company offers other utensils and accessories to build out your collection, including pot tongs, pigtails, trammels, cauldron covers, and hand-wrought chains that are crafted by a blacksmith who works for the company full-time. “He’s pounding out these awesome pieces of art that will be around for hundreds of years. We’re keeping that craft alive. I’m pushing him hard to produce new things,” says Bertelsen.

As for the options of what to cook (this is the good part), go Cajun with a huge pot of seafood jambalaya; classic cowboy by heating beans, meat, spices, and peppers into a chili stew; or south of the border with a steaming bowl of pozole. Other than boils and stews, you can use your cauldron as a grill by piling it with wood and cooking up some killer meats.

Article originally published by Jahla Seppanen on September 8, 2017. Last updated by Sam Slaughter on February 19, 2018.

Jahla Seppanen
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Born and raised off-the-grid in New Mexico, Jahla Seppanen is currently a sports, fitness, spirits, and culture writer in…
The best gin drinks: Our 5 favorites
The best gin cocktails for you to make at home
Gin cocktail

When it comes to spirits, there are none as unique as gin. When distilled, gin doesn’t have much flavor, save for the ingredients it’s made with. It’s not all that different from vodka. It’s the addition of juniper berries and various herbs and botanicals either in the distillation process itself (or a second distillation), through vapor infusion (the herbs and botanicals are hung in a basket in the still), or through maceration (adding the flavors to an already distilled gin) that give the gin its distinct, memorable aromas and flavors.

If you’ve ever had gin (or even sniffed it), you know the most potent ingredient is juniper berries. They are what gives gin its patented pine tree aroma and flavor. Other common ingredients include orris root, angelica root, orange peel, and licorice.
Our 5 favorite gin drinks

Read more
Give your gimlet a herbal twist with this vodka cocktail
Ghost Hill Organic Vodka

The Gimlet is one of those cocktails that is so simple and such a classic that it's easily overlooked. Whilst I lean toward a Gin Gimlet (and I have strong feelings like it should be made with fresh lime juice and sugar syrup rather than a pre-made lime cordial), you can also experiment with different spirits such as the also popular Vodka Gimlet.

The simple recipe is ripe for experimentation though, and especially when you are working with vodka, you have a lot of leeway to incorporate other ingredients to add more interest and unique personality to your drink. This recipe from Ghost Hill Organic Vodka showcases the smooth and clean notes of the spirit while also allowing space for the other ingredients to shine -- not only lime juice and simple syrup, but also the addition of sage leaves for a more herbal note.

Read more
Get ready for summer with these quick and easy tequila cocktails
Teremana Tequila

Tequila is one of those ever-popular spirits for warm weather, and though some of the most popular tequila cocktails can be a little complicated, there are also ways to make simple and delicious tequila drinks in a snap. If you're hosting friends for a casual backyard event, we've got a selection of simple cocktails from Teremana Tequila that are easy to make and sure to please.

Mana Spritz

Read more