Suffice it to say, Kix Brooks has an impressive resume – one half of superstar country duo Brooks & Dunn. Acclaimed radio host. Television host. Vineyard proprietor. And now, with the release of his anticipated cookbook Cookin’ It With Kix: The Art of Celebrating and The Fun of Outdoor Cooking, he can add author to his incredible list of titles. Over a bowl of homemade guacamole at The Standard in Nashville, TN, Brooks jovially laughs at the reason for the gathering with members of the media – “It’s so weird, I’m the last person you would think would do a cookbook, including myself.”
But when you really think about it, this further stretch into the culinary world makes sense. As Brooks noted through
his prior Cooking Channel show STEAK OUT WITH KIX BROOKS, he has spent the better part of twenty years bouncing from town to town on a tour bus and sampling the best foods that each region has to offer. Some of those days on the road were spent making he and crew members own delicious dishes – fishing, prepping and grilling all become imperative parts of the road life. But more importantly, Brooks emphasized on the connections and joy created from those comestible moments.
Over 100 recipes, ranging from appetizers like the aforementioned guacamole (ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbon’s recipe, btw) to condiments, Louisiana staples, steaks and even cocktail recipes, set the scene for a delicious and rearkable gathering. But it’s not some familial mundane instruction on making a steak – ‘Kix Tips’ litter the pages, giving insight on how to make each recipe pure perfection. A self-proclaimed ‘steak geek’ himself, Brooks is quick to provide insight he has learned from culinary cavaliers along the way – drowning a steak in butter or seasoning is “like trying to make a great record with a bad song. Let your steak absorb its own juices before you cut into it. Things that you learn over the years that you think are obvious but you learn, talking to all of these people that cook steaks, that everybody doesn’t know all of that. Doing 18 steakhouses in 23 days was such a crash course on repetition and common denominators from great chefs. ”
And although it is essentially a ‘how-to’ on outdoor cooking, don’t be fooled by the posterior – Cookin’ It with Kix is not just a plethora of insatiable recipes. Personal stories and testimonies of good times gathering, cooking, and (of course), eating are encompassed within each sheet of paper.
Penning the formation of an autobiography several years ago, Brooks accounted that most of the joyous moments in his life resolved around the culinary world. “I worked on this autobiography and I started thinking about the stories that really mattered to me. About my grandfather and hanging out as a kid and my father and going through his garden with my granddad and fishing with him and walking by a fig tree; he pulls a pocket knife out and cuts it in half and hands it to me and says ‘See what you think about that.’ And just realizing that I grew up in a really colorful, rich culture that revolved around not just meat, or cooking, but the adventure of gathering. And it’s a part of the whole thing that unfortunately a lot of people miss. It’s funny that the book that I had written for my autobiography was a cookbook and I didn’t even realize it. So I started pulling a lot of those stories, I said ‘Ya know, I shelved the autobiography because, even though it was interesting to me, because, ya know, it was about me. Then when the food part came along I thought ‘Man, here’s a chance. I have all of these fun stories about growing up and my grandfather and people in my life that I really cared about. Especially with my mom dying so young, it was hanging out with my aunts and uncles, my grandfather, I mean all these people, cooking was a big thing. And learning how and knowing how was something you took great pride in. So that’s all part of how this happened. It isn’t because I’d still like to be a chef, but I have learned to do beyond the basics 101 and it is a book that really celebrates the fun.”
Available today, August 30th, COOKIN’ IT WITH KIX: THE ART OF CELEBRATING AND THE FUN OF OUTDOOR COOKING is the first cookbook by Kix Brooks, published via W Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Books may be ordered via www.kixbrooks.com or local book retailers.
Brooks will kick off Labor Day weekend in New York City by firing-up some of his signature dishes on TODAY this Thursday (9/1 on NBC) before hosting Travel & Leisure‘s Facebook Live Chat (9/1 @ 1:30P CST). Brooks will next appear on Fox & Friends (9/2 on FOX) on Friday before returning to Nashville for an autograph book signing on Saturday at the Country Music Hall of Fame (9/3 @ 3P CST at 222 5th Ave S, Nashville, TN 37203).
Additionally, Brooks & Dunn will also serve as a highlight during the first-ever CMT Concert Of The Summer: Jason Aldean & Friends Live At LakeShake (9/3 on CMT @ 7P CST). Capping off his television appearances, Brooks will be on hand for GAC Playlist the following Tuesday (9/6). Fans can catch Brooks with Ronnie Dunn and Reba McEntire as they pick up a second leg of their Reba, Brooks & Dunn Together In Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in November.