Big, dusty pickup trucks. Wide-brimmed cowboy hats. Oil refineries that line the highway like old-growth forests made of steel, puffing black smoke.
But where’s the chicken-fried steak?
Landman is the dramatic epic from co-creators Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, 1923) and Christian Wallace, and it captures a deep-fried slice of West Texas life like no other show before it, from the hefty belt buckles to the eclectic, only-in-Texas cuisine. Here, the billionaire oil execs mingle with the weathered oilmen (Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris), who oversee a rough-and-tumble oil rig crew in the boomtowns of Midland and Odessa, Texas, grilling carne asada after grueling, long days in the oilfields. Then there’s Norris’s ex-wife Angela (Ali Larter), whose elaborate gourmet feasts introduce the house of oilmen to dishes like paella, even if they’d prefer gas station fare.
The glimpses of food on the show may be small details to the plot, but they help tell the story of West Texas, a modern Wild West where dreamers chase the promise of black gold. Even the lingerie-clad baristas at the Babes N’ Brew coffee shop are based on a real business, which opened in oil towns to cater to large populations of male laborers. Not your typical coffee shop.
n Landman, you’ll find it at the Patch Café, a honky tonk-type joint where our rugged hero, Tommy Norris, has probably never tipped the bartender. The characters sit down to a meal of chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, and fries—part of a well-balanced oilman’s diet. In real-life West Texas, you’ll find chicken-fried steak almost everywhere. The hearty dish has debated origins that trace back at least 100 years—either a restaurant in West Texas or an evolution from German immigrant cooking—and is usually made with strip steak that’s pounded thin and dredged in buttermilk and flour, like fried chicken, and served with a rich cream gravy. It’s a hard-working meal for hard-working folk. Like the oilmen on Landman, there may be a crackly exterior, but inside you might find a few bites of tenderness.
Make it: Juicy Chicken-Fried Steak with Creamy Gravy
Does Angela have too many margaritas and get banned from the country club? Yes, but that’s how margaritas work, and we can thank Texas for its important contribution to society. The drink was invented, or so he has claimed, by Pancho Morales in 1942, a former bartender who was living in El Paso and working at a local bar (fitting, right?). That’s a debated story too, but it’s one of the most uncontested. Either way, they’re essential for your Landman viewing party.
Shake it: Margarita
When the crew invites Cooper Norris, the wide-eyed “worm” (rookie), over for dinner after an intense first day, they grill carne asada, a general term for grilled steak, and serve it in tacos that everyone quickly inhales. In 2022, Mexicans became the largest population group in Texas, and on Landman, it’s made clear that the oil industry wouldn’t exist without them. Pair your carne asada with Tex-Mex-style flour tortillas and an ice-cold beer.
Grill it: Carne Asada Tacos and Bacon-Fat Flour Tortillas
After a plate of something extra spicy, Cooper spoons into a cup of smooth, caramelly flan and says he’d eat it every day if he could. So would we. The classic Mexican dessert can be found all over Texas, but homemade is best.
Bake it: The Creamiest Flan
Another viewing party direction: Spend all afternoon making a quintessential bolognese and serve it as a high-drama, dysfunctional family dinner, just the Norris clan. Will your family call it spaghetti? Yes. Can’t help it. Is there anything extra Texas about it? No. But Angela certainly made it look delicious, and sometimes that’s all that matters.
Simmer it: BA’s Best Bologne