The food that captured everyone’s attention was featured in Episode Two, “Freight Trains and Monsters,” in Season Three of YELLOWSTONE when Rip prepared breakfast for Beth. “Rip’s pancakes,” as the ranch dish was referred to, is actually an old recipe called Fry Bread. What made it so delicious was the acting brought to that scene by Kelly Reilly, as Beth, and Cole Hauser, as Rip. In a recorded interview, the actors themselves described the feelings they brought to their roles:
“There’s this lovely scene where Rip is making Beth breakfast,” Kelly explained, “but she doesn’t know how to be vulnerable in a T-shirt and no makeup, and walking downstairs and someone being nice to her, and she resists it. It was one of the most difficult scenes—and gorgeous scenes—to play because she allows herself in that moment to feel vulnerable, and I don’t think I’ve seen Beth vulnerable, ever.”
Cole recalled, “I set it (the pancakes) down and she’s eating it, and I’m staring at her—and it’s a bit uncomfortable when you’re eating breakfast and someone’s staring at you—but it’s very loving and she just starts getting emotional and we both are just talking with our eyes…and it’s beautiful. Working with Kelly is such a pleasure, the ability to play silence. She’s great at it. It’s one of my most favorite scenes of that year.”
One final note: It’s interesting to know that meals at YELLOWSTONE’ are all prepared by the Dutton’s longtime cook, “Gator.” Well, Gator is played by, uh, Gator—that’s right, Louisiana-born Gabriel “Gator” Guilbeau is indeed his name and though he appears onscreen as the Dutton family cook, in real-life he’s also head of the craft service department on the YELLOWSTONE set, cooking for cast and crew. YELLOWSTONE is the latest of Gator’s 39 projects, which included Jurassic World and Bad Moms.
Here’s the recipe for “Rip’s pancakes” or, as it has long been known—
Fry Bread
3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
¼ cup milk, room-temperature
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon butter
Crisco for frying
Method
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly stir in milk and water. Knead just enough to form a dough. Let the dough rest in a covered bowl for 45 minutes and knead a bit more so it’s elastic and not sticky. If it is too sticky, knead in a bit more flour.
Pancakes
On medium, preheat a cast iron skillet on your stovetop. Add 1-2 inches of Crisco and the butter. Take a golf-ball size amount of dough, place on a floured surface, press dough with the palm of your hand and with a rolling pin, roll into a circle, not too thin—about a half-inch. Gently lay the dough in the skillet and fry for one minute on each side till it’s golden brown. (Be sure the heat’s not to high.) Remove from pan with a spatula and drain on a paper towel. Set aside on plate. Continue making pancakes until you’ve gone through all the dough.
Thick-cut Bacon
Cook bacon to the hot skillet, allowing 2-3 strips per person. After the bacon is thoroughly cooked, drain it on a paper towel and set aside. Do not drain the bacon fat from the skillet. Take the skillet off the heat for a moment as you prepare…
Scrambled Eggs
In a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup or mixing bowl, scramble the eggs, allowing two large or jumbo eggs per serving. Add a little water or milk, about a teaspoon for each egg—I like to use chopsticks, a trick I learned watching Julia Child—but you can use a fork or whisk. Return the skillet to a low heat, adding a tablespoon of butter and once it’s melted in the bacon fat, gently fold in the eggs. Use a wooden or metal spatula to move around the eggs just a little to avoid sticking to the skillet so the eggs remain fluffy and full. If you want, sprinkle some grated cheese on top, some parsley, and/or a little pepper. Do not add salt. There’s plenty in the bacon.
Plating Fry Bread
For each serving, put one fried bread on a plate. Fold a generous portion of scrambled eggs on the bread. On top of that, lay 2-3 slices of bacon and serve. Accompany with dark roast coffee. If you want to make it the campfire way, boil six cups of water in a saucepan on the stove and add seven tablespoons of coffee. Give it a minute, then toss in 3 or 4 eggshells from the scrambled eggs you made. Pour slowly into a coffee pot that’s been warmed with boiling water. The eggshells will hold back the coffee grinds, if you do it right.