King Ranch Hand Breakfast

King Ranch throws the best fall fest each year on the last Saturday before thanksgiving. While this tradition has been part of the legendary history for ranch employee’s, King Ranch invited the public to come out and join them two decades ago celebrating the King ranch 20th annual Ranch-hand Breakfast Saturday November 20th, 2010 starting from 7AM until 11AM.

The ranch expects around 5,000 visitors who will enjoy an authentic cowboy breakfast of eggs, refried beans, biscuits with gravy, sausage, tortillas, coffee and juice served by local volunteers on the historic King Ranch grounds.

The King Ranch cowboys will be on hand to perform team roping as other volunteers will exhibit horseshoeing, rawhide braiding, Chuck Wagon Cooking demonstrations, Cowboy poetry, story telling and some authentic country fiddle playing music on stage while Mariachis play music and sing songs of the Spanish culture that influenced the birth of the Republic of Texas as it continues too today.

“Many of our guests attend every year and always come back and bring their friends. This is really a great South Texas tradition for natives and winter Texans ... a wonderful fall reunion of friends,” states Bob Kinan, chairman of the King Ranch - Hand Breakfast. 

Chuck Wagon owner and Cowboy Poet, Charlie Ellis is a part of this tradition. Each year he rolls in with his restored wagon and crew to cook many of his favorite dishes. Sourdough Biscuits, Up-side-Down Pineapple cake and Pan De Campo.

Charlie often joined by his wife Janice, son, Dustin Ellis and good friend David Parks assist him baking Dutch Oven treats, rolling dough, putting another log on the fire and brewing another 2 gallon pot of true Cowboy Coffee. This out door cooking using cast iron skillets and dutch ovens is authentic to how the cooks fed the crews who worked the cattle drives  nearly 150 years ago as the cattle drives moved herds north from the state of Texas.


Charlie's John Deere wagon is also unique as it has a forward chuck box in addition to the rear box. This allows for  additional enclosed storage keeping grain or spices dry. The wagon bench seat sits on top without hindering a driving team.


The main entrance to King Ranch and the site of the breakfast is on the west side of Kingsville, Texas on Highway 141.  Breakfast Tickets: ages 4 and up $6.00 – ages 3 and under FREE!  Proceeds from the Ranch Hand Breakfast will benefit “La Posada de Kingsville,” a festival of lights in Kingsville, Texas.