For 21 years, former big-league pitcher Frank Pastore held the speed record for finishing the Big Texan Steak Ranch‘s 72-ounce steak meal in an eye-popping (and stomach-churning) time of 9 1/2 minutes.
On Monday, his record was broken. By a professional eater, no less.
Those unfamiliar with the 72-Ounce Challenge think you have to eat just the steak. That’s not so. You also have to consume a salad, dinner roll, baked potato and shrimp cocktail in a 60-minute time frame. You also have to do it in one sitting; there’s no getting up to upchuck your meal in the restroom so you have more room in your stomach.
If you eat it all in one hour, it’s free. If you don’t, you’re out $72. Only about one in five people who take the 72-ounce challenge finish it.
Amazingly, Pastore not only inhaled the big steak in record time, but he did it seven times — all in rapid fashion. Pastore wrote in Townhall.com on Tuesday:
The first time I did it was in February 1976, on my way to my first Spring Training with the Cincinnati Reds, and I did it in 21 minutes. That fall, on my way home, I completed it in 19 minutes. The next spring, 17; on the way home, 15; the following spring, 13; then 11 on the way home in 1978.
My fastest time — and the world record for almost 21 years — was set in May 1987 in which I did it in 9½ minutes. I thought it would be my last time through town, since my career was coming to an end, and I was right. I haven’t been back to the most famous steak house in the world since then.
I’ve always been so proud of The Record. In many ways, I’m more known for The Steak than I am for my 8-year mediocre pitching career or my radio show in Los Angeles.
The record was broken by Joey “Jaws” Chestnut, who is ranked No. 1 in the International Federation of Competitive Eating. Chestnut polished of the 72-ounce steak and all the trimmings in 8 minutes, 52 seconds. Before his latest feat at the Big Texan, Chestnut held 16 eating records, according to Wikipedia.
No video of Chestnut’s steak eating has surfaced yet. But if you want to see his prodigious talent, watch him cram down 28 Krystal burgers in two minutes:
Pastore was a good sport about his record being broken, but added:
You know, these professionals are taking all the fun out of gluttony.
The Big Texas website now has a video showing Joey’s record-breaking meal: https://www.bigtexan.com/joeyeatssteak.html It’s edited, though, and it’s hard to see what’s happening due to the crowd around the table and the words scrolling over the video.