Chef Stef, Cook and Author - Encore
The primary focus of today's discussion is the evolving landscape of barbecue and culinary practices as influenced by the recent pandemic. I, alongside esteemed chef Steph and Hall of Famer Leanne Whippen, delve into the intricacies of adapting traditional cooking methods to contemporary needs, emphasizing the significance of convenience without compromising flavor. Chef Steph shares her transformative journey from a stationary position to a more digital approach in the culinary realm, where she has been refining her skills and creating engaging content for novice cooks. We explore the innovative techniques that have emerged, including elevated meal prep strategies, which cater to individuals seeking to enhance their cooking repertoire while navigating the constraints of time. Our dialogue further examines the impact of technology on barbecue practices, particularly the emergence of new grill brands and the integration of advanced features that simplify the cooking process for enthusiasts and beginners alike.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- I Can Cook That
- Pit Boss
- Camp Chef
- Heritage Steel
- Hammerstahl
- McDonald's
- Philadelphia Eagles
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
It's time for Barbecue Nation with jt so fire up your grill, light the charcoal, and get your smoker cooking.
Speaker A:Now from the Turn It Go Burnett studios in Portland, here's jt.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody.
Speaker B:Welcome to the nation.
Speaker B:I'm JT along with hall of famer Leanne Whippen coming to you from our Turn It Dump Mordant Studios, respectively, across the country.
Speaker B:We'd like to thank the Oregon Dungeness Crab Commission and Painted Hills Natural Beef for supporting our shows here.
Speaker B:Well, she's back.
Speaker B:Chef Steph from I Can Cook that.
Speaker B:We haven't seen her for a while.
Speaker B:She was kind of gippy, I'll put it that way.
Speaker B:But she's healed up and she's rolling.
Speaker B:Steph, how are you?
Speaker C:I'm literally healed up.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:So you're okay?
Speaker B:You can walk and run and throw things at the husband and all that stuff?
Speaker C:I don't know about running, but the other stuff.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker D:And more importantly, she could cook.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker C:She can cook.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:It's amazing when you are not mobile, what other parts of the business you can you try to work on.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker B:Keep your butt in that chair.
Speaker B:And all of a sudden, social media, you pay a little more attention to it and stuff.
Speaker B:I know.
Speaker B:So what have you been doing?
Speaker B:We haven't had you on for a year or so, so I was checking that out.
Speaker B:And what's been going on with Chef Stephen?
Speaker C:Well, you know, I've been, like I said, not being mobile.
Speaker C:I'm not in the kitchen as much, so I've really, you know, I can cook.
Speaker C:That was.
Speaker C:I think we talked about this the last time, the difference between cooking and baking, which is why I'm not.
Speaker C:I can bake that because, you know, I never measure anything.
Speaker C:I'm just kind of like, oh, I wonder what this flavor profile will do.
Speaker C:So I really started using this time to kind of hone in and make some recipes so I could create some digital downloads, digital cookbooks.
Speaker C:I've been working on my getting my reels on Instagram into a little bit better of a place.
Speaker C:So really just kind of back end stuff, trying to put things together so that all the people that are not as skilled in the kitchen have, you know, a more of a directional guide that they can start to follow.
Speaker C:So I had to do something.
Speaker B:Right, Right.
Speaker B:So what did you learn?
Speaker C:I learned a lot.
Speaker C:I mean, if you look at my.
Speaker C:I probably shouldn't even be saying this, but if you look at Instagram page from a year or two years ago, it was really pretty bad because I had no idea how to edit.
Speaker C:I didn't know how to do a lot of the things.
Speaker C:And in comparison to what you see on Instagram, like how beautiful some of the content really is, mine was always just kind of dusty and dirty.
Speaker C:So what I learned is diving into getting better at my content creation.
Speaker C:Still a way to go, but I feel like I've really learned more of the digital side of content as opposed to just cooking.
Speaker B:Well, I would submit to you, and I think Leanne would probably agree with me that I think you did it the right way versus we see a lot of people, and I'm sure all of our feeds and stuff are different for the most part, but you see a lot of people that really aren't that skilled, but they make great videos.
Speaker B:You know, they've got the, the aspect of the editing and the sound and stuff down, but the content isn't that deep.
Speaker B:I would personally, I would rather see somebody that's really far into the cooking and not afraid to try new flavor profiles and things.
Speaker B:And I'm very forgiving, you know, kind of growing up in this business a bit if their editing skills aren't, you know, Academy Award winning like that, which.
Speaker C:Is probably one of the reasons we've been friends for so long.
Speaker B:So what have you been working on, though?
Speaker B:I mean, give us some particulars.
Speaker B:Anything you've created that you went, wow, that is really good.
Speaker C:As far as the.
Speaker C:As far as, like, the digital products or as far as the actual, like, new flavors.
Speaker B:New flavors.
Speaker C:I'm trying to think not so much.
Speaker C:I've been really playing around with su, well, SUV and then smoking and then meal prep type things.
Speaker C:So not so much on the new flavors as so much as honing in and perfecting that.
Speaker C:Because what I learned not being mobile is that meal prep was really like one of my best friends now, you know, a lot of people do it for diet or, you know, whatever the reason is.
Speaker C:But I was to a point where it was like, okay, I can get in for a couple hours and start knocking out some creative things.
Speaker C:So I did like a duck, a sous vide duck breast that I smoked and then I fro and then I chilled it down.
Speaker C:And so, like, you know, when you think meal prep, you think of ideas that are maybe bland, right?
Speaker C:Everybody's like, oh, I have bags of trail mix and I have trays of celery sticks and I maybe have some chicken that doesn't bore me.
Speaker C:But I really started learning and creating New recipes for elevated meal prep, so that if you do find yourself not being able to move around, you're not.
Speaker C:You're not a prisoner of having to, like, be doing grubhub and Uber Eats and all of the things, you know, that you do when you're sedentary.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, where I live, grubhub comes on a camel, so it's okay.
Speaker B:But that leads me to a question for you, Leanne.
Speaker B:When you're creating something, what do you find over the years of doing it that it actually inspires you?
Speaker B:Is it something that you just.
Speaker B:You're working on, something you've done a hundred times, and you went, what if I did this?
Speaker B:What if I added more cilantro or orange juice?
Speaker B:Or.
Speaker B:It doesn't matter.
Speaker B:But how does that inspiration come to you?
Speaker B:Is it just kind of an aha moment, or is it something you plan because you do a lot?
Speaker D:Yeah, it's aha moment.
Speaker D:And it's not just about flavors.
Speaker D:It's about techniques too.
Speaker D:And I'll give you just a recent example of pasta.
Speaker D:Okay.
Speaker D:You have that pretty much ready to eat pasta that you can get at Sam's Club.
Speaker D:And rather than just tossing it in, you know, in boiling water and throwing a sauce on it, dipping it in egg and coating it with breadcrumbs and baking it and then turning it into an appetizer, things like that.
Speaker D:So it's.
Speaker D:It's sometimes a combination of technique and flavors.
Speaker D:There's a lot of spices out there, and I'm not just talking barbecue spices.
Speaker D:I'm talking about just, you know, like, rosemary, garlic spices, cilantro, lime spices, and those combination of flavors inspire me sometimes.
Speaker D:So that's a couple of examples.
Speaker C:Yeah, I agree with that 100%.
Speaker C:All.
Speaker C:All the stuff that, like, I call it the weird stuff that I do, but all of the weird stuff I do is usually coming out of, like, how do I create this into a hack or how do I create this into a shortcut?
Speaker C:Like, I'm a big fan when you talk about pasta.
Speaker C:I am a huge fan of the cold water method and also par cooking it in advance when I have a break in my day.
Speaker C:And then, literally, I don't have to save the starch water.
Speaker C:So I realize if I park hook it, there's so much starch that still explodes that I can do shortcuts like that.
Speaker C:So, yeah, I love what you said.
Speaker C:Mm.
Speaker B:I mean, you guys finish this show.
Speaker B:I'm gonna go cook some pasta and dip it, so that that makes me really hungry.
Speaker B:But I just think that creative cooks, and whether you're at a grill or a smoker in the kitchen or wherever, I think when they see something and it kind of strikes their fancy, if you will, I think those are the people that are on the road to being a great cook.
Speaker B:If they follow that and sometimes they don't work.
Speaker B:You know, I've made dishes many times that I thought, well, man, this is really going to be good.
Speaker B:And it kind of comes out like, yeah, you can eat it.
Speaker B:It tastes okay, but it's nothing that really lights you up.
Speaker B:And in the.
Speaker B:In the flavors, and say, yeah, I want to.
Speaker B:I want to do that again.
Speaker B:I want to serve that at my next party.
Speaker C:You know, I think that happens to everyone.
Speaker C:I can't tell you how many times I'm like, man, I thought this was gonna be so good, and I'll.
Speaker C:I'll dump it.
Speaker C:And my husband just looks at me like I'm nuts, you know, I gotta make it again.
Speaker C:No, that wasn't good.
Speaker C:I gotta do it again.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:My.
Speaker B:My biggest tasting where I see the results is my wife's kind of quiet.
Speaker B:Leanne's better.
Speaker B:I mean, she's kind of a quiet person.
Speaker B:And every once in a while, she'll look at me at dinner and she'll go, that's really.
Speaker B:This is really good.
Speaker B:And I think, okay, I got something there.
Speaker B:And then other times, I'll say, how's the food?
Speaker B:It's okay, you know, so when I get that, it's okay.
Speaker B:It's like, no, that's going down the end of the counter there.
Speaker B:It's not coming back.
Speaker B:So, anyway, I just think that.
Speaker B:I think people that are serious about their cooking and wanting to expand their cooking vocabulary, I think they do get inspired by different things.
Speaker B:So that's just me, unless you're playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Speaker B:And there's nothing.
Speaker B:Nothing's going to inspire you right now.
Speaker B:So, Steph, are you a Rams or a Chargers fan?
Speaker B:Or maybe you're not a fan of football at all?
Speaker C:Oh, Lord.
Speaker C:I play the fifth, I guess.
Speaker C:You know, it's funny that you asked me that, actually.
Speaker C:I'm not a football fan.
Speaker C:I'm sorry.
Speaker C:I'm just.
Speaker C:It's just not my.
Speaker C:My, My thing, but I should.
Speaker C:It's funny you said Rams or Chargers because I'm initially from St.
Speaker C:Louis.
Speaker C:Is that why you said that?
Speaker C:Well, yeah.
Speaker D:So that would be the newbie Rams fan.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, Leanne, she's a Die Hard kind of Bucks fan, and her friend John is a Rams guy.
Speaker B:And I'm a Kansas.
Speaker D:I am loving the Ravens.
Speaker B:The Ravens are hot, Ravens are hot.
Speaker B:And I'm a Kansas City.
Speaker B:Even though I didn't grow up there or anything, I just like the Chiefs, so.
Speaker D:So, Steph, even though you aren't a football fan, I feel like people come together even if they don't like the sport, when it comes to the World Series, etc, and they have their parties.
Speaker D:Do you have any recipes that you can think of that would be great for Super Bowl?
Speaker C:Yeah, came up with one.
Speaker C:It was a while ago, and actually it was.
Speaker C:I thought it was going to be like one of those things where people looked at me like I was crazy, but they actually liked it.
Speaker C:I came up with.
Speaker C:So for potato skins, doing a buffalo, like a hot wing Buffalo chicken.
Speaker C:The chicken was boneless buffalo chicken, potato skin with like a drizzle of ranch on it.
Speaker C:So that's kind of fun.
Speaker C:And then there was.
Speaker C:I think it was for pit boss.
Speaker C:Several years ago, I did football sliders.
Speaker C:So I stuffed ground beef with cheese and then I made the little football, you know, stitching out of hatch chilies.
Speaker C:And then I smoked those and served that at a party.
Speaker C:And I had like a whole, you know, football spread.
Speaker C:It was pretty fun.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:We're going to take a break.
Speaker B:We're going to be back, and I have got a question for the ages when we get back.
Speaker B:You're listening to Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:Stay with us.
Speaker E:Hey, everybody, it's Jeff here.
Speaker E:I want to tell you about something really cool.
Speaker E:Heritage steel cookware.
Speaker E:I just got mine.
Speaker E:I do a lot of cooking and it's got five ply construction.
Speaker E:Stay cool handles.
Speaker E:It's titanium strengthened.
Speaker E:It's got all the great stuff.
Speaker E:Just go to HeritageSteel us and find out more.
Speaker E:You'll love it.
Speaker E:I guarantee it.
Speaker B:Welcome back to the Nation.
Speaker B:I appreciate everybody taking time to listen to our show and letting us into your world.
Speaker B:I'm JT along with Leanne Whippin.
Speaker B:She's a hall of famer.
Speaker B:I'm just a hall monitor.
Speaker B:So we can do that.
Speaker B:So the.
Speaker B:The big question is, what is the deal with calling chicken nuggets boneless wings?
Speaker B:That drives me nuts, you know, and so I want to get your take on that.
Speaker C:Is this because of that whole potato skin thing?
Speaker C:I'm sorry.
Speaker B:No, no, no, not at all.
Speaker B:You just made me think of it.
Speaker C:I mean, I guess it's just marketing, right?
Speaker C:I mean, because there's not such things as a boneless swing.
Speaker C:There's no such Thing as a lot of things that people say that there are.
Speaker C:So I don't know, maybe Leanne has a better answer to that one.
Speaker D:I feel like some of these boneless wings, they really do try to mimic a wing with the skin around.
Speaker D:It isn't just a boneless, you know, breast.
Speaker D:It's like they are trying to take the bones out of it however they do it.
Speaker D:I mean, come on, look at the McRib sandwich.
Speaker B:Oh, God.
Speaker D:Is it really rib meat?
Speaker B:Maybe it's, it's pressed meat.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:I talked to the guy one time that up in North Carolina that made those, and they're pressed meat.
Speaker B:University of North Carolina did that.
Speaker B:And I've got a brother in law who lives for the McRibs when they come out every year.
Speaker B:So he's just like, you can really.
Speaker D:Make a true McRib sandwich yourself.
Speaker D:That is quite good.
Speaker D:You have to overcook the ribs, obviously, to pull the bones out, but it is obtainable and, you know, why wouldn't it be good?
Speaker D:You know, throw rib meat on a sandwich.
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker C:Would you.
Speaker C:Cult following for the McRib.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:But Leanne, as a hall of famer in barbecue, would you do that?
Speaker D:I have never, ever attempted it.
Speaker D:But it's not to say that I won't attempt it.
Speaker D:I won't put sauce on it.
Speaker D:It'll be a dry McRib.
Speaker C:Oh, there you go.
Speaker B:I, I, I don't know.
Speaker B:I'm, we're getting kind of off in the weeds here.
Speaker B:But my point is, I just, I don't know.
Speaker B:I can't, you know, McRib sandwich.
Speaker B:I can honestly say I've never had one.
Speaker B:I have never eaten one.
Speaker C:Oh, you should just experience the dark side.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, it's, I mean, I don't want to offend any, you know, anyone, but it's not good.
Speaker C:I mean, it's not like.
Speaker C:Well, it's just, there's nothing about it that says rib.
Speaker B:It's just pork meat slathered in sauce, I think, because I think they actually put that meat in a press and make it look that way.
Speaker C:Well, the sauce isn't good either.
Speaker C:It's very, I don't know.
Speaker B:Okay, well.
Speaker B:Okay, so wings in my book have to have bones, and McRibs are McStuff.
Speaker B:That's what they should call it, a McStuff sandwich.
Speaker B:Like that.
Speaker B:So, Leanne, speaking of super bowl, we do have a Super bowl coming up in a few weeks here.
Speaker B:What is your favorite thing to put on a Super bowl spread?
Speaker D:So What I do is I take the two teams that are in the super bowl and I do a dish that is in, you know, indigenous or what they're known for, like buffalo.
Speaker D:We do the wings, you know, So I try to incorporate the dishes from the two teams into the meal.
Speaker D:So it's different every year.
Speaker B:What do you do for the Rams?
Speaker D:It would probably be something southwest, you know, I don't know, because they, like.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker D:I'd have to think about it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:And in an out burger.
Speaker D:I don't know.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:We'Ve got two new in and outs coming in up here in Portland, so I'm.
Speaker B:I'm really happy you can.
Speaker D:You can mimic that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Steph, what about you?
Speaker B:What's your go to thing for, you know, party platters, if you will, or like a Super bowl party?
Speaker C:You know, it just depends really on also who I'm having over because, you know, so many people nowadays are gluten free or they don't eat this, they don't eat that.
Speaker C:Like, it really.
Speaker D:I don't have friends like that.
Speaker B:Neither do I.
Speaker D:Sorry, you're not invited.
Speaker C:That's actually really funny.
Speaker C:But, yeah, I do try and cater to my people.
Speaker C:But, yeah, if it was just gonna be me, like, I love doing pork butt.
Speaker C:I love doing pork butt.
Speaker C:Like, it's one of my favorite things to do.
Speaker C:And I think.
Speaker C:I know it's pretty, you know, easy in the world of barbecue, like, compared to, like, you know, brisket or that type of thing, but I love a good pulled pork and I love to repurpose it.
Speaker C:So I'll do like, a pulled pork, and I'll do, like, carnitas or whatever.
Speaker C:And then I've been known to do, like, pulled pork crunch wraps and, you know, just like, crazy things with all the leftovers.
Speaker C:I think that's one of my favorite things, too.
Speaker C:Everyone does ribs, Everyone does wings.
Speaker C:I know a lot of people do the pork butt, but I don't know, there's just something.
Speaker D:It's a long, you know, it's a long cook.
Speaker D:So most people appreciate it and they don't do it at home.
Speaker B:So that.
Speaker D:That's always a good go to for sure.
Speaker B:Yeah, Yeah, I think so.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker D:And it kind of looks like a football.
Speaker C:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:Well, you can.
Speaker B:If, you know, you can pull.
Speaker B:Pull all the stuff out and then reform it as a football, you know, you.
Speaker B:You know, you could do that.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think it's good.
Speaker B:I think, of course, we have a lot of seafood up here, so I Usually do one.
Speaker B:Maybe it's a pork butt, maybe it's some tri tips, maybe it's some ribs.
Speaker B:It doesn't really matter.
Speaker B:And then I try to do one seafood thing, you know, and you can do the straight shrimp cocktail with the big jumbos and make your own sauce or something like that.
Speaker B:But I tend to like you.
Speaker B:I like to get something in the form of a.
Speaker B:A wrap, if you will, and make it with some shrimp and diced green onions and things like that.
Speaker B:I try to get.
Speaker B:So you got a kind of a really nice cross section of flavors, the shrimp and a little bit of cocktail sauce if they want it.
Speaker B:And yet it doesn't just look like you're eating, you know, number six at the Chinese menu at your local place.
Speaker B:There, you know, that's a big bowl.
Speaker D:Of chili is always good to serve, you know, because it's cold in most places.
Speaker D:And then you can do a topping bar.
Speaker D:And I like being interactive and having different toppings so people can kind of make it their own.
Speaker D:That's fun.
Speaker B:I've done that with baked potatoes, too.
Speaker B:I've done it with.
Speaker B:For super bowl parties.
Speaker B:I'll remember at Christmas, I was telling you how you and me did how I make the twice bakers cut them in half, cook them meat side down, and I'll pull those out and kind of score the meat side of the potato and open them up, and then they can do a topping bar with a potato, too.
Speaker B:But yet it's not a whole great big baked potato, so that they just fill up on that and.
Speaker B:And do that.
Speaker B:Anyway, we're going to take a break.
Speaker B:We're going to be back with Chef Steph and Miss whipping, and she's going to tell us about pink powder when we come back.
Speaker B:Don't go away.
Speaker E:Hey, everybody, it's JT And I have eaten.
Speaker E:If you've ever looked at me, you know that.
Speaker E:But I have eaten seafood all over the world, and I can tell you there's no place better than here in Oregon and our Dungeness crab.
Speaker E:If you want to learn more about Oregon Dungeness crab, just go to oregondungeness.org find out how to cook it, how to catch it, where to buy it, and the sustainability of what they're doing there in the Oregon Crab Commission.
Speaker E:Check it out.
Speaker B:Welcome back to the nation.
Speaker B:I'm JT along with Leanne, and Chef Steph is with us today.
Speaker B:We thank you for inviting us into your eardrums, or if you watch the videos on this pig powder, you Got some news.
Speaker D:I do pig powder.
Speaker D:New labels coming out.
Speaker D:Andy kind of modernized him a little bit, but it still has the famous pig that my dad drew years ago sprinkling himself.
Speaker D:Almost looks like a shower of pig powder.
Speaker D:But we have spicy pig powder coming out.
Speaker D:So I will be ordering my pallets in the next month, and I'll make it available on the website on Pigpowder.com and I might even be doing a flash sale just to get it going a little bit quicker, because I have a couple cases left.
Speaker D:And so you can use BBQ Nation Save to get 10% off.
Speaker C:And I will say I'm not even an affiliate for you.
Speaker C:I wish it was, but that is one of my most favorite spices, and I have a lot of spices.
Speaker C:And I will tell you, I love it.
Speaker C:It is the absolute best.
Speaker D:So I will tell you that the Philadelphia Eagles, their stadium, uses pig powder.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker C:So good.
Speaker D:They.
Speaker D:They order.
Speaker C:And I.
Speaker C:I've even used it on salmon.
Speaker D:Like, it's just on seafood.
Speaker D:I used to use it on shrimp at the restaurants.
Speaker D:It's great.
Speaker C:It's amazing.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker C:One of my favorites.
Speaker B:I didn't know the Eagles used it.
Speaker D:Yes, they do.
Speaker B:Got to get Jason, Kelsey and, you know, to do something with you.
Speaker D:I don't.
Speaker D:I don't really go there, you know, with them on.
Speaker D:On that note, you know, I just try to keep it strictly biz, but.
Speaker D:And it's hard because sometimes I always, you know, when they order, I'm like, go, Eagles.
Speaker D:And I think, well, maybe two tickets.
Speaker D:But no.
Speaker B:Well, I'm sure if you ask them, they would really.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker D:They are good, too.
Speaker B:Can you sing?
Speaker D:Can I sing?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:No, I cannot sing.
Speaker D:Dance.
Speaker D:I can barbecue.
Speaker D:That's about it.
Speaker B:Well, I thought if you could sing, maybe they'd let you come up and do the national anthem.
Speaker D:National anthem?
Speaker D:No, that would not be good.
Speaker B:Maybe one of their preseason games, Intramural games.
Speaker D:No, it might go viral, though.
Speaker D:Yeah, it's not bad.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker B:So, Steph, what do you see out there in the barbecue world?
Speaker B:It's been a while since, like I said at the top of the show, since you've been on the show, actually.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so it's.
Speaker B:It's been a while since that.
Speaker B:A lot of changes we come through.
Speaker B:The COVID stuff and the overstocking of where the manufacturers got a little over their skis.
Speaker B:They had a lot of grills and smokers and stuff in the warehouse.
Speaker B:I think that's kind of leveling out now.
Speaker B:But what are you seeing out there with the people you interact with and the companies you interact with?
Speaker B:As far as the state of the world of barbecue, you know, I mean.
Speaker C:For me, I feel I almost.
Speaker C:I actually got into barbecue during COVID Like, I was always like, you know, the back backyard barbecue girl.
Speaker C:But I started really getting into smoking and learning about that during COVID So for me, I almost feel like that was a time where barbecue was like picking up because people had all day to smoke pork.
Speaker C:But.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:You know, but what I will say is I had some very specific brands of grills and smokers that I worked on and worked with.
Speaker C:And I branched out to some new lines that I hadn't even heard of that I've been very impressed with.
Speaker C:So I feel like there was, you know, there's always like Pit Boss and Traeger.
Speaker C:You know, everybody knows in Green Egg and everybody knows that.
Speaker C:But I mean, there were some brands and maybe it's just that I don't know all the brands, but there were some brands that I got access to that I was very impressed with.
Speaker C:So I'm kind of seeing a shift in some of the new guys or newer guys that don't have the reputation getting.
Speaker C:Getting out there a little more.
Speaker B:Who are they?
Speaker C:Camp Chef is one that I've been messing around and I really like it.
Speaker C:Have you used the Camp Chef before?
Speaker B:I have not, but I know Meathead has given it high marks.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:And I talked to him briefly about it, but I love it.
Speaker C:It's got a sidekick on the side, so you can switch it from.
Speaker C:Like if you want to sear something, if you want to griddle something, you can.
Speaker C:Not only is the.
Speaker C:The is it's pellet, but it also has a built in area so you can put wood chips in it.
Speaker C:So I mean, it's really.
Speaker C:It's a really interesting piece of barbecue technology.
Speaker B:Well, that's good though.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I'm probably due for some upgrades around here, so it's good to know.
Speaker B:Might reach out to them.
Speaker B:You never know.
Speaker D:I feel like some of these smokers and the marketing and everything and what they're coming out with is kind of like cars, you know, the cars come out with latest technology and it's like, why didn't we see this five years ago?
Speaker D:And they all have this new thing all in the same year.
Speaker D:It's kind of like that way with smokers and technology.
Speaker D:If, you know, if somebody comes out with something, you see it being in the other brands, they're going to integrate it, which is great, because, I mean, obviously the first one that comes out with it is tested well, and that's exactly it.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:So, like, I had a smoker that had, you know, quote unquote, wireless capabilities, but it was terrible.
Speaker C:Like, the signal always dropped.
Speaker C:Like, you know, if I wasn't standing right next to the smoker, it didn't work on my app.
Speaker C:And, you know, now that some of these companies have had time to really test it, get their MVP out, I feel like, you know, a lot of those problems aren't as bad as they used to be.
Speaker D:I agree.
Speaker B:I'm not one that uses the wireless technologies in that because I'm very close.
Speaker B:Leanne's been here, and I'm very close to where all the.
Speaker B:The cookers are.
Speaker B:So I just kind of wander out there and check them frequently like that.
Speaker B:But I can see where the wireless technologies are important to people, and I understand why they do it, and I think that's a really good thing.
Speaker B:Do you ever think that we could overdo the technologies to move us beyond the point of really smoking, grilling, barbecuing to where it's.
Speaker D:I definitely do, because the AI pit masters are coming.
Speaker C:Well, I think it also depends on who you ask.
Speaker C:Right?
Speaker C:I mean, there's some old school, like, no, you know, they won't even touch a pellet.
Speaker C:You know, it's like, no, you know, if you're not rubbing two sticks together, you're not barbecuing, you know?
Speaker B:Right, right, right.
Speaker C:There's definitely some.
Speaker C:Some truth to all different types of barbecue, I believe.
Speaker C:Anyway, just depends on who you ask.
Speaker C:And I think it's also, like, dependent on the technology.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Like, launching something before it's really been tested is not, in my opinion, the smartest move.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:Well, I can remember.
Speaker B:Well, it's been quite a while now, but because of where I live, I remember when Traeger came out, okay.
Speaker B:And prior to that, it was all either charcoal or stick burners, and that was it.
Speaker B:He had gas grills.
Speaker B:But of course, the sentiment then was, if you're cooking with gas, you're doing strictly for convenience, and you're really not barbecuing.
Speaker B:Okay, I disagree with that.
Speaker B:But that's just my.
Speaker B:My take on things.
Speaker B:But now pellet grills are so common, not just in my neck of the woods, but all over the world.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker B:And they're easy and they're.
Speaker B:They're quick.
Speaker B:You can do.
Speaker B:They're pretty versatile for the most part.
Speaker B: ing able to sear something at: Speaker B:I just.
Speaker B:And maybe I'm showing my age here, and if I do, I don't care.
Speaker B:But the point is, I just think that we get off of that instead of maybe rein that in just a skosh to keep moving forward.
Speaker C:And it's all about the food tribe for everyone.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:I mean, like, that's what you're describing is that's me.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:I can cook that.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:I'm just the girl, like, that didn't have a culinary background that just wanted to throw something on the grill.
Speaker C:And it got more interesting to me as the years went on.
Speaker C:And so I started learning more.
Speaker C:I started trying to get some of the science behind it.
Speaker C:But I think pellet grills are really for people that, like, it's okay if you don't know how to properly stack your briquettes.
Speaker C:Like, some people just want to plug in the machine and throw some good steaks on, you know?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:What do you think, Leanne?
Speaker D:I agree 100%.
Speaker D:I do.
Speaker D:However, I'm an old school barbecue person and, you know, I love pellets for convenience, but I just.
Speaker D:I love that real authentic smoke flavor.
Speaker D:A lot of people sometimes feel that it's too much smoke for their palate, so a pellet grill is perfect for them because it's light smoke.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:Yeah, I love that too.
Speaker C:I love that.
Speaker C:Like, everybody asks me, well, what do you use when you actually.
Speaker C:It's mesquite.
Speaker C:I love it.
Speaker C:I like the heavy smoke.
Speaker B:No, I think that's true.
Speaker B:And I think.
Speaker B:I mean, I've got a very deep appreciation and affection for charcoal grilling, whether it's in, you know, a kamado style or a Weber kettle style or whatever.
Speaker B:You've got open grates and all that stuff.
Speaker B:I mean, I've done all that.
Speaker B:We've all done all that.
Speaker B:Time is really, I think, our most important asset anymore.
Speaker B:That's just me.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:I mean, not everyone can be a Leanne and a Jeff.
Speaker C:You know, that's how I feel about the sous vide, too.
Speaker C:Like, honestly, I hope you don't, like, block me from ever coming back as a guest, but I can do a mean pair of ribs in a sous vide, like.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And sear it, you know, on the smoker when it's done.
Speaker C:But, I mean, some of the most even precision cooked ribs that you can do in a suv.
Speaker C:It doesn't have the smoke quality if you put them on a smoker.
Speaker C:But to your point, Jeff, it's like people want convenience, and, yeah, they're sick of, like, having the same chicken dinner every single night.
Speaker B:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:We're going to take one more break, come back and wrap up the show with chef Steph and my dear friend and co host, Ms.
Speaker B:Leanne Whippen, right after this.
Speaker B:Stay with us.
Speaker E:Hey, everybody, it's JT.
Speaker E:You know, I talk about Painted Hills all the time, and we always say beef the way nature intended.
Speaker E:But it's more than that, because each bite of Painted Hills will make your taste buds explode.
Speaker E:Put a big, bright smile on your face, and whoever's at your dinner table will have a big, bright smile on their face.
Speaker E:And you can thank me for that later.
Speaker E:Just go to painted hillsbeef.com and find out more.
Speaker B:You won't regret it.
Speaker E:Hey, everybody, J.T.
Speaker B:Here.
Speaker E:I want to tell you about Hammerstahl knives.
Speaker E:Hammerstahl combines German steel with beautiful and functioning designs.
Speaker E:They're part of the Heritage steel group, which also does their pots and pans.
Speaker E:So go to heritagesteel us.
Speaker E:Check out the Hammer Stahl knives.
Speaker E:If you're really into cooking, I think you're really gonna like them.
Speaker B:Welcome back to the nation.
Speaker B:I'm JT along with hall of famer Leanne, television star extraordinaire.
Speaker B:Unfortunately, she's a Buccaneers fan, but that's Baker Mayfield.
Speaker B:Tried.
Speaker B:I'll just say that.
Speaker B:And we've got chef Steph from I can cook that word.
Speaker B:What are you doing?
Speaker B:What are you coming out with this year, Stephen?
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:Actually, you know, I shouldn't say I don't know.
Speaker C:I do know.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:Now that I am mobile again, I want to start to do.
Speaker C:And I can cook that digital course teaching people, you know, 101 type things.
Speaker C:And, you know, my.
Speaker C:My.
Speaker C:My market is more for the novice, but, yeah, I think I want to start doing some digital courses.
Speaker C:Everything from how do you butcher your own chicken to save money?
Speaker C:To how do I smoke some ribs?
Speaker C:Or whatever it is.
Speaker B:Sure, sure.
Speaker B:I think that's a good idea.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker D:Everybody had to start somewhere.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker D:It has to hit home somewhere.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:What's the one thing that you found that when people interact with you and they.
Speaker B:They watch your reels and they do all that, and they'll send you a note or they'll make a comment, but what's the one thing that they seem to find that they really like about what you're doing.
Speaker B:I'm not going to ask you what they don't like.
Speaker B:I'm going to ask you what they do like.
Speaker C:Yeah, no, I think that it's my weird spin on classic flavors and making it quick.
Speaker C:So, like, I really like to, you know, aside from, like, the 12 hour pork butter or that type of thing, some of my other meals, some of my other flavor profiles are really interesting spins on everyday classics, but also making them relatively quick and easy.
Speaker C:So you're not spending all day in the kitchen.
Speaker C:And I think people really appreciate that because every.
Speaker C:Because people are going back to work now that Covid's over.
Speaker B:Yeah, they are.
Speaker B:Have you been affected by the fires?
Speaker B:I know you're south of there, but.
Speaker C:I mean, knock on wood.
Speaker C:No, it's.
Speaker C:But it's just like, look at the footage up there.
Speaker C:And it's pretty much, you know, hell on earth up there.
Speaker C:I know Andrew Gruel and a couple other chefs are doing a lot of great work up there, so I've reached out to them and let them know if they need anything.
Speaker C:I'm, you know, just a couple hour drive away.
Speaker C:But knock on wood, I've been lucky down here.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:The footage I've seen, it looks kind of like Hiroshima.
Speaker C:Oh, it's just awful.
Speaker B:It's pretty rough.
Speaker B:I lived down there for a couple of years, and I remember all those places vividly.
Speaker B:And of course, I've been.
Speaker B:That was in college, and I've been back 100 times since.
Speaker B:But, you know, you're coming down I5, and you go through Santa Clarita and that, and then you kind of go over the hill, and it looks like there's nothing left there for a while.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's just.
Speaker C:It's terrible.
Speaker C:It's just.
Speaker C:It's heartbreaking how many people lost their homes, you know, I wish there was more I could do.
Speaker B:Well, I think we'll.
Speaker B:We'll figure out how to help them.
Speaker B:We always do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Leanne, what have you got going?
Speaker B:Whip?
Speaker D:Even though I am going to be in Lakeland, Florida, for the Florida State State barbecue championship on Friday and Saturday.
Speaker D:Let me see.
Speaker D:I think that's the 24th and 25th.
Speaker D:Cooking up some pork butts, just like you were talking about, giving out nice samples with pit boss.
Speaker D:So I'll be out there for the whole weekend.
Speaker C:Nice.
Speaker C:How is that from where you are?
Speaker D:It's only about an hour and a half.
Speaker D:I usually.
Speaker D:I competed there a couple years ago.
Speaker D:I've judged there.
Speaker D:It's a really nice event.
Speaker D:They have stuff going on all day Saturday.
Speaker D:You can bring the kids.
Speaker D:They have face painting.
Speaker D:And I'm sure the weather will be nice, as usual.
Speaker D:It might be a little chilly, but.
Speaker B:Yeah, hold on a second, Steph.
Speaker B:Leanne thinks anything below 85 is chilly.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:Yeah, she's a smart lady.
Speaker B:Yeah, she is.
Speaker B:Yes, she is.
Speaker B:But she showed.
Speaker B:She showed up here when we were filming the cooking segments for that show and she has her.
Speaker D:Oh, it's freezing.
Speaker B:Cute little pedal pushers on and stuff like that, or capri pants, whatever you want to call them.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And it's, it's.
Speaker B:Sun's out, but it's only like 55 degrees, right?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And she's just standing there shaking.
Speaker D:It was bad for me.
Speaker C:It was bad.
Speaker D:Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker C:No, I was just wondering, you know, where you are in Florida that it's always so warm.
Speaker C:Do you get from novice grillers, do you get a lot of questions about how the warm weather impacts the time of your smoke and that type of thing, or do people pretty much have that figured out in Florida?
Speaker D:Never.
Speaker D:Never weather related.
Speaker D:I get questions from all over the country.
Speaker D:I just had one.
Speaker D:Sorry to bother you, but, you know, what temperature should I bring my pork butt to?
Speaker D:How long is it going to take to cook?
Speaker D:And, you know, I'll ask them where they're from because, you know, I grew up in Jersey and I know, it's funny, I had a bullet and I had this green blanket and I would wrap it when it got cold out and I would call it the green monster when I would cook on it.
Speaker D:But it definitely held the temp.
Speaker D:It had burn marks on it all the time.
Speaker D:But it definitely does affect your cook as well as wind and rain and all that stuff, the elements.
Speaker D:And that's the interesting part about barbecue.
Speaker D:You get all kinds of things that can throw your cooks on or off.
Speaker D:Even I lived out in Colorado.
Speaker D:And the altitude affects it.
Speaker D:Frisco barbecue State Championship.
Speaker D:You know, I remember that's when I was first learning about cooking with, you know, the difference in altitudes.
Speaker D:So it does make a big difference.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker C:But you don't get a lot of people asking about it.
Speaker D:No, I do not.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:Which is interesting.
Speaker C:That is interesting.
Speaker B:Up here.
Speaker B:We get a lot of.
Speaker B:We get a lot of moisture, of course, respectively, though we're not the highest in the world as far as moisture.
Speaker B:Year.
Speaker B:We get about 40 inches of rain a year, give or take.
Speaker B:And there's other places in the country that get just that much or rain and Snow combined.
Speaker B:But, yeah, you learn about using the quilts, you know, especially if it's very cold and dry, it can really affect the cook because most of the heat is going away trying to get warm itself.
Speaker B:You know what I mean?
Speaker D:Right.
Speaker B:And so, you know, you do that up here, and a lot of people don't think about it, especially if they're working on a gas grill, you know, but if they're working on a pellet or charcoal or something, they can certainly.
Speaker C:Have my smoker, like, in the perfect spot on my outside where I know the sun hits directly.
Speaker C:So I have to do a quick cook.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker B:And you're out there in your, you know, sun suit and having.
Speaker B:Having a drink and watching the deal.
Speaker B:Yeah, I could do that.
Speaker C:There's worse things.
Speaker B:There is worse things like that.
Speaker B:So last question, Steph, where would you like to be with your.
Speaker B:I can cook.
Speaker B:That career, say, five years from now?
Speaker C:You know, I just.
Speaker C:I.
Speaker C:I would love to just be established and for it to be my main thing, because right now it's still, you know, aside growth.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:I've been working on for.
Speaker C:I don't even like the last 15 years.
Speaker C:So I think, you know, Jeff, we talked a little bit about me starting spaces on X.
Speaker C:So between that and hopefully some digital courses and some digital download, because I really do believe we are in a digital world now.
Speaker C:I'm hoping that I can reach more people and help more people.
Speaker B:Okay, and where can they find you now?
Speaker B:What's your websites and your Instagram, what do you go by and give all that out?
Speaker C:Okay, great.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker C:So my website, I just launched a special area.
Speaker C:The store is not active yet, but it will be active next week.
Speaker C:Some of my most popular requested recipes.
Speaker C:The recipe that is an Andrew Gruel's calico fish house restaurant.
Speaker C:So some very vap.
Speaker C:It's called the Chef's Pantry.
Speaker C:And you can get that on my website.
Speaker C:It's www.I can cookthat.com.
Speaker C:and then at the top of the page, you see something called Chef's Pantry.
Speaker C:So all of that VIP stuff will be in there.
Speaker C:And then the usual players.
Speaker C:You can find all my social on my website.
Speaker C:Instagram, X, gosh, Facebook, you name it, I'm on it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:All right.
Speaker B:And Leanne, you're cranking out stuff all the time, I see.
Speaker D:Yeah, I got YouTube and then Instagram, Facebook, all the usual stuff.
Speaker D:I'm trying to do more videos with pig powder involved because I really haven't focused on that.
Speaker D:That's one of my goals.
Speaker D:This year, a lot of people buy it, but.
Speaker D:And they ask me, well, what else can I use it on?
Speaker D:So I'm hoping to do some more of that video content this year.
Speaker C:What do you find that most people gravitate?
Speaker C:What, like, what's their go to with that pig powder?
Speaker C:Is it just pork or sweet potatoes or seafood?
Speaker D:It's really multifaceted.
Speaker D:I have a team.
Speaker D:I have teams that use it and they will send me what awards they've won with it.
Speaker D:I have people that say, oh, I just tried on scrambled eggs.
Speaker D:It's delicious.
Speaker D:You know, it's.
Speaker D:It's so user friendly, you know, on so many different things that I get a lot of thank yous.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker D:I love this.
Speaker C:So good.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's so good.
Speaker C:I'm putting it in my curry tonight.
Speaker D:Oh, great.
Speaker D:Fantastic.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker B:We got to get out of here.
Speaker B:We're a little over time.
Speaker B:So chef Steph, hopefully she'll stick around for a few minutes.
Speaker B:This is going to be a very unorganized after hours, I will tell you.
Speaker B:But, Steph, thanks for joining us.
Speaker B:Leanne, thank you, my dear, for always being on my side here.
Speaker C:Thank you for having me.
Speaker B:Marvin, thanks for watching out the studio today.
Speaker D:Marvin the cat.
Speaker B:Marvin the cat.
Speaker B:He's my studio guard cat.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And we'll be back next week at some point with another edition of Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker B:Go out to have some fun.
Speaker B:Cook something, and remember our motto here.
Speaker B:Cook, turn it, don't burn it.
Speaker B:Not cook it, don't cook it, turn it, don't burn it.
Speaker B:Take care.
Speaker A:Barbecue Nation is produced by jtsd, LLC Productions in association with Salem Media Group.
Speaker A:All rights reserve.
