In Memoriam: A Culinary Tribute to Brent Huddleston
This podcast episode serves as a poignant tribute to the late Brent Huddleston, a cherished friend and esteemed professional in the culinary world. Brent, who passed away recently after a valiant battle with cancer, was not only a skilled meat cutter and food stylist but also the inaugural guest of our program a decade ago. In this episode, we honor his memory by revisiting one of those earlier conversations, reflecting on Brent's contributions to both the culinary arts and our personal lives. His legacy as a passionate food adventurer remains an enduring inspiration for us all. As we reminisce about his stories and insights, we invite listeners to celebrate his life and the joy he brought to the world of barbecue and beyond.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- USDA
- Barclays
- Painted Hills
- Heritage Steel
- Oregon Dungeness Crab
- Hammerstall
Mentioned in this episode:
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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.
Speaker B:Charcoal, and get your smoker cooking.
Speaker A:Now from the Turn It, Don't Burn.
Speaker B:It studios in Portland.
Speaker B:Here's jt.
Speaker B:This is an encore.
Speaker A:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker B:This week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent, boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Mission buddy.
Speaker A:Hey, good afternoon, everybody.
Speaker A:Hope you had a great week.
Speaker A:I'm here.
Speaker A:Jt.
Speaker A:That's me with David the Beef Shirtless, our master producer.
Speaker A:And welcome to Barbecue Nation, where overeating and overheating may just happen to you this afternoon.
Speaker A:Hey, did you ever leave the mayo out in the sun for three days?
Speaker A:I know you've heard me tell the story about some of my time in Oklahoma, but I hope you haven't done that.
Speaker A:Today on the Nation, we have two great guests that may just be able to answer any questions and all questions that I come up with about food safety and how it relates to barbecue and grilling.
Speaker A:From Washington, D.C.
Speaker A:our nation's capital, we're dishing out.
Speaker A:Bull meat is a way of life back there.
Speaker A:We welcome Christina Bowe, who is a food specialist.
Speaker A:Food safety specialist.
Speaker A:Let me say it right from the usda, a great cook and a Louisiana lady.
Speaker A:Hi, Christina.
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker C:Good.
Speaker C:How are you doing?
Speaker A:I'm great.
Speaker A:And also we have in the studio today my buddy Brett Heddleston is back.
Speaker A:He's a professional meat cutter, a caterer, a hockey fan, and a good friend.
Speaker A:And I welcome both of you to the show.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker A:Yeah, you're welcome.
Speaker A:Oh, and our music today, who can forget one of the first great ladies of rock and roll, Linda Ronstadt.
Speaker A:I did that just for you, Christina.
Speaker A:I couldn't.
Speaker C:I recognized it.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:I appreciate it.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker A:It's not a problem.
Speaker A:So let's take it from the USDA perspective.
Speaker A:Give us a little overview on food safety, especially when we're cooking outdoors.
Speaker A:What is it we should all know?
Speaker C:So there's a lot to know, but I guess to get started.
Speaker C:So it's getting warmer outside and people are really enjoying cooking outside and doing a lot of outdoor activities.
Speaker C:So it's important to remember that bacteria also love that outdoor weather, that warm, humid climate.
Speaker C:So rates of foodborne illness actually increase.
Speaker C:So we want to stay food safe and remember to clean, separate, cook and chill with everything we do.
Speaker C:Wash your hands, separate raw meat from ready to eat foods, cook your meat and poultry to a safe temperature and make sure you keep those foods chilled.
Speaker A:Now, does that go for carpaccio too?
Speaker A:You know, that's sliced raw meat.
Speaker C:Well, everything perishable.
Speaker A:Okay, that's a good thought.
Speaker A:Really.
Speaker A:How are these guidelines, if you will, developed?
Speaker A:I mean, do you guys have a big barbecue pad back there at USDA and you get to hang out in the afternoon, cook stuff and say, no, that went bad, so we can't do it anymore.
Speaker A:Tell us about that.
Speaker C:We have a whole team of scientists here, epidemiology, biostatistics, all these meat inspectors, veterinarians, and they're building these databases of information.
Speaker C:We're serving consumers and we're taking all of this science and making our food safer for everyday people.
Speaker A:Does anybody work there that doesn't have a title?
Speaker C:Everyone has a title.
Speaker A:Okay, just.
Speaker A:Just curious, you know, just curious.
Speaker A:How do you divide the, the talent there to work on various areas?
Speaker A:Like you said, it's getting warmer now, but in different parts of the country.
Speaker A:We're going to do a little meteorology here.
Speaker A:You know, we have more humidity down south.
Speaker A:There's more humidity where you came from in Louisiana than there is up here in the Northwest, where I'm at.
Speaker A:So how do they define that to make a difference if they actually do?
Speaker C:Well, we just give in our office, we give the consumers all the information they need to apply it at home.
Speaker C:So, for example, we have something called the two hour rule where you're not supposed to leave food out at room temperature for more than two hours.
Speaker C:And that's outside, too.
Speaker C:But if the temperature outside is over 90 degrees, like it is most of the year in Louisiana, you don't want to leave that food out for more than one hour.
Speaker C:But I know, like in Denver right now, I think they're supposed to get snow and stuff, so it's a little different.
Speaker C:But you just apply the information we give you at home.
Speaker A:But that excludes your grandma's potato salad.
Speaker A:You told me about that one time.
Speaker A:I remember that.
Speaker C:So, yeah, that was my aunt's potato salad.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:Well, I was close, but yeah.
Speaker C:So if it's over 90 degrees, you definitely don't want, want that potato salad or any other perishable food like meat, those ribs or burgers, anything like that sitting out for more than an hour if the temperature is above 90.
Speaker A:So how does that apply to now, like the barbecue geniuses that we are out here, you know, we may put a rub on a, you know, pick a piece of meat, a tri tip or brisket or short ribs, whatever, and we may let it sit at room temperature.
Speaker A:Now, I don't believe anybody in their right mind would put it out in the direct sunlight and let it sit, but we do put it out with the rubs on it or the seasonings, whatever, to let it absorb because the heat, you know, will open up the tissue a little bit versus putting it back in the fridge.
Speaker A:So does that apply?
Speaker A:I mean, does that go into your calculations too?
Speaker A:Because after, you know, half hour, hour, whatever you're comfortable with, you're going to be putting it on your heat source after that.
Speaker C:Well, if it's at room temperature and you're marinating it or letting that dry rub soak in, you don't want to let it sit out for more than two hours because after that bacteria starts to multiply pretty rapidly.
Speaker C:And even though you're going to cook it and put it on a heat source, a lot of that bacteria release toxins that aren't killed by heat and those toxins are what make you really sick.
Speaker A:Is that what that was?
Speaker A:Okay, well, I always wanted to know that, you know, that's another joke there.
Speaker A:But we're going to stay away from that.
Speaker A:So when you, when you, you've rubbed it, you've let it sit out there for a while, you're going to cook it.
Speaker A:It's a slow cook process.
Speaker A:I would think that, you know, that the bacteria don't stand much of a chance when you're in there, say at 200 degrees or 250 degrees for four or five hours, they, they probably don't multiply very well.
Speaker A:But then when it comes out and if you got to let it rest before you slice it and all, you know, stuff we always talk about.
Speaker A:But how did you come up with, not you personally, but how did the boys with the badges and the name, you know, the titles come up with the two hour limit kind of out there on that after it's, after it's been cooked and after you've sliced it and you know, maybe somebody didn't show up.
Speaker A:So there's extra Portions.
Speaker C:You know, a lot of science and chemistry and microbiology goes into it.
Speaker C:They do various test of microbiological test of meat that has been left out, and they do different tests to see what percentage of bacteria, how many parts per million are present on the meat.
Speaker C:So it's a lot, a lot of science that I don't want to get too deep into, but I have my undergrad in microbiology.
Speaker C:But I can't hold a flame to these wonderful scientists we have at usda.
Speaker A:No, but I bet you make better gumbo than they do.
Speaker C:Maybe so.
Speaker A:We got to tell our listeners today, though, Christina's being shadowed back there.
Speaker A:It's a job shadow Day, and she also has a special guest.
Speaker A:Christina's mom is in the studio with her back in D.C.
Speaker A:today.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Hi, Mom.
Speaker A:Welcome to Barbecue Nation out here.
Speaker C:Hi.
Speaker A:How are you?
Speaker A:We're great.
Speaker A:Maybe someday we can meet, but for your own safety and survival, maybe not.
Speaker A:But anyway, we'll do good.
Speaker A:And you and Christina's got a job shadower there that we met earlier.
Speaker A:And so that's kind of an interesting thing to do.
Speaker C:Yeah, they're having a lot of fun seeing what we do here at usda.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:When you.
Speaker A:You personally, when you're at home cooking or you're.
Speaker A:You're back home in Louisiana cooking, and do you actually think of those things to say, no, this has been out for an hour, or do you just kind of put that aside?
Speaker A:I don't want.
Speaker A:I don't want to cost you your job or anything with your superiors.
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:Before I worked here, I wasn't too.
Speaker C:I mean, I was aware of things because I studied microbiology, but I didn't know the specifics.
Speaker C:And now I'm definitely.
Speaker C:I'm the worst dinner guest you could ever have, because I'm always constantly telling the host, like, this has been out for an hour and 45 minutes.
Speaker C:I just want to let you know that it's almost time to pick it up and put it in the fridge.
Speaker C:When I'm hosting a dinner party, I'm checking my watch all the time to make sure that two hours does not pass.
Speaker C:So I always use my food thermometer.
Speaker C:And I mean, yes, I'm always washing my hands throughout the cooking process.
Speaker C:I'm a stickler for food safety now.
Speaker A:Okay, we've got to go to break here, but one really quick question.
Speaker A:Do you ever use your index finger to taste the sauce?
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:A little.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm sure.
Speaker A:We're gonna be back with Barbecue Nation with Christina Bow and our buddy, Brent Huddleston right after this.
Speaker A:And a little more from l.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker B:This week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times, my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent, boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Miss you, buddy.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's Jeff here.
Speaker B:I want to tell you about something really cool.
Speaker B:Heritage steel cookware.
Speaker B:I just got mine.
Speaker B:I do a lot of cooking, and it's got five ply construction.
Speaker B:Stay cool handles.
Speaker B:It's titanium strengthened.
Speaker B:It's got all the great stuff.
Speaker B:Just go to HeritageSteel us and find out more.
Speaker B:You'll love it.
Speaker B:I guarantee it.
Speaker B:This is an encore.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker B:This week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times, my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent, boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Miss you, buddy.
Speaker A:We're going to.
Speaker A:We're going to do some stuff from Christina there.
Speaker A:We didn't have it last fall or last summer when she was on the show, but we've advanced, we've evolved here on the Nation.
Speaker C:I am so excited because now I can give you all so many things and we can share y' all things.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:We were talking when we went to break there about David was talking about his grandmother, I think he was said that there was never a food that went bad at her house.
Speaker A:Little quick story about your host JT here coming home.
Speaker A:This was probably in the early mid-80s, I guess, and I was living In a town called Lake Oswego, which is a suburb here of Portland.
Speaker A:And I was actually staying with one of my aunts.
Speaker A:I was kind of between gigs, you might say, and rented out her whole basement.
Speaker A:And I came home at, you know, oh, dark 31 evening and had been me and my friend Mr.
Speaker A:Dewar's had been out on the town all night.
Speaker A:And so I roll in, and for some reason, milk sounded really good.
Speaker A:And, you know, well, I had eaten something too.
Speaker A:I wasn't just all scotch.
Speaker A:Anyway, long story short, I go into her Aunt Ruthie's refrigerator, and I grabbed this thing.
Speaker A:First of all, it was buttermilk, and I didn't read the label.
Speaker A:And secondly, it was expired buttermilk by about a month.
Speaker A:The end result was not good.
Speaker A:I'll just put it that way.
Speaker C:Oh, gross.
Speaker A:Always check your food labels.
Speaker A:Okay, Brent.
Speaker A:Welcome back to the nation, my friend.
Speaker D:It's good to hear from you.
Speaker A:Nice to hear from you.
Speaker A:You're looking well.
Speaker D:Thank you.
Speaker A:That's why you and Christina did a show together last year, one of the first shows we did when I took over here.
Speaker A:Oh, you don't remember?
Speaker C:Fourth of July one?
Speaker A:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:Were you here for it?
Speaker A:Was I here for it?
Speaker A:Yes, yes, I was here.
Speaker A:I was sitting right in this exact chair.
Speaker A:So, as a professional meat cutter, do you actually adhere to the stuff Christine is purporting?
Speaker A:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker A:That you should do.
Speaker D:Absolutely.
Speaker A:I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:I'm glad to hear that, too.
Speaker C:I hope you're not just saying that because the USDA is on the line.
Speaker A:No, no, He.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:Does.
Speaker A:He.
Speaker A:He's a good man.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker D:That's something that, absolutely, for me personally, drives me nuts, you know, especially if you see somebody, you know the number one rule, Wash your hands.
Speaker D:I mean, how hard is that?
Speaker A:And seems to be pretty hard for certain people out there in this world to wash their hands.
Speaker D:Yeah, you know, wash your hands, make sure you got a clean block, you know, and make sure you wash your knives.
Speaker D:And just the little things that people just don't adhere to will drive you absolutely nuts.
Speaker A:Well, I think that's true, and I know Christina could back us up on this, but sometimes in the heat of battle, because Brent has done catering jobs with me before, you'll set a knife down and you pick it up and.
Speaker A:And you have to kind of stop and think about it.
Speaker A:It's just as easy to go rinse it off or if you've got a damp towel there that's not been used for something else, you know, and it's purposely for cleaning the utensils.
Speaker A:You know, just do that.
Speaker A:I think it's so much easier than.
Speaker C:I guess or have two sets and you could have one for.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:And one for cooked.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I mean, there's a number of things you can do to make it easier for you.
Speaker A:Taking the guesswork out of it is what I was trying to say is that when you get in those, you know, even if you're entertaining at home on your deck, you know, it's, it's.
Speaker A:That's why I was teasing her about.
Speaker A:Do you stick your finger in the sauce?
Speaker A:I will do that sometimes, but only when it's my closest friends at the house because some of them come by and do it too.
Speaker A:And I can't, you know, they're not housebroken, so I can't.
Speaker A:So I can't.
Speaker A:Can't get them to stop it.
Speaker D:Well, that's why you notice when we do catering together, I always bring, you know, two sets of knives.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker D:You know, I have my raw meat knives that I use, and when I'm done with those, they get cleaned and put back into their respective case.
Speaker D:And then I bring out my cooked knives that I cut cooked meat with.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, do you do that, Christina?
Speaker A:You have two sets of knives.
Speaker C:I right now single, so I don't have any fancy knives, but I try to do washing them after.
Speaker C:After I cook raw meat and then using a clean one to cook cooked meat.
Speaker A:I, you know, having been in this business for a while, I have a.
Speaker A:An actual whole drawer full and then a butcher's block knife holder thing full.
Speaker A:And I've got all that stuff, so it's easy for me.
Speaker A:I just get new ones constantly.
Speaker A:That's what I do is I just reach in the drawer because I have several.
Speaker A:Several that I are kind of in pairs, you know, the same knife, I'll just keep using them.
Speaker A:I don't care how many I use.
Speaker A:When we're doing a dinner or even if it's just my wife and I at home, they can be washed.
Speaker A:It's a lot easier to do that for me than take a chance.
Speaker A:That's what I think.
Speaker C:Definitely.
Speaker A:How come you're single?
Speaker A:You can't be single.
Speaker C:I'm not married yet.
Speaker C:I do have a boyfriend, but one.
Speaker A:Day, don't make me come back there and have to have a talk with him for you.
Speaker C:I know.
Speaker C:Maybe I should let him call you.
Speaker A:He should.
Speaker A:He should let him do that before we go Here.
Speaker A:I want to tell you about our friends down at Barclays, Barclays on 99E in Woodburn.
Speaker A:You go in there and you see Mark and you see Jamie and you see all the thousands and thousands of items they have on there.
Speaker A:And it's organized.
Speaker A:It's not cluttered.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:I'm going to tell you that right up front.
Speaker A:It is not cluttered.
Speaker A:They've got everything from elkheads on the wall to guitars.
Speaker A:Very interesting stuff.
Speaker A:Always look up when you're there, too.
Speaker A:You might see an airplane hanging from the ceiling or scooters, all kinds of things.
Speaker A:That's Barclays on 99E, just on the south end of Woodburn there in Marion County.
Speaker A:How's that?
Speaker A:I even threw that Marion county in there pretty good.
Speaker A:We're going to be back and I'm going to put these two through the world famous lightning round when we come back from our next break.
Speaker A:So stay with us, everybody.
Speaker A:This is Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker B:This week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent, boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Miss you, buddy.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's JT And I have eaten.
Speaker B:If you've ever looked at me, you know that.
Speaker B: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 B: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 B:Check it out.
Speaker B:This is an encore.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker B:This week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put Up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent, boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Miss you, buddy.
Speaker A:We've got Christina Bow from the usda.
Speaker A:She is a food specialist.
Speaker A:I guess I'm kind of a food specialist, too, in a way, but probably a little different than Christina does.
Speaker A:And we've got Brent Huddleston, our good friend here, who's been on the show several times with us before.
Speaker A:He is a professional meat cook.
Speaker A:Cart cook, I guess you can say.
Speaker A:Professional meat cook.
Speaker A:I'm a meat guy and a meat guy and a cutter and a hockey fan.
Speaker A:I know you like your hockey.
Speaker D:I love hockey.
Speaker A:So, Christina, because you're single and I'm not, you know, kind of pointing that out to our listening audience.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker A:You're welcome.
Speaker A:Do you spend much time cooking at home?
Speaker C:I do.
Speaker C:I spend a lot of time cooking.
Speaker C:I cook for me and my boyfriend all the time.
Speaker C:He says he's a good cook, but, you know, we've been together for over a year, and he hasn't even cooked me scramb eggs.
Speaker C:So I don't know.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:Like, should I keep him around?
Speaker A:He's a.
Speaker A:He's a lion dog.
Speaker A:If he hasn't even made you scrambled eggs.
Speaker A:Come on now.
Speaker A:Yeah, scrambled eggs.
Speaker C:Enjoy cooking.
Speaker A:So easy.
Speaker A:So easy.
Speaker A:So easy.
Speaker A:If you can't do that to the person you love, then Uncle Jeff may have to come back there and talk to you about that.
Speaker A:Now, Brent, you cook at home all the time.
Speaker A:I know.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:You barbecue more than you cook in the actual kitchen.
Speaker A:I mean, you gotta prep.
Speaker A:I understand.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Cooking.
Speaker D:I, you know, my barbecue is pretty much on all day, and I don't mean that as a.
Speaker D:As a joke.
Speaker D:It really is.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, you do do a lot of stuff with it.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker A:So that's kind of why you're sitting in that chair.
Speaker D:That's why I got half a dozen barbecues sitting at home.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker D:You never know which one's going to work and which one's going to go out.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, Christina, really quick, before we get into the lightning round, David just told us at break here that he has a problem with his children at home.
Speaker A:They come by and drink out of his cup.
Speaker A:Now, my solution was spit in it.
Speaker A:Do you have a better answer for him?
Speaker C:Maybe just get them, like, nice cups with their name on it.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I've never had that problem before.
Speaker C:My mom doesn't like when I drink out of her cup.
Speaker C:Your mom's smart, but I'm like, you gave birth to me.
Speaker C:Why does it matter?
Speaker C:But I guess I should know better to not drink after other people.
Speaker B:My kids always say, same family, same germs.
Speaker B:Is that.
Speaker B:What's the FDA stance on that?
Speaker A:Yeah, well, my mom was always a.
Speaker A:She'd put food on your plate.
Speaker A:You go to a restaurant, and you'd order your meal and she would order hers, and the family had ordered theirs.
Speaker A:And then she'd get it.
Speaker A:She's not a very big woman.
Speaker A:And she would come back and she'd say, I can't eat all this.
Speaker A:Here, you take it.
Speaker A:And that just drove me absolutely bat crap.
Speaker A:You know, I normally say something else, but I don't want to have to zing it out today.
Speaker A:Anyway, are you ready?
Speaker A:Everybody ready here?
Speaker A:Brent, Christina, for the lightning round.
Speaker A:Okay, here we go.
Speaker A:Christina Bow, food specialist from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Speaker A:What is the best and the toughest food part of your job?
Speaker C:Managing social media.
Speaker A:Oh, wow.
Speaker A:Did they stick you with that, too?
Speaker C:Yes, because I'm good at it, but it's difficult.
Speaker A:Lordy, lordy.
Speaker A:Okay, Brent, toughest skill for a beginning barbecuer to learn.
Speaker D:Oh, boy.
Speaker D:Washing your hands, maybe.
Speaker A:Okay, all right.
Speaker D:Well, like I said, you know, a lot of people don't do it.
Speaker D:And, you know, I've seen people grab raw meat, then turn around and without washing their hands, grab, you know, something else that shouldn't be grabbed.
Speaker A:And don't be careful what you grab there.
Speaker A:Also, you can also use latex gloves and stuff.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah.
Speaker A:Okay, David's got a question for you.
Speaker A:Christina.
Speaker B:What's the USDA's official stance on the 5 second rule?
Speaker C:We don't have a stance, but if it falls on the ground, you should probably not eat it.
Speaker A:But what if people don't see it?
Speaker C:I mean, someone sees it, you see it.
Speaker A:Yeah, but you're the one making the call, so, I mean, you know, off the record, nobody will know that you said this on.
Speaker C:Don't eat it.
Speaker C:Don't eat it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:When in doubt, throw it out.
Speaker A:Okay, well, see, my new saying is don't let it burn.
Speaker A:Turn it.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I had it better the other day.
Speaker A:Turn it, don't burn it.
Speaker A:That was it.
Speaker A:Okay, on the deal.
Speaker A:Okay, Brent, what barbecue skill took you the longest to master.
Speaker D:Patience.
Speaker A:Patience.
Speaker A:That's a good one.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker D:I mean, I'm normally a patient guy, but you know, when you see that.
Speaker D:That brisket just getting nice and caramelized and, you know, it's.
Speaker D:It's tough to let it sit for another hour or two.
Speaker A:You just want to grab it, gnaw.
Speaker D:Gnaw, go the Fred Flintstone route.
Speaker A:Yeah, but you got it.
Speaker A:You got to put on your latex gloves when you do that.
Speaker A:They'll melt, though.
Speaker A:Okay, Christina, which of these would you rather barbecue?
Speaker A:The Thanksgiving turkey, a yule log, a Christmas goose, or the Easter bunny?
Speaker C:I'm going to go with the Easter bunny.
Speaker A:That a girl.
Speaker C:I like fried rabbit, though.
Speaker B:There you go.
Speaker A:Well, you know, it's.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker A:I like that.
Speaker A:She's the first one that said the.
Speaker D:Easter bunny, but he didn't throw out there a squirrel.
Speaker B:Huh?
Speaker C:I've never had squirrel.
Speaker D:Oh, yeah, we used to eat fried squirrel.
Speaker D:Did you do?
Speaker D:Well, my family's from Missouri.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Okay, so what is the best day of activities contained for Brent once you get your ass out of bed?
Speaker D:Well, I am on a bit of a vacation.
Speaker D:Yeah, you know, it's just taking care of, you know, family.
Speaker D:I mean, I don't have any kids or anything, but it's, you know, take care of your.
Speaker D:Your.
Speaker A:Your.
Speaker D:Your mom.
Speaker D:My mom's 80 now, and my.
Speaker D:My kids are my dogs.
Speaker D:Taking care of those.
Speaker D:Take care of the things around the house, and that's it.
Speaker D:And, of course, watch hockey, our baseball or basketball.
Speaker A:Okay, Christina, Bo from the usda, who would you like to cook for you?
Speaker A:If you could pick anybody in the world, who would you have cooked for you?
Speaker C:I'm gonna go with Jeff Tracy.
Speaker A:Hey, there you go.
Speaker A:Let's get right.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:50 bucks in the mail.
Speaker A:50 bucks in the mail.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:That's two.
Speaker A:That's two people that have actually said that, I think.
Speaker A:Or maybe three.
Speaker D:Does your wife count?
Speaker C:Only two?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Well, a lot of these people we interview, we don't know personally, you know, so they don't say anything.
Speaker A:But Graham Kerr, the galloping gourmet, said that when we interviewed him, he wanted me to cook for him.
Speaker A:So that is actually being arranged, and we'll talk about that later.
Speaker A:Brent, is there anybody who should not barbecue?
Speaker D:No, everyone should barbecue.
Speaker D:Rite of passage, I think.
Speaker A:Well, Christine, everyone should do it.
Speaker A:You got an answer on that one?
Speaker C:Maybe small children.
Speaker A:Small children.
Speaker A:Well, I mean, she's a safety specialist, though, remember?
Speaker C:That safety, though.
Speaker A:Yeah, Keep your.
Speaker A:Keep your little fingers out of the.
Speaker D:Remember, though, I don't have any kids.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's right.
Speaker A:Well, don't let your dogs get up there.
Speaker A:Okay, if you were declared.
Speaker A:This is for Christina.
Speaker A:If you were declared supreme ruler of barbecue for one week, what would you, as supreme leader or ruler decree make her think?
Speaker A:See.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker A:It's a tough one.
Speaker C:It's very tough.
Speaker C:You know, I think barbecue should be cheaper for sure.
Speaker C:Or like free macaroni and cheese with barbecue.
Speaker A:There you go.
Speaker A:Free sides.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:Christina says free sides.
Speaker A:As the omnipotent ruler of barbecue for a week, what would you say, Bremboy?
Speaker D:Oh, man, I don't know.
Speaker D:That's like.
Speaker D:That's a tough one.
Speaker D:I'm a free beer.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Free beer.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:That's better than my answer.
Speaker A:We've got just a couple minutes left here before we go to break.
Speaker A:What is the dumbest thing you've ever seen done with a barbecue or a grill?
Speaker A:Christina?
Speaker C:When they fry craw.
Speaker C:When they grill crawfish down in Louisiana.
Speaker C:No, I'm just kidding.
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:I've never seen seen anything dumb done.
Speaker C:My mom was telling me that my momma used to cool gumbo on the back porch, so that's not very smart in my opinion.
Speaker C:But that's all I got.
Speaker A:You got to remember those people have lived a long time, so they built up a tolerance.
Speaker A:Brent, what's the dumbest thing you've ever seen somebody do with a barbecue?
Speaker A:Besides something that we did together?
Speaker D:I was going to say, you know, a lot of times people open up, especially if you're using charcoal or.
Speaker D:Or is open up the lid a little too fast.
Speaker D:You know, you gotta remember to open that lid up a little slower, you know, so you don't have any flare ups or.
Speaker A:Well, you don't get that draft in the action stuff if you do that too.
Speaker A:That's good.
Speaker A:All right, well, I guess you two passed the lightning round today.
Speaker A:There was a couple more questions I wanted to get to, but we don't have time in this segment, so we are gonna take a break and be back with more.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's jt.
Speaker B:This week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times, my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Miss you, buddy.
Speaker A:Hi.
Speaker C:This is John Marcus.
Speaker B: I'm: Speaker A:Myself, I have to say.
Speaker A:That gets lost sometimes, but I can do that, too, and I'm happy to be here with Jeff and Leanne on Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's J.T.
Speaker B:you know, I talk about Painted Hills all the time, and we always say beef the way nature intended.
Speaker B:But it's more than that because each bite of Painted Hills will make your taste buds explode.
Speaker B: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 B:And you can thank me for that later.
Speaker B:Just go to paintedhillsbeef.com and find out more.
Speaker B:You won't regret it.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, J.T.
Speaker B:here.
Speaker B:I want to tell you about Hammerstall knives.
Speaker B:Hammer Style combines German steel with beautiful and functioning designs.
Speaker B:They're part of the Heritage Steel Group, which also does their pots and pans.
Speaker B:So go to Heritage Steel US Check out the Hammer Stall knives.
Speaker B:If you're really into cooking, I think you're going to like them.
Speaker B:This is an encore.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's JT this week on Barbecue Nation, we're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times, my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent boy, this one is for you wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Mission buddy, Barbecue Nation.
Speaker A:That's the name of the show.
Speaker A:I'm your host, JT along with David Shirley, we have Christina Bowe live from Washington, D.C.
Speaker A:and her mom's in the room, too, to make sure that she doesn't do anything bad.
Speaker A:Maybe, I don't know.
Speaker A:We got Brent Heddleston out here, a couple of things.
Speaker A:We've got some barbecue championships coming up this weekend.
Speaker A:If you're down in Elk Grove, California, they have the Elk, Elk Grove Western Festival and Barbecue Championship.
Speaker A:And also if you're headed back east, you can go to Ridgefield in Connecticut.
Speaker A:And they have the Ridgefield Gone Country Barbecue Festival.
Speaker A:I bet you that's a slammer.
Speaker D:Oh yeah.
Speaker A:Have you been to Connecticut?
Speaker A:You know, they don't look very cowboy to me back there, but they probably have fun doing it.
Speaker A:Also in Appleton, Wisconsin, and they have the Masters in May Classic and it is May already.
Speaker A:So we are with, like I said, Christina Bow from the USDA food specialist there.
Speaker A:Christina is a frequent guest.
Speaker A:Not as frequent as we would like because she's got a busy schedule, but she's pretty frequent guest here on the show.
Speaker A:And also Brent Huddleston, who besides being a hockey fan, is a professional meat cutter and caterer.
Speaker A:In one minute or less.
Speaker A:Christina, what's the most important things?
Speaker A:Give me like two or three things that people can remember with food safety as they head into the summertime and more, you know, warmer temperatures.
Speaker A:And as you said, like Aunt Momo, don't leave the gumbo out on the back porch for two days.
Speaker C:I think one of the most important things is to always use a food thermometer when you're cooking meat or poultry.
Speaker C:I know even with a lot of professional chefs and a lot of people think like, oh, I can look at it and know that it's ready to go, you should always use a food thermometer.
Speaker C:Things like beef, pork cooked to 145 with a three minute rest time.
Speaker C:Ground beef 160 and all your poultry 165.
Speaker C:Another big thing is to remember that two hour rule.
Speaker C:Don't leave food out for more than two hours if it's at room temperature.
Speaker C:And if it's really hot somewhere like in Louisiana or Texas or anything.
Speaker C:If the temp's above 90 degrees, make sure to not leave it out for more than one hour.
Speaker C:And then I guess always wash your hands too.
Speaker C:And if you're cooking, make sure to use separate plates.
Speaker C:If you put raw meat on the grill, then don't use that same plate to take the cooked meat off the grill.
Speaker C:Make sure you use a clean plate.
Speaker A:Or take it back in and wash it off.
Speaker A:Yeah, you can do that.
Speaker D:Don't lick it off.
Speaker A:Don't lick it off.
Speaker C:Wiping it with a paper towel is not sufficient.
Speaker A:It's not?
Speaker C:No.
Speaker C:You need to get all that invisible bacteria off oh, the horror.
Speaker A:Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker A:I'm sorry.
Speaker A:I didn't mean to interrupt you.
Speaker C:That's fine.
Speaker C:Just hot water and soap, and that'll do the trick.
Speaker A:Okay, so here's the deal.
Speaker A:Somebody's thinking this out there.
Speaker A:I know they are.
Speaker A:So it's been outside for two hours.
Speaker A:You throw it in the fridge for 20 minutes to get the temperature down about 3 degrees.
Speaker A:And then can you take it back out, set it outside again?
Speaker C:You want to make sure that it gets to below 40 degrees.
Speaker C:If you put it in the fridge, you can test it with a food thermometer that way, too.
Speaker C:Or you can just set it on a bed of ice and keep it cool outside like that.
Speaker C:And that way it stays better longer.
Speaker A:You bet your ice you can.
Speaker A:Brent, really quickly, your suggestions.
Speaker A:We've got about a minute here.
Speaker D:Oh, I think she said it perfectly.
Speaker D:You know, it's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You're just sucking up.
Speaker D:Yeah, I am.
Speaker D:You know, I know.
Speaker D:It's.
Speaker D:I had my bread, and my butter's on.
Speaker D:No, you know, again, and you've heard me say this a thousand times, is use a meat thermometer.
Speaker D:You know, take.
Speaker D:Take the guesswork out.
Speaker D:You know, you can be great at doing it, but just back that up with that meat thermometer.
Speaker D:And.
Speaker D:And make sure you.
Speaker D:You just clean, clean, clean, wash your hands.
Speaker D:That's.
Speaker D:That's pretty much it.
Speaker D:You know, in a nutshell.
Speaker A:That's pretty much it in a nutshell.
Speaker A:And that's pretty much it for us today here on Barbecue Nation.
Speaker A:I would really like to thank Christina Bow and mom and the Shadow back there in D.C.
Speaker A:for being with us this afternoon and our buddy, Brent Huddleston here, local epicurean entrepreneur like that.
Speaker D:It's a pleasure.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:And also like to thank all the affiliates down the line and David, my buddy here who keeps us in good shape.
Speaker A:McGarrion is on deck, and Bush Lack's coming up behind him for the rest of the lifestyle weekend here on KXL and the Radio Northwest Network.
Speaker A:I am J.T.
Speaker A:hey, real quick.
Speaker B:Sorry to interrupt.
Speaker B:Christina, you want to give the USDA website info out?
Speaker B:Twitter, Facebook, whatever social media you're managing?
Speaker C:Sure.
Speaker C:If you have any questions, you can go to foodsafety.gov and follow us on Twitter.
Speaker C:Our handle, isdafoodsafety.
Speaker A:Okay, well, we'll cut that and put that right where it belongs in.
Speaker A:Which is right where it was.
Speaker A:Anyway, I'm J.T.
Speaker A:we'll see you all next week.
Speaker B:Hey, everybody, it's J.T.
Speaker B:this week on Barbecue Nation.
Speaker B:We're paying tribute to a friend of mine, Brent Huddleston.
Speaker B:Brent was a professional meat cutter, a food adventurer.
Speaker B:He was my sous chef, at times my food stylist, but more importantly, he was my friend.
Speaker B:Brent passed away from cancer a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker B:He put up a good fight, but he didn't win that one.
Speaker B:In honor of Brent, we're airing one of the episodes where he was my guest.
Speaker B:Actually, Brent was my very first guest on the show 10 years ago when we started.
Speaker B:So, Brent, boy, this one is for you.
Speaker B:Wherever you are.
Speaker B:I'm sure there's a grill going and you're telling some great stories.
Speaker B:Miss you, buddy.
Speaker C:What could we see from the highest height?
Speaker A:What could have wins?
Speaker A:If I'm afraid to fly?
Speaker A:All of the tremors that I have inside?
Speaker A:Got me scared?
Speaker B:Will you be there?
Speaker A:If we're the last to learn?
Speaker A:That we crash and burn and we'll never make it?
Speaker A:It's a smoke, don't glare?
Speaker A:Could we face our fear?
Speaker A:That we never make it?
Speaker A:Is it a chance we're taking?
Speaker A:Cause I just can't lose you?
Speaker A:You can't unfall and you can't unbreak?
Speaker A:And you cannot understand?
Speaker A:Every risk you should take?
Speaker C:I dreamed in the dark that we rolled the dice?
Speaker A:I'm still scared?
Speaker A:Will you be fair?
Speaker A:If we're the last to learn?
Speaker A:That we crash and burn and we never make it?
Speaker B:Barbecue Nation is produced by JTSD LLC Productions in association with Salem Media Group.
Speaker A:All rights reserved.
