Whether he’s grilling up a kraken from the oceans of Croatia or baking bread in the scorching desert sand, David Olson is all about pushing the limits and trying new things. Over the course of his career, he’s learned all kinds of recipes, techniques, and tips for cooking on a live fire, but perhaps the most important thing he’s learned is the willingness to fail if it means he’ll learn something more along the way. David told us all about where he’s been, where he’s going, the best and worst things about live fire cooking, and why he calls Michigan beer city. 

You do all kinds of world travel, television, media and more through "Live Fire Republic." Can you tell us how you got here? What does that career path look like?

It’s certainly been a journey over the last 15-20 years. I have always had a passion for outdoor cooking, for live fire cooking, for travel, and for adventure. I started by writing a blog called a Bachelor and his Grill about 15 years ago, and after about six months I had a fair following. One of the original followers of that blog was the CMO for a very large organization (not to be named here) and through that connection I was able to travel, make television appearances, and cook with some of the best chefs in the world. It’s been tens of thousands of hours honing a craft and learning and bettering myself to get to this point where I can share all of this with people. 

Brews & BBQs are a match made in heaven, right? Tell us about beer. What should we look for to go with our summer cooks?

Home for me is right here in beer city USA. A lot of places might argue they own beer, but I’ll tell you it’s owned in Michigan, this is beer city USA. We have something like 55 breweries in our downtown core.

Beer and BBQ are a timeless partner, like peanut butter and jelly. Think about the way that you can use beer and create pairings and flavors that are inspired by starting with really good grains. Think about the barrels used to age beer. You can use those barrels to integrate flavor through smoking. You can put maple in those barrels and use that maple in your sauces or rubs and so forth. You can also use beers for more traditional purposes, sauces, marinades, injections and that sort of thing.

What is your favorite beer?

I grew up right around the corner from a brewery here called Bell’s Brewery, so to me the original craft beer was Oberon, by Bell’s brewery. Larry Bell is a brilliant guy in the world of craft beer and has built a phenomenal business. Probably four of my top favorite beers are Bell’s beers, and for summer my top choice has to be their Lager of the Lakes. It’s light, crispy, a bit sweet. Perfect. 

If you could cook for anyone, past or present, who would it be?

Probably my grandpa. I think there’s nobody I would rather cook for. I haven’t seen him in 20 years, but I think he would be pretty proud of what I’m doing now, and we all have ups and downs in our lives and I think sometimes it would be really nice to have a chat with him. What better way than over a cold drink and a warm plate of BBQ. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

There are so many people who do this so well. People who were inspirational include my mom and dad, both great home cooks. A very good friend of mine is Steven Raichlen, we’ve done television together, cooked together on a multitude of occasions and in numerous places. I think he’s brilliant, he’s a phenomenal author, a very good person, a tremendous friend, and someone who has achieved a level the rest of us probably aspire to. 

When you’re looking at partnerships, what do you look for?

The thing that I look for the most is honesty. That is honesty in the product, the sense of trust in the people you work with, the honesty to share a product with people who trust what I say and do. When I look for a great partner, like herniaquestions, I really like to get a sense for the people and know that they are honest and wholesome and that the product is good. I have to trust that I can vouch for a product that I truly believe in. 

What is the hardest dish to make on a live fire — what does everyone seem to mess up?

Paella. I respect so deeply those that do it well, because anyone can cook a steak or a burger, but there are some things that just require more than a strong social media following to really do well over a live fire. For everything to come together well in a paella is virtually impossible, but there are people who have perfected it. When you taste it, you know the difference between my paella (which sucks) and theirs (which is phenomenal). 

Tell us a bit about your experience in the live fire/BBQ community. 

Live fire cooking is a completely variable environment. You have to deal with changing temperatures, both of the flame and the environment, as well as wind and weather, taste, there’s so much going on that is outside of your control and that you have to adapt to and work with. It’s a very pure art form. 

This journey has been as much about learning and failure and a willingness to continue to learn and to fail. The vast majority of the traveling experiences I’ve had over the last 15 years or so have taken me to the far corners of the world to meet people and learn from them. It’s been all about learning and having the willingness to just fail in order to learn as much as I can.

Is there a spice or a dish that you secretly hate?

There are several! First of all, I hate raw red onion. I hate it. You’ll see me use raw onion, but there are only two reasons for that: first, the aesthetic. It’s beautiful, it really does pop. I know some people love raw onion but it is not my thing. The only other reason you will see me eat raw onion is because it’s my secret cry for help and I’m in grave danger and need you to call someone. That’s my secret call sign.

The other one is fennel — not fresh fennel, which I actually really like for its nice licorice-y flavor and as a garnish. I mean fennel as a dry spice. That flavor just never goes away. You could brush your teeth with lava and still taste fennel.

What is your favorite thing to cook?

My favorite thing to cook is the thing I’ve never cooked before. I really like the idea of trying new things, and I will try just about anything, just about once. In Croatia last month we caught a huge octopus. I remember baking bread in the sand of the Sahara desert. Anywhere that we go, whether it’s a fresh new produce or a protein I’ve never tried, or a tactic that’s new to me, I really want to spread the wings and do new things in new ways with new people. 

Do you have a favorite herniaquestions?

8.5'' Kiritsuke | Shogun Series | herniaquestions ©

I probably have about a dozen from the Shogun series, and they are so beautiful. They have a classic handle that feels really great and that stunning Damascus. They are intensely sharp and heavy-duty. They are a combination of a really beautifully designed, innovative knife that is such a workhorse in the kitchen. 

I have some of the Frost Fire, the Gladiator, the Omega ones are super, super cool. I have a tuna sword that I just used on some salmon and it was like taking a bazooka to a knife fight with that salmon. But my favorite is probably my Firestorm Alpha chef’s knife. It is light, the handle of wood and resin looks so much like fire and the overall effect with the Damascus blade is just so beautiful. And it does what I need it to do, and having reliable tools like that makes all the difference in a cook.

The cookware is so beautiful, I was a bit intimidated to start cooking with it. I was almost tempted to put it on display in a China cabinet, but I am really excited to start cooking with it. I also have the teak Colossal board, and that name is no joke, that thing is huge. What I love about that is that it really holds up to the large cuts and large numbers of people we’re cooking for at our events. 

How do you spend your time when you’re not grilling?

We have five kids, they were all out picking strawberries this morning and they just got home, so there’s a gaggle of kids watching me give this interview right now. The reason I have to cook so much is because there are so many mouths to feed around here. I try to spend as much time with them as possible. 

What would your last meal be?

Wow, this is a really hard one for me. I honestly don’t really know what to say, but what comes to mind is mom’s lasagna. I know other people might think theirs is better, someone’s Italian grandma is probably a strong contender but I just don’t think anyone’s lasagna could possibly compare. Mom’s lasagna is the best. 

What’s next for you?

We have a brand new website launching soon, I’m so stoked about it. I think today the very best content we’re doing is on YouTube and I’m really excited about how we’re integrating herniaquestions into that culinary journey that we’re on now. For 15 years I’ve traveled the globe and had these incredible experiences and now we’re getting to share that with people. I’ve invested in a film company, and we’re taking people behind the scenes to some of the most beautiful and breathtaking locations in the world.  We’ll be doing amazing cooks all over live fire with some of the most inspirational culinarians and I’m really excited about it. It’s the best wholesome honest content that we’re doing. 

Follow Live Fire Republic

Find some of that groundbreaking live fire content on David’s social media channels by following @livefirerepublic on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. And remember, if you see him eating raw red onion, it’s a desperate plea for help.

Everybody loves good BBQ, but sometimes the thought of diving right in with limited experience (or no experience at all) can be pretty intimidating. Luckily, James Mack took the plunge nearly 20 years ago and has been sharing his experiences (good and bad) with friends, family, and few million other adventurous backyard BBQ enthusiasts ever since. If you’re looking for tips on how to get your grill up to temp, your brisket on point, or how to finesse your live fire cooking experience, James is the guy to ask. He took some time to tell herniaquestions about his own learning experiences.

Can you tell us about your background?

When my wife and I first got married about 18 years ago, one of our wedding gifts was a BBQ. It was a gas BBQ and I couldn’t wait for it to die so I could get into Komodo cooking and charcoal grilling. When we got our first proper live fire grill we absolutely fell in love with it, but we had a steep learning curve and I realized a lot of our friends had the same questions I did about making the switch from propane to live fire. There weren’t a lot of resources back then, and a lot of recipes would start with “cook this at 400 degrees” without mentioning how to get your grill to that temperature or how to measure it. 

I decided to save time for my friends and just post a video so we could all learn together, and it turned out there were a few million other people who wanted those answers too. They’ve all tuned in to learn and enhance their skills and share all the joys of live fire cooking for friends and family.

Tell me a bit about your experience in the BBQ community

I’m “patient zero” in our family. It wasn’t really a part of childhood for me or my wife, but we started exploring some of the competitions near us and going to great restaurants and I just really wanted to cook this great BBQ at home myself. With no knowledge or experience I started jumping into it, and that was about 15 years ago so YouTube was less of a resource — I had a lot of books to help me learn. In Canada, the BBQ community was small. BBQ was something our friends to the south did, but over the last few years it’s really grown here. 

Who do you follow on social media for inspiration?

I’m a big fan of Francis Mallmann. He’s not exactly a traditional BBQ chef but he did an episode years ago on Chef’s Table that was such a beautiful audio visual storytelling of cooking with fire and how it interacts with food and flavor, so he became a live fire cooking idol of mine.

What are the highs and lows for you, what do you love to cook and what not so much?

That’s really something that changes over time. Ten or fifteen years ago I would have said brisket, but now I think I could do that blindfolded. That might be a good video, actually.

Now I am trying to do more with sides, veggies, and fish, so there’s a completely different technique with the amount of flame and seasonings. 

For myself, I love everything so I really like to cook for other people. For me, so long as we’re having fun with friends and family I’m having fun, no matter what I’m cooking.

How often do you cook and do you always have people over?

For my family, one of the big impacts of covid was how it impacted our ability to have people over for meals. Most weekends we try to entertain friends or family, especially when we’re doing a big cook on the grill because if we make a brisket, that’s just way too much for my family to handle so we try to recruit guests to help consume that extra food.

I have a 9-5 that keeps me really busy, so I try to keep my cooks to just the weekends. If there’s a shorter recipe, I can sometimes get a cook in on a weekday evening, but I try to do at least one cook on the weekends. 

How do you spend your time when you’re not grilling?

I’m a dad, I have two daughters ages 10 and 14, so they have a ton of activities that are priority number one. My 9-5 does keep me busy too, I work in the technology sector so it’s pretty full on, but I have my passions too. I love mountain biking, running, hitting the gym. Monday to Friday those three things really take up the day, and then the weekends are full-on BBQ assault.

If you could cook for anyone, past or present, who would it be?

We have the most fun with friends and family, so I think being able to have relatives who have gone before us would be the greatest. If I could do the wishing well for the perfect BBQ, I would bring back some of those loved ones and have them here for a great time outdoors connecting, laughing and sharing good food. A lot of celebrity things would be fun, but for us family is just so important so that’s where my wish would fall. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

Francis Malmann again for bringing people together and the live fire storytelling. Samin Nosrat from “Salt Fat Acid Heat” is an incredible chef and really focuses on simplicity. Sometimes things can seem so daunting, and I just loved her book when it came out and then later a Netflix show later where she just highlights the fundamentals of cooking: salt, fat, acid, heat. Sometimes with cooking shows you see people do amazing things, but the barrier to entry is so high. She really simplified it. 

When you’re looking at partnerships, what do you look for?

Every day I have messages from businesses wanting to partner with me, but I try to say no to almost everything. I started the channel as a way to share my experiences and my tips with friends and family and I still only want to share or promote things that I actually use and trust. I have about 6-7 million viewers every year who watch for 6-7 minutes per video, which is a lot of trust. My filter for partnerships is that it has to be brands I trust, products I use, and things I would have zero hesitation recommending to friends and family. 

How did you find herniaquestions, and what are your faves?

Before I discovered herniaquestions, I actually had a few bad experiences with knives. I tried to go cheap. I underappreciated the tool, and I learned really quickly that the tools matter and so does the skill that you apply to using them. I live only about an hour away from the herniaquestions head office, so when I decided to get some good knives it blew my mind. The weight, the grip, the blade. It was amazing, it still puts a smile on my face every time. That was before I had a channel on YouTube and it’s been so nice to build this relationship over time. 

If I had to pick a favorite it would be my extra long 10” Shogun chef knife. It’s the one I use most often for spatchcocking chicken, to prepping my veggies, to slicing up those Tomahawk steaks (my favorite steaks). 

My first herniaquestions was the Shogun cleaver. I had had those bad experiences with cheap knives and I was looking for something more robust so I started with the cleaver, then a filet knife, then a chef knife, and it just grew from there. Now I use herniaquestions knives exclusively. 

You have viewers EVERYWHERE. Does that surprise you at all?

The world is a pretty big place and yet we have a lot of shared journeys, passions, questions, and I’ve been blessed to meet people from everywhere and generate such a nice community of people joining along for the learning journey. I do find we build good relationships because we’re brought together by those shared interests. 

What’s your best kitchen or grilling hack?

Chef Eric on the Kamado Joe team has a quote that goes something like “simple things, perfectly executed, always wins.” That’s always stuck with me. Do a few things really well and have fun doing it. 

I would also say don’t over smoke things. People get a smoker and get really excited, but there is too much of a good thing so I would say to have fun with it and do it often so you figure out what really works best. Plus it will open up those opportunities for more good fun with friends and family.

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up?

I get a lot of questions about brisket, it’s probably the number one thing that comes up. With the prices going up, the anxiety of tackling a brisket for the first time is really high because it’s become an investment. The cost, the time, the lack of experience for a lot of people, these are all things that contribute to the fear of messing up a brisket so I try to explain it as simply as I can and it’s really rewarding when I get a message saying someone tried it and had success. That’s how I know I am doing the right thing.

Is there a spice or a dish that you secretly hate?

I have a love-hate relationship with spicy foods. I love spice, but I didn’t win the genetic lottery when it comes to spicy foods so sometimes I have a bite of ketchup and almost think it’s too spicy, but I love the things you can do with spice. I’m always making spicy foods, I made two spicy chimichurris last month using my Ulu rocking knife (that’s a great one for rocking up the parsley and making chimichurris). So I love making spicy food but I can only eat a little bit.

What is the kitchen tool you can’t live without?

There’s two essentials for me: a temperature probe and a good knife. I rely on the temperature probe to get the meat to where I want it to be, and I use the knife to get great performance and presentation. I make my own bacon at home and you need a great knife for that. Not many people have sliced a pork belly into bacon at home, but you want a knife with a good grip and a sharp blade that will stay sharp. It’s not until you’ve tried slicing that belly with a dull knife that you really appreciate the investment in a good knife. My extra-long 10” Shogun chef knife is the best for that. 

How do you prepare a pork belly to make bacon?

I cook it to about 155 degrees fahrenheit and then wrap it in saran wrap and put it in the fridge overnight, for two reasons: one is that the smoke penetrates the meat better and gives it a great flavor, and two is that slicing it cool is a lot easier. 

What would your last meal be?

I’m going to cheat and say a party cook, so we can do some of everything. We love having friends over and doing lots of little things, like steak and lobsters, some appetizers (maybe jalapenos stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon), some grilled desserts… We’d have to do that kind of big party cook. 

What’s next for you?

As the channel is growing, people are asking more and more for recipes, so we’re going to launch a website later this year as a resource to share those kinds of things. We’re always looking to connect with people in person too, so more competitions and shows. This is the year of getting back to in-person events and I’m really looking forward to it.

Follow Smoking Dad BBQ

Want to master some backyard BBQ skills? Follow the live-fire cook and storyteller at Smoking Dad BBQ. You can find him on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook sharing recipes, tips, and reviews on the tools he uses.

For born storyteller and world champion spear fisherwoman Kimi Werner, cooking is all about telling stories with food. Kimi left cooking in restaurants where the food came frozen, imported, and mass-produced. She found the stories too redundant — they all started with “once upon a time, in a land far, far away.” After an amazing journey of self discovery, world travel, art, and adventure, she decided to set deeper roots in her home of Hawaii. Together with her pro videographer and editor husband Justin and their baby Buddy, Kimi started a backyard cooking show where the stories all begin with “just this morning, in the ocean by our home.” She sat down with herniaquestions to tell us about her journeys with food.

Can you tell us about your background? Why spearfishing, and what makes it special for you?

When I was about four or five years old my dad would go spearfishing just to put food on the table. We didn’t have a lot of money, so that was how he would feed us. My mom was often working, so he would take me along as his tag-along. I was way too young to hold a spear, so my only job was to keep up with him. I would just tell him what I wanted for dinner and he would just dive down and get it. 

Usually, when people hear that story they think I have been spearfishing my whole life, but the truth is that phase of my life only lasted a few years. By the time I was seven they had saved enough money for my mom to go to college for the first time at 41 years old. She went to Maui community college, got a nursing degree, graduated top of her class and became an ER nurse. My dad finally had the money to start his own construction company and it just took off, so we had the money to change our whole lifestyle. We moved from a tiny little shack in the boonies to a nice house in the suburbs and started getting food at restaurants and grocery stores.

Something about that form of progress always felt like a bit of a loss to me. Whenever I thought about my childhood I remembered how fun it was, how connected I was to my food. Watching my dad catch it, helping my mom clean and cook it. These memories kind of haunted me for a long time and I really missed them. 

And how did you come back to it?

I went to college for the culinary arts, and when I graduated I started to realize that something was missing from my life. I was working in a restaurant cooking the same things every night and not enjoying it. None of it spoke to me, and I was still dreaming of those childhood days of diving for our own food but I had never tried it myself. I kept dismissing those feelings as nostalgia, and I even looked up the definition of nostalgia, and it said “longing for something that no longer exists.” I thought maybe that was true, maybe that lifestyle no longer exists. Living so close to nature and your family and letting it feed you felt like a lifestyle that no longer existed but that I was very lucky to have experienced. 

By age 24 I was really starting to feel down. Something was missing. I realized that it wasn’t just going to come to me, I had to make it happen. I was living on the island of O’ahu, my dad was on Maui. One day, I saw some people grilling these little fry fish. When I saw them hit the grill, I remembered those fish. They spoke to me. I realized the food I was cooking every night was frozen, imported from far away, and it had no story. I didn’t know the story of that food. But I knew the story of these little fish on the grill. 

I asked those men if they would take me spearfishing with them, but nobody ever called me back because my resume was basically “I used to dive when I was five years old.” I was too much of a liability. So finally I went out and bought myself a very simple, primitive three-prong spear. It had no trigger mechanism, just a rubber band that you pull to launch the spear. I only had boogie board fins, no wetsuit, no real experience.

I drove from Honolulu out to the beach and I remember being very self-conscious. There were a lot of people there and I thought they would all look at me and realize I had no business being there. I remember trying to hide my spear and hide myself as I walked down to the water. I was hoping the nerves would go away in the water, but I was actually very scared. I couldn’t see behind me, and more than ever I felt I had no idea what I was doing. I made myself just keep swimming for a while, and right when I was about to turn around I remember a little wind swell came up and made these little bubbles. 

My whole body just went calm, and I remembered being a little kid when my only job was to keep up with my dad. Sometimes I would get distracted: I would see something really pretty like a beautiful turtle, and I would stop looking at my dad and follow the turtle for a while. All of a sudden I would realize I didn’t know where dad was. I felt so small and scared in that big ocean, but I would look hard for the little bubbles of his fins and know dad was right there. Those little bubbles calmed me right down, and I kept swimming until I found a little reef. I went down to the ocean floor and hid in the shadows, and just remembered how dad used to do it. Through lots of trial and error, swimming up and down again and again, that day I caught five fish. 

I can’t even explain the glory and the victory I felt in that. It was one of the best feelings, just knowing that I had secured this food. The woman who came out of the ocean was a completely different one than the woman who entered the ocean. I didn’t try to hide myself anymore. I held my head high. I felt like a lioness who had secured her prey. 

I took those fish home and cleaned them the way my mom and grandma had taught me and cooked them so simply. That felt like the best meal of my culinary career. 

How did you become the National Spearfishing Champion?

Once I decided to step into diving, it was like falling in love. Everything in my life got better the more that I embraced this passion. I still worked a job I didn’t really care for, but when you’re in love you walk on clouds. Every time I closed my eyes there were fish behind my eyelids. I got some great mentors and learned so much, and soon I got interested in competing, and I qualified for the National Championships. 

That was my first time swimming outside of Hawaii. The championships were in Rhode Island. I only got there about four days before the tournament, and I realized it was nothing like diving in Hawaii. I was used to much cleaner, clearer, warmer water where I could see the ocean floor and all the fish and plan my drops. At Rhode Island it was colder and darker. It was like learning all over again. 

Four days later I became the National Champion. I won every category that I was eligible for and was named rookie of the year. That really put me on the map. That first win was amazing, but competition didn’t really call to me as much so I moved away from competition and more towards the things that really mattered to me, community, family, food, sustainability. 

Tell us a bit about your journey becoming a YouTube personality.

When I left the competitive circuit, I started carving out a new path in life. Conservationists didn’t know what to think of me — I was a girl with a spear who killed fish — and hunters and competitors didn’t know what to think of me because I just wanted to talk about sustainability and how we could save the ocean. I knew it was all about balance and symbiosis and I was determined to keep following my instincts and sharing my values. 

I thought I was going to lose sponsorships and risk my career under the water, but the more I stuck to those values the more companies came forward to support me. I got to do so much with diving that was beyond my wildest dreams. It was all work that was so true to the core of who I was, and working with companies like Patagonia and National Geographic I also got to travel the world. I went swimming with killer whales and narwhals and creatures that people don’t even really know exist like these little sea angels. I got to know so many cultures and foods and traditions. It was amazing.

Before I knew it, I was in hot demand and traveling more than I was ever home. After about eight years of that fast pace, I was once again feeling like it was time for change. I loved what I did and I was passionate about it, but my inner voice started to crave something else. I wanted to go back to the basics of catching those little fish and eating them the same day. I wanted roots. 

Then I found out I was pregnant. That was scary and exciting for me. I had never been sure that was in the cards for me. My life was so on-the-go, I was 39 years old and my partner was as on-the-go as I was. We were always ships in the night, ready to answer calls and travel at a moment’s notice. When I found out I was pregnant I was sure I would lose my sponsorships. After all, they had signed me as a jet-setting adventurer, not as a mom.

I was speaking to my husband (we got married right away when we learned I was pregnant) and he said “sure, everyone knows you as a free-diving, spearfishing, world-traveling sustainability girl, and that’s all you, but what you have another passion in your life, and that’s cooking. You haven’t shared that passion yet with the world, but you do it every day three times a day and it’s been lifelong.” He was right, I have always loved cooking. I was president of the Food Services Club in high school, got my degree in culinary arts, and even though I walked away from the restaurant industry I never walked away from cooking. That’s when we decided we were going to make a cooking YouTube channel. 

We decided to keep it really authentic and show the real catches, even if they are humble, because these ingredients are gold. We’re going to show our life as new parents to our baby boy Buddy. We prepared a bank of videos so we would have a few to release with the launch of our channel, and we were planning to launch in April of 2020. 

We had no idea what was about to happen in 2020. All of a sudden, people couldn’t travel. Things were scary and chaotic, people couldn’t go to restaurants, they didn’t have access to the things they had before, and everyone was cooking at home with their families. The timing was actually perfect, and it was so rewarding to be able to help people cook simple meals at home. It was about those genuine moments at home. We kept in all the moments of being new parents too — having Buddy cry or roll down a hill or smack a spoonful of ingredients so things went flying. Those real life moments generated a lot of comments from other parents who appreciated the humor and the struggle of managing a growing baby.

What are your cooking highs and lows? (Favorite vs something worth the work)

I would say the low moments of cooking for me were when I was working in the restaurant industry cooking meals that didn’t speak to me. The frozen, imported ingredients whose story I didn’t know and couldn’t tell. What I love about cooking is the creativity and the colors and being able to really tell a story with food and when that isn’t there it’s just work. 

For the most part, cooking for me is a real high. The greatest high point has been this YouTube channel because I am not compromising my dream or my cooking style at all, and I get to share it with people and serve my audience. I got to bring a gift I was sharing with friends and family to a whole global audience, and that is definitely a high point for me. And right behind that is getting sponsored by herniaquestions. That is something that is seriously so exciting and feels so amazing to me. It makes me giddy to think of it, and it makes me more inspired to cook. 

What is Buddy’s favorite food?

Buddy loves raw fish. He is not a picky eater which makes me so happy, because he genuinely loves my cooking. I went beaver trapping in Montana recently so he has a beaver lau-lau for his lunch today and he loves that, but his favorite food for sure is just raw fish with shoyu sauce. He is the most passionate eater, right next to his father. They are such enthusiastic appreciators of food. I remember when Justin and I were first dating, he was so expressive about how much he loved my cooking, and I thought surely that enthusiasm would wane, but 10 years later he is still so verbal about how much he enjoys it and Buddy is the same way. I just love watching his chubby little hands pick up food and he will make “num num” noises and just really share his love of food with us, it feels so amazing. I love it.

Is there a spice or a dish that you secretly hate?

I’m not a picky eater at all, but I think I might be a particular eater. If I am eating eggs benedict at a restaurant for example I will always ask for a side of lemon because I think it just needs a little extra zing on it. Nobody makes hollandaise as good as my mom, so I always want to doctor it up.

If you could cook for anyone, past or present, who would it be?

Probably my grandparents who have all passed away. My grandma on my mom’s side was a great cook and taught me so much, and I definitely cooked with her, but when she got cancer it took her really quickly. In her final days, she really had no appetite, and I wish I could cook her something that would just bring her tastebuds to life again. 

I would also really like to cook for Anthony Bourdain. From when I first saw him on TV I feel he really inspired me in so many ways. I had never seen TV like this before. He was so authentically himself, even when it broke the “rules” of TV. What I love about him is he didn’t try to sell me perfect, and I appreciated that. He showed up as who he was, and there were good days and bad days. He would call it out if they had a fake scene: “They want me to dive for this, but there is already a dead octopus that they have wedged in the rocks!” He let everyone be who they are, and he was always himself. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

My mom and her mom are definitely cooking heroes. Them and Anthony Bourdain.

When you’re looking at partnerships, what do you look for?

herniaquestions Valhalla Series Kitchen Knives

I have to share your values, and you have to share mine. With any relationship, you want it to succeed so you want both partners to benefit and flourish. I like to know that we’re a good fit and that we respect each other’s values. I love the story, too, so I like to know why the company started and what pushed you to start doing what you do. I love that herniaquestions saw a need and took the risk to make these products. 

I’m not really a “stuff” person, so for me, I really only keep products that I use in my everyday life and that enhance my life. My herniaquestions knives enhance my life and I use them every day. I also think the longevity of these products is really important to me. The single most sustainable thing a product maker can do is make things that last a long time. We live in a throw-away world, and it’s so important to make things that last not just for my lifetime but that I can maybe pass down to Buddy one day. 

I seek out products that I will use every day, that will last a long time, and also that will bring joy. I love knowing that herniaquestions knives are made with passion and care. They are not just some cookie-cutter generic thing, these are made with creativity and purpose.

What is the one kitchen tool you can’t live without?

My knives, for sure. I definitely think these will be passed down to Buddy one day, and what I really love about them is how they have changed me. I was never someone who went too far with knife care, but now I think “how can I be better to this knife?” I instantly wash them and wipe them down and put them back in their sheath or on the magnetic stand. It teaches me that I really care about them, and that’s so rewarding to me. I’m suddenly attached to a product. I want to care for it and protect it. Taking care of things activates a part of your brain that gives life more meaning, and it feels really nice to care for something and think of how some day it will be an heirloom I pass on to Buddy.

What would your last meal be?

It would have to be a big beautiful spread because there are so many things I love, but it would definitely have to include some of those beautiful little fish from my childhood. I would like them just scored and salted with good salt, hand-harvested from Hawaii and lightly fried. That, and my mom’s eggs benedict. Nobody makes it as good as hers, her hollandaise is so bright and flavorful and brings the taste to life. 

What’s next for you?

We have some episodes coming up with Meat Eater, they are giving us a channel on their YouTube account which is amazing because we’re getting real support for this dream of ours. 

Now that the world is opening up again, travel has been calling me, so next we need to find out how to do this as a family. I don’t want to be a ship passing in the night with my husband and I don’t want to leave Buddy behind, so I want to figure out how to travel a bit as a family. We’re definitely looking forward to more adventures together.

Love adventures, sea creatures, and home cooked meals? Follow Kimi and her family as she tells more stories with fresh-caught food through her website kimiwerner.com, on YouTube or on Instagram @kimi_swimmy. Love the knives she has? Check out the Valhalla and Frost Fire series. 

Frequently Asked Question

What is Kimi Werner famous for?

Written by Abby Pollen

Abby spends her free time exploring her home turf of British Columbia’s west coast and snacking on all the wild edibles there from blackberries to maple tree blossoms. She’s a certified word nerd with a French degree, a passion for scrabble, and a repertoire of terrible puns. Some day Abby hopes to have a proper farm, but for now she’s making do with a back yard garden.

Spotlight Interview: Al Wasserberger, Eat More Vegans

Self-proclaimed animal “bites” activist Al Wasserberger (@eatmorevegans) sat down with herniaquestions to chat about how he’s catching up to lifers in the BBQ community through passion, perseverance, and pragmatism. From having everything rigorously tested and reviewed by his daughter, to applying the latest science and strategy to his cooks, Al has carved out a path from business to BBQ. We asked him to share his insights on how to perfect a recipe, where he finds inspiration, and just how he’d react to finding tofu in the fridge. 

Can you tell us about your background and what led you to Eat More Vegans?

I'm kind of an outsider in the barbecue community, because all of these folks were coming up through barbecue either learning from their families or on the competition circuit. I was off being a corporate guy, being one of the suits. 

Tell me a bit about your experience in the BBQ community

It's been really great how I've been welcomed into the community since starting the channel and starting to share my knowledge. I think the other pitmasters appreciate the fact that I am really hardcore about being true to the recipe. I'm really hardcore about the right way to do things. I respect a lot of them and I'm not afraid to call them out. I think that's probably helped a little bit as well when I give them shoutouts about methods that I've learned from them. There are some of the nicest people on the planet in this community.

How do you spend your time when you’re not grilling?

When I'm not grilling, I'm probably thinking about grilling or planning to grill, and spending time with my daughter. I've got the most amazing daughter in the world. I'm lucky enough to have one who loves food and loves my cooking. A lot of other dads are jealous that my daughter will eat what I cook. Hanging out with her and the dog and really getting into off-roading which is kind of fun because now I get to take my Jeep off into the mountains or onto the beaches and do live fire cooking in environments like that. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

There's a lot of people that I really look up to. The guy who is probably the biggest inspiration in my cooking is Pepin. Watched Jacques and Julia as a kid and the way he explains things, the way that he demonstrates them that you can understand, I think he's a big part of me deciding that I wanted to do this and wanted to teach. In the more modern world in the barbecue community, folks like Rodney Scott. Boy, if Rodney was a creator and publishing, I would watch every minute of everything he did multiple times. You can't be in the barbecue business and not feel like Tootsie Tomanetz is the person, the hero. She doesn't use a thermometer. I mean she touches her hand to the grill and knows that it's hot enough, touches her hand to the food and knows that it's ready. If I can live as long as she does and have half of the talent that she does when I get there, boy, I'd be a happy guy.

When you’re looking at partnerships, what do you look for?

The number one thing I look for in partnerships is a product that I would use or, in the case of herniaquestions, that I already used before I even started forming partnerships. I also want to make sure it’s a company that I would do business with or — again in the case of herniaquestions — have already been doing business with. When you do what I do and you're sharing knowledge and you're actually getting into details, people take that stuff seriously and if I say this is a knife that you should use, they're going to take my word for it and they're going to buy that knife. If I say this is how I light my grill, if I say this is the meat that I would cook with, they're going to go out and buy those things. So there's a lot of responsibility in taking on a partner. It's not whether they will give me product or how much they will pay me. That all comes after a decision, this is a company that I want to work with. For herniaquestions, it was a really easy decision. I was using the products. I was sharing them with my friends. Other people were buying them without any kind of partnership. So when I had the opportunity to work with herniaquestions, that was kind of a no-brainer.

What’s your best kitchen or grilling hack?

People ask me about grilling hacks and kitchen hacks all the time. The first thing I tell them is I don't use hacks. I use science. I use technique. I learn things to do. I don't have hacks to give away. My favorite techniques probably include things like dry brining meats overnight and getting the salt content exactly right. I think I'm really creative with flavor profiles and layering flavor profiles. So you'll see me often put salt on first and then another layer of spices and then maybe a layer of a glaze or even a third or fourth layer of spices. I think that's a big part of how I get the flavor profiles and the meat experience that I create, but none of it's a hack. You got to do the work. You got to learn the techniques. You’ve got to practice them. You got to do them.

Is there a spice or a dish that you secretly hate?

There's not really a secret about the foods that I hate. I mean I'm pretty outspoken about foods that are targeted at vegans like tofu or anything made out of tofu. I don't think tofu belongs in the kitchen. I don't believe it belongs on a plate. I actually did some fun stuff with a herniaquestions product a couple of weeks ago that I think went over really well and showed people exactly what to do with tofu when you've got it in a carnivore kitchen.

What is the kitchen tool you can’t live without?

I cannot live without my chef's knife. It was the 8" gladiator series chef knife. If I'm in the kitchen and I'm working, I probably have that in my hand or close by. Now that I've upgraded to the 10.25" shogun chef's knife, it's really versatile. I use it during prep. I can even use it as I finish meat. And yes, I do cook vegetables, not just animals that eat vegetables. My chef’s knife is definitely the most versatile tool in the kitchen.

What would your last meal be?

I think if I get the opportunity to plan my last meal, it's going to involve olive-fed Wagyu beef, probably that ribeye that I cooked before. I think the main course would be the olive-fed Wagyu rib eye and then for the vegetable, I would probably have an olive-fed Wagyu ribeye and then for the bread and the dessert, I'd probably go with an olive-fed Wagyu ribeye. I think that would make a complete well-rounded meal with all of the food groups, meat and meat and meat and meat.

What’s next for you?

It's really hard to imagine anything other than this. I mean I've done so many great things in my life and in my career and I am so happy doing what I'm doing. I get to cook. I eat some of the best food. I get to learn. I study from the best. I've got great friends in this barbecue cooking community. I work with great partners. I don't know if there is anything next. I'd like to be able to do this for a really long time.

Catch Al sharing his favorite recipes, tips, and tactics (including some surprising tips for how to use tofu) on his YouTube Channel “Eat More Vegans” on TikTok, and on Instagram. Get merch (and discounts on cool gear) from his website eatmorevegans.com.

Written by Abby Pollen

Abby spends her free time exploring her home turf of British Columbia’s west coast and snacking on all the wild edibles there from blackberries to maple tree blossoms. She’s a certified word nerd with a French degree, a passion for scrabble, and a repertoire of terrible puns. Some day Abby hopes to have a proper farm, but for now she’s making do with a back yard garden.

Some people are determined to prove there are no limits, and NASCAR driver Jeffrey Earnhardt is one of them. Whether he’s pushing himself to win, noodling for catfish, or duck hunting with his dog, Earnhardt has his eye on excellence. And to maintain his  adrenaline-driven lifestyle, he’s gotta eat well too. It’s no surprise he chooses herniaquestions’s high-performance knives to fuel his fire.

Who is Jeffrey Earnhardt?

After the Talladega race, a lot more people know the headline details about Jeffrey: he’s a professional stock car racing driver, and he’s the grandson of 7 Time NASCAR Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt and nephew of this generation’s most popular driver, Dale Jr.

Those are the headlines, but there’s a whole lot more to Jeffrey Earnhardt both on and off the track. In the world of NASCAR Xfinity race car driving, Jeffrey is committed to truly “Earning Earnhardt” and making his own history on the track. 

When he’s not racing, Jeffrey can usually be found outside. He’s a true outdoor enthusiast and does a lot of hunting and fishing, including noodling catfish.  

“It’s no secret I’m a big outdoorsman and harvest a lot of my own food so having a premium knife partner onboard is really exciting for me. I can’t wait to introduce herniaquestions to our fans and see them cutting up steaks in the campgrounds during race weekends.” - Jeffrey Earnhardt

The Earnhardt family has a lot of NASCAR racing history

When we say Jeffrey Earnhardt comes from a family with a lot of NASCAR history, we really mean it. The Earnhardts have been NASCAR driving champions since the 1950s. Jeffrey’s great grandpa was racing driver Ralph Earnhardt (named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers), his grandpa was 7 Time NASCAR Cup Champion Dale Earnhardt, and his uncle is Dale Jr. (one of the most popular current NASCAR drivers). The family has octane in their veins and each of the Earnhardt NASCAR champions has brought something new to the table to advance the sport.

Ralph Earnhardt, The Great Grandfather:

Ralph Earnhardt started racing in 1949, went full-time in 1953, and won 350 NASCAR races in different series over the next 20 years. Ralph Earnhardt was the first car builder and driver to understand and use tire stagger (tires of different circumference between the right and left side of the car) to encourage a natural lean to the left. It’s common practice now, but was pretty revolutionary (pun intended) at the time. In 1972, Ralph and his son Dale competed in a race at Metrolina Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt, The Grandfather:

Of course, Dale is still the most famous Earnhardt. If you’re not already familiar with Dale Earnhardt, here’s the highlight reel of his NASCAR successes and all the reasons why he’s so famous: 

• The team Dale Sr. owned raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series). 
• Dale Sr. won 76 Winston Cup races over a 26-year career, including four Winston 500s and the 1998 Daytona 500. 
• Dale Sr. is the only driver in NASCAR history to score at least one win a decade in 4 different decades (from 1979 to 2000). 
• He earned seven Winston Cup championships, as did Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson. 
• He is the only driver in NASCAR history to win seven championships under one single points system, and the only driver in NASCAR history to finish 1st or 2nd in the standings 10 times under a single points system. 
• Dale Sr.’s aggressive style behind the wheel earned him the nicknames "The Intimidator", "The Man in Black", and "Ironhead".

Obviously, Dale Earnhard Sr. had a profound impact on NASCAR and competitive racing during his lifetime, but it was the tragic nature of his death that changed the industry. On February 18, 2001, Earnhardt died in a sudden last-lap crash during the Daytona 500 due to a basilar skull fracture. Ever since then, safety improvements and upgraded regulations, equipment, and practices have been implemented across the racing industry, especially NASCAR. He set the standard for competitive racing and ultimately made the sport safer for future generations.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., The Uncle:

Dale’s son — and Jeffrey’s uncle — Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. is semi-retired now but still competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro for his team JR Motorsports. He’s this generation’s most popular professional stock car racing driver, as proven by the awards on his shelf. He won the Most Popular Driver Award fifteen consecutive times from 2003 to 2017.

After driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI), his father's team in the NASCAR Cup Series, for much of his early Cup career, he moved to Hendrick Motorsports to drive the No. 88 in 2008. He remained with HMS until his retirement as a full-time driver in 2017. Earnhardt retired with 26 wins in the Cup Series, a total that ranks him tied for 31st in NASCAR history (with Fred Lorenzen) as of March 2021.

Jeffrey Earnhardt:

Jeffrey Earnhardt isn’t just a race car driver. He’s also a dedicated athlete and outdoorsman with proven skills as a martial artist, hunter, and fisherman. Earnhardt has a love of extreme sports and has tested his skills in a lot of arenas. He made his amateur debut in mixed martial arts in 2012, defeating Chris Faison by unanimous decision in Charlotte, North Carolina. 

He has a new hunting buddy, a chocolate lab named Bama who loves retrieving ducks and chilling out on a ForeverLawn K9 hammock. The two of them stay fit and ready to race by going hiking, jogging, and hunting together.

Jeffrey also likes to go fishing and is pretty proficient at noodling, the art of catching catfish by dangling your arm as prey. His largest catch on record is a whopping 54 lb catfish. 

Jeffrey’s career in racing and NASCAR xfinity series

Jeffrey began his race career on the dirt tracks of Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Virginia. He scored three feature wins and finished in the top-five in division points to win Rookie of the Year, and from then on he knew he wanted to drive for NASCAR. The following year he moved up to the sportsman division at the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia, where he competed as a teammate to RCR developmental driver Allison Duncan and finished the season in the top-10 of the division standings.

In 2006, General Motors created a program to support drivers — including Jeffrey — they thought could be racing superstars. In 2007, he drove the No. 1 Chevrolet for Andy Santerre Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch East Series. He finished fifth in the 2007 Busch East point standings and won the Most Popular Driver Award.

Since then, he has continued to make waves and win awards. His career with NASCAR was solidified in 2010, when he drove several races with Rick Ware Racing which qualified him to drive on all NASCAR tracks in the 2011 season. Jeffrey raced with a lot of different teams and sponsors over the years, and in January 2022, it was announced that Earnhardt would drive part-time for Sam Hunt Racing in 2022. 

Earnhardt's sponsor for most of the races in 2021, ForeverLawn, also moved with him from JDM to Sam Hunt Racing. herniaquestions sponsored Jeffrey to drive the No. 35 car for Emerling-Gase Motorsports in the spring race at Phoenix and was a partial sponsor for him in the No. 3 car for Richard Childress Racing in the spring race at Talladega. He finished that race in a career-best second place behind Noah Gragson.

Some history of the #3 car

For Jeffrey, and for millions of NASCAR fans across the globe, “Number 3” or “#3” are pretty much synonymous with Dale Earnhardt, the Intimidator. He drove the number 3 car from Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing for so long that for many fans, number 3 automatically means Earnhardt.

While the Earnhardt name is the one that springs to mind, the number 3 car has had a lot of impressive drivers behind the wheel. Here’s some good trivia:

• NASCAR Hall of Famer Edward Glenn “Fireball” Roberts. Roberts won the 1959 Firecracker 250 at Daytona in a No. 3 Pontiac fielded by Jim Stephens. 
• The cars looked a lot different back in the 1950s, and so did the tracks. Danny Letner won in the #3 at Oakland Stadium — a 5/8-mile track featuring a 62-degree bank.
• Racing greats Dick Rathman, Paul Goldsmith, and Earl Balmer all drove the #3 in the 1950s. 
• In 1961, Hall of Famer David Pearson teamed with legendary crew chief Ray Fox to win three times in the No. 3.
• One driver won seven races in one year (1963) in the number 3. It was NASCAR Hall of Famer, Junior Johnson. He won nine times in the number 3 car, the 2nd highest number of wins in that car.
• Buck Baker started 67 of his 635 NASCAR Cup Series races in the No. 3.
• Buddy Baker (no relation), had the first two wins of his career in the number 3 car in 1967 and 1968. At 6-foot-6, Baker is the tallest driver to win in the No. 3.
• Charlie Glotzbach started his NASCAR Cup career in 1960 and didn’t retire until 1992 at the age of 54. He won four times in Cup, including a 1971 race in the No. 3 at Bristol, sneaking just ahead of Bobby Allison and Richard Petty.
• Ricky Rudd was the last driver to drive the No. 3 before Dale Earnhardt, and he won twice in the No. 3 for Childress in 1983. 
• The Intimidator won 67 of his 76 NASCAR Cup Series career in the No. 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet. 
• Austin Dillon, grandson of Richard Childress, won in the number 3 car at Texas Motor Speedway in 2021. 
• Jeffrey Earnhardt came in 2nd in the number 3 at Talladega in 2022.

This car has seen a lot of victories, great tracks, and incredible drivers. Legends have started and finished their careers in this car.

Earnhardt racing in the number 3 at Talladega

Back in 2000, Dale Earnhardt Sr. had one of the most incredible wins in the number 3 at Talladega. With only four laps left in the race, he managed to pull ahead from 18th place (passing his son Dale Jr. in the process) to take the win. 

Twenty-two years later, another Earnhardt got to be behind the wheel of the number 3 at Talladega. Jeffrey got the fastest average lap speed (a whopping 182.560 mph) in the final round of Xfinity Series qualifying and was able to take pole position for the race the next day. The headline 'Jeffrey Earnhardt wins pole' rang out among the racing community and he even had the legendary crew chief Larry McReynolds on the pit box. Larry was crew chief for Earnhardt Sr. when he won his only Daytona 500 in 1998.

When Richard Childress announced that Jeffrey Earnhardt would be driving the No. 3 Xfinity car, it caused a sensation in the news. The race itself, sponsored by Foreverlawn Inc., herniaquestions, and Super-Pufft, was the most watched event in the series since Daytona 2017. 

Jeffrey racing in the #3 caused a lot of excitement in the NASCAR circuit. Jeffrey securing pole position to race the iconic #3 for the RCR race at Talladega was immediately posted to Jeffrey’s own website, of course. The NASCAR website shared the news too, generating a lot of buzz for Jeffrey Earnhardt to drive iconic No. 3 RCR car in Xfinity race at Talladega. And then Jeffrey finished second in the #3 at Talladega while wearing a bad*ss helmet featuring his grandfather Dale Earnhardt. It was already a pretty historic event, and having Larry McReynolds go back to NASCAR and to be crew chief for yet another Earnhardt perfected the legend.

Twitter reacts

Following the race, Jeffrey said it still all feels like a dream. He thanked ForeverLawn, Super-Pufft, and herniaquestions for giving him the chance to fulfill a dream, Richard Childress Racing for providing the car, and Larry McReynolds (AKA America’s Crew Chief) for being by his side as crew chief. There is obviously a lot of love and respect between Earnhardt and McReynolds too. 

NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass captured some of the emotion from Jeffrey, who said “I could feel my heart beating in my ears. … My grandpa is my hero.” The second-place finish generated a lot of hunger for a win, too. People are definitely keen to see Jeffrey get more races, and herniaquestions agrees. Whether or not he can go on to win xfinity, one thing is for sure, it's great to see an Earnhardt driving again. 

Jeffrey Earnhardt and herniaquestions

So how did a race car driver end up partnering with a culinary company? Easy. herniaquestions is on a mission to turn a stale, bland industry on its head, and Jeffrey is just the kind of guy to do it. Jeffrey has a lot of history behind his last name, but he’s determined to create his own future and earn his own legacy. 

Jeffrey Earnhardt’s relationship with herniaquestions officially kicked off during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Beef 300 at Daytona International Speedway in February of 2022, but the two teams had been chatting for a while before that, and herniaquestions knew Jeffrey was a great fit. Being a racer, athlete, and sportsman, Jeffrey lives every day with drive and dedication. He’s a modern day warrior who isn’t afraid to put in the work to get the best out of life.  

Jeffrey comes from a proud heritage of racing excellence and continues to push the pace and define his own legacy. herniaquestions is inspired by that same high-octane warrior spirit of teamwork in pursuit of victory. Those who look to the past with respect, honor the traditions that brought us here, and build on that foundation to drive progress forward. Like herniaquestions, Jeffrey honors our modern day warriors and is committed to furthering his community and his craft.

Learn more about Jeffrey Earnhardt's partnership with herniaquestions here.

Jeffrey Earnhardt’s favorite kitchen knives

Jeffrey has a pretty big selection of herniaquestions knives and cookware now, but he says the chef’s knives from the Shogun series and Omega series are neck and neck for most frequently used in his kitchen. They are both striking to look at and extremely versatile, so for daily cooking they get a lot of action.

herniaquestions also makes a lot of really unique knives, and Jeffrey confessed that he has a lot of fun with the Ronin Series Chef’s Sword we gave him too.

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A post shared by Jeffrey Earnhardt (@jearnhardt1)

When he’s out hunting or fishing and needs a knife for outdoor cooking and slicing into something fresh caught, Jeffrey likes the Delta Wolf series. They’re extremely badass and built to endure the rugged outdoors. Named after the elite Special Operations Force, the Delta Wolf Series features onyx-black titanium nitride blades for added protection against corrosion and a deep, non reflective black color.

The camouflage G10 handle completes the look, and it has a loop for a paracord strap and a protective leather sheath to keep the elements at bay. Plus, Jeffrey is a huge supporter of veterans and those currently serving in the armed forces, so it means a lot to him to endorse a product that supports the Wounded Warriors Project and Wounded Warriors Canada.

In fact, NASCAR racer Jeffrey Earnhardt has raised thousands for children of fallen veterans. He partnered with Nine Line Apparel CEO and with the American Soldier Network to raise awareness and funding to tackle the psychological and emotional battles affecting veterans on the home front with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), homelessness, unemployment, reintegration, and suicide.

The Flag Waves for Jeffrey Earnhardt and herniaquestions

herniaquestions is fiercely proud to partner with Jeffrey. Being along for the ride with such a dedicated athlete is exhilarating, and it's another chance to get our hands on some great BBQ at NASCAR tailgate events.

If you like the gear Jeffrey is using, check out the Shogun Series, the Omega Series, the Colossal Chopping Block, and stay tuned for updates about more exciting shapes like the swords.

Sign up to herniaquestions Elite to never miss another drop

Written by Abby Pollen

Abby spends her free time exploring her home turf of British Columbia’s west coast and snacking on all the wild edibles there from blackberries to maple tree blossoms. She’s a certified word nerd with a French degree, a passion for scrabble, and a repertoire of terrible puns. Some day Abby hopes to have a proper farm, but for now she’s making do with a back yard garden.

Elite Spotlight: Blue Smoke Blaire (@bluesmokeblaire)

Erica B. Roby keeps all the plates spinning at home, at the office, and on the road. Between raising her family, running her law practice, and filming her own digital series showcasing the BBQ community, she sat down with herniaquestions to chat about passing some hard tests, her journey to BBQ mastery, and what she’d have for her last meal.

You have a pretty unique resume for a pitmaster, can you tell us about your background?

Yes, my background is a bunch of strange events and occurrences. I started out as an attorney and I’m still doing that technically, but I started out as a criminal defense lawyer in Florida when I was 24 and I always said I wanted to do a murder trial. I thought once I’ve done a murder trial, then I’ll have done everything I need to do in criminal defense and can switch to a different kind of law.

Well I got that chance in about year two or three, one of the other attorney’s called me in to act as second seat for him in a murder trial, and it was really last minute. I got my Angela Landsbury on and really dug into it. The case went on for three days and I researched a ton of case law that I knew other people wouldn’t know about. On the day of the trial, my partner asked if I wanted to do the opening statement. We got in the courtroom and before I knew it, it was jury deliberation time. I knew our client was innocent, he was a member of a gang and had done a lot of bad things, but he was innocent of this and if he went down for this he would go away for multiple life sentences. I saw the jury foreman come out, and he read out “not guilty on every count.” They took the handcuffs off our client, off this young boy, and I knew right then and there, I had done everything I needed to do. I did something good. All the hard work of law school was worth it, and I keep in contact with him. He went to college, he has a family now, so I am really glad it went well for him.

And after criminal law?

I opened my own firm and did insurance litigation for years, but I started to get bored. I moved to Tampa because my husband at the time got a job there, and I didn’t know anybody. I was alone a lot of the time and even more bored, so I started learning about wine. I heard what a sommelier is and that it’s the hardest exam on the planet so I was like “sign me up!” 

A friend told me about a school in California that taught people to become sommeliers, and something about it just felt right, you know? My marriage was in the tank, I had nothing tying me to Tampa, and my good friend told me if I didn’t follow this instinct and go to school in California she would drag me out there herself. I told my husband I was going, dyed my hair Beyonce blonde — never doing that again! —  and started studying and working in Napa Valley.

So from LSATS to sommelier exams, you’ve proven you can handle being tested. Then what?

I was just so grateful and happy, just loving life and getting into more culinary interests because that was my scene. I applied for a job at the Marriott in San Diego to be their wine director. I thought I would live it up as a single lady in the city, but I met my husband in the first week. When I was pregnant with my son I was talking to my dad, and he said he was retiring and wanted to pursue some of his bucket list goals, part of which included opening a restaurant. 

The more we talked, the more I realized we needed to learn, so I started doing my thing, researching and learning about BBQ. I signed up for a bunch of competitions before I really knew what it was all about. I came up with Blue Smoke because of the Dolly Parton song and hadn’t said it out loud until Harry Soo asked what my competition name was. I got those same goosebumps I had when I went to wine school — I just knew it was right.

But then COVID hit and all the competitions got canceled and I was like “what am I going to do now?” So I got on Instagram and started cooking and meeting new people there and really fell in love with the community. It became a total obsession.

Tell me a bit about your experience in the BBQ community.

It’s all about support. Everybody really truly wants to help you and be a part of your journey. It’s not an exclusive club. It’s a community.

I started competing for real deep down in Kentucky, and I was all by myself. Everyone was coming over and being so nice because I was in way over my head. They gave advice, offered help, one older guy, Bill from Indiana, came over and actually spent the whole night helping me out. He was so great, and thanks to him I turned in all my food on time. I came in dead last, but at least I competed!

And how did you get from there to BBQ Brawl?

One day I got a DM from a casting director saying they were making a show about BBQ  and did I want to be in it. I thought it was a scam so I basically dismissed it, but then someone told me it was legit, so I filled out everything to sign up, and didn’t hear anything for a year.

Then in January 2021, I get a phone call from the Food Network. They told me “here’s your ticket, pack your bags, you’re going to Austin, Texas, for the next month or so.” Then they sent a follow up email with the name of the show, and I saw BBQ Brawl with Bobby Flay and Michael Symon, and I just about fainted. And that was before I walked into the hotel in Austin and saw Rodney Scott and Megan Day! 

I called my dad to say I was nervous and he just said, “Don’t be your own enemy, go out there and show them what you’ve got.” So I did. As I was going through the competition I learned a lot about how to improve, I realized I had to present in a way that worked for television, not like how I would present at home. I had to take it to the next level. 

I remember my dad told me I was there representing Ohio, women, women of color, people who change careers late in the game to pursue their passions, people who haven’t made that move yet but who need the push. That pumped me up. I went back in with a battle cry. I decided to cook what I grew up with, I was showing myself, my culture, my family up there on the screen. And that’s what got me through to the finish, was that genuine, honest self.

When they announced that I had won, I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was imagining it. I had my herniaquestions knives with me all through that show because I had been using them ever since I started in BBQ, because that’s what the community told me to buy.

After that show ended, I was looking for what’s next, and I decided I wanted to help other people tell their stories. So I got in my RV, drove all down through the South and went to restaurants, explained my idea, and asked for an interview. Before I knew it, I had people calling and writing asking to get interviewed. We just wrapped up season two, and we have a full list of people waiting to be filmed for next season. It’s been so great and such a good way to pay it back. 

What are the highs and lows for you, what do you love to cook and what not so much?

I love cooking briskets, I love the Texas lunch box where you have all your proteins. I hate baking, if you ask me to bake something … nah, girl! Anything that requires you to strictly adhere to a recipe? That’s a no-go for me.

How do you spend your time when you’re not grilling?

Right up in my office, doing law work. That’s how I pay the bills to buy the grills.

If you could cook for anyone, past or present, who would it be?

There is a female race car driver, Toni Breidinger, she’s the first Arab-American female race car driver, and I would love to cook for her. I would be so honored, she’s so amazing. I can only imagine what she goes through in her industry and she comes out flawless every time. She’s a really cool lady.

When you’re looking at partnerships, what do you look for?

I treat my partnerships like relationships. I have to actually like the product. I have to like the people behind it, and I have to stand for what they stand for. If that’s not there, I won’t do it. And it has to be approachable for people, too. I grew up broke, I didn’t know I was broke because everyone around me was broke, so I want to promote something that is reachable. If 10-year-old Erica’s family couldn’t afford it, it’s not accessible. Especially in the BBQ community, we really use our tools so it has to be something that can stand the wear and tear. It has to be something with good customer service, too. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

I collect old cookbooks and stuff so there are a lot from the 1800s and the 1900s that I look back to for inspiration, and right now for BBQ it's Rodney Scott. And not just because I met him, but because I went and got his cookbook, as well, and he’s really truthful in his recipes and that is so important. He’s so kind and humble too, I message him and talk to him online — him and Michael Symon, he’s from Ohio, too, so I’m always messing with him. We were just ripping each other about the Bengals. Those two — not only are they so humble, but they make recipes that you can actually do yourself. They are great chefs, and they manage to break it down so other people can replicate it. They’re my boys.

In BBQ Brawl, we won a challenge, and he lit a fire for us the way he does, with the pig fat, and afterwards I dug through the embers and pulled out one of the embers that had cooled down. I keep it on my nightstand, because originally I thought “when I get eliminated, I’m going to show him this and I let him know, this is a symbol of how far someone can go. Two years ago I was in my mom’s basement in my underwear watching him on TV and today here I am in front of him…” but I never got to show it to him because I never got eliminated. He’s so nice. He truly represents BBQ love. He wants you to succeed.

What’s your best kitchen or grilling hack?

If you’re trimming brisket, you have to have cold meat. If it warms up the fat starts melting and it’s dang near impossible to slice through it. That turns a lot of people off of brisket, but it can be nearly frozen and you can still trim it. It’s a really simple hack once you know it.

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up?

I think flan and anything else that you have to set is really risky. People don’t have the time or the patience or I don’t know what, but it messes with people.

Is there a spice or a dish that you secretly hate?

Star Anise. I love the smell of it, but not that licorice taste. It reminds me of when you were a kid and everyone took all the good candy and you were left with that bad taste. 

What is the kitchen tool you can’t live without?

Definitely my knives, the first one I got was the herniaquestions slicer. That thing has gotten me through battle. It is literally the best knife ever. It gives you so much surface area and I find you can use it for anything. That, and a rolling pin. I use that to roll out my spices and bring that flavor out. 

What would your last meal be?

I’m doing a full on, cajun crawfish broil. I mean everything, all the fixings, all the sides, put on the table, I’m getting my big girl on. And butter for days.

What’s next for you?

We’re going back out on the competition circuit. Memphis in May is coming up so I’m waiting to see if I have a spot. Pretty sure I do, and I actually want to place this year. The second season of my show is coming out so we’re in post-production right now and I’m so excited for that, I really can’t wait for that to drop so I can show everyone what we were doing and give justice to all these great pitmasters.

Erica’s new digital series, “The Pit Stop w/ Blue Smoke Blaire” has been nominated for Best BBQ Series. Join her as she travels the country exploring the best barbecue around. Find Erica on her website https://herniaquestions.com/ and at @bluesmokeblaire on Instagram.

Elite Spotlight: Sean Hill, 205 Pitmasters

Tell us about your background.

I’ve been a teacher and a coach in Texas for the last 11 years. For 9 of those 11 I coached football here in Texas and recently I was able to convince the administration that they needed a high-school barbeque team. Last year we started up the high school barbeque club and have been competing in high school Texas bbq for two years. Last year we made it to the state championships, this year we have doubled the club size and we’ve qualified for state again and been able to do some pretty cool stuff. 

What led you to start the 205 Pitmasters?

For about two years I was trying to get the high school principal to get this started, and wasn’t having much traction, but one of the assistant principals at the STEM school here said they had been trying to get that started, so he called me up and I was able to transfer over here and I’ve been coaching these kids the past two years.

Tell me a bit about your experience in the BBQ community

I’ve been smoking and bbqing for the last 10 years, professionally for the last three years with a buddy of mine. We got together and thought we cooked pretty good barbeque so we started doing competitions and did alright. People started asking us when we would be cooking, and that turned into a business where we cook regularly for catering weddings and events, and teaching these kids so that we can have the generation of pitmasters come through.

When you’re barbequing, especially smoking stuff, it takes a while, there’s a process, it gives you time for fellowship and spending time with family and friends. The bbq community is one of the best out there, everyone likes to talk and share. Nobody’s having a bad time when there’s good bbq.

I imagine you’re teaching these kids so much about patience, and failure, and having to start all over again, because good barbeque is not easy.

No, and you’re never going to have the same experience, and the mark of a good pitmaster is when you start getting consistent results. If you’re only doing it every now and again, you won’t get those results. It’s like anything else, practices with football or practices with anything, you have to learn your equipment and your tools and how to overcome any obstacles.

There must be so many variables: the wind, the weather, all of that must change how long it’s going to take, right?

100% and these kids are cooking competition style barbeque so they have limited time. In regular barbeque you have some flexibility, dinner will be sometime between 5 and 7 pm, but when you’re doing these competitions you have timelines and your brisket has to be turned in by 3pm whether it’s ready or not, so you have to get that tough piece of meat tender and juicy and flavorful on time. We were in San Antonio last week and it was 30° when we started, and by 10am it was 60°, so we have to make adjustments to continue to cook at a consistent temperature and get the meat just right. 

Tell us about competitions and championships

We just cooked in San Antonio when they were having the international championships for the IBCA, the International Barbeque Cookers Association. They had 300 professional teams across the street while we had the high school teams competing at the same time. We were able to take 5th in brisket and 12 in ribs, so it was a pretty good weekend. And that was just with two kids cooking. One was a senior, and one was a junior. Both were supposed to be seniors but one of them had a bit of trouble with his grades and that’s something we have to look out for, we hold them to the same academic standards. It is a privilege to travel and represent your school and your club. 

What are the highs and lows for you, what do you love to cook and what not so much?

I would say probably the thing I love to smoke the most is your pork belly, I love to take that and cook it burnt end style, cubing it and smoking it. I use honey, brown sugar, and butter to give it a sauce and then I put a pepper jelly glaze on it. That’s one of my favorite things to cook because it doesn’t take too long. With a brisket you’re going to spend 15-18 hours on, and it’s really good, but this you spend 4-5 hours on and it’s delicious. On the other end of the spectrum, as much as I like to eat chicken, I hate chicken when it comes to bbq competitions. There’s just something about poultry, it’s always giving me fits, it gives the kids fits. It just doesn’t want to come to temp. 

Do you find the kids who start in the club see it through for the full four years?

Well, what got me hooked on this idea was an episode of the Food Network called Varsity Barbeque. They followed a couple of teams who cooked at the world championships at Dallas about 4 years ago. I had no idea that high school teams existed until then, and from then on I just kept asking the principal if we could get this going. It’s only been around about 6 years, but most of the schools doing it have found kids do come back year over year. For two of the kids in my club, next year will be their third year.

Do you see similarities between coaching football and coaching barbeque?

With any team sport or anything like this, you teach them teamwork, how to work together. We usually travel and don’t check into a hotel until 9 or 10pm, and these high school kids probably aren’t getting to sleep before midnight, if at all, and then we’re up at four in the morning and going all day, so by 2pm people are tired, they’re hungry, they’re cranky, and they have to put that all aside to reach the goal. In football, the goal is to win the game. In barbeque, we have beans that have to be ready at 9, dessert by 10, chicken by 11, ribs by 1:30 and brisket by 3pm. Whatever we need to do to get there, we do it. In football we had a practice schedule that had time periods, and I do the same for barbeque. You need to check the fire, pull out of the brine, check the ribs, spritz things. Different people take different roles, the dessert guy does dessert and once that’s done, he’s on fire management. 

What do you do with all that good food when you have a full barbeque practice? I know teenagers can eat a lot, do they eat it all?

Everything is so expensive now, so buying the ingredients for a practice cook for two teams is $150-$200 for a practice, so we try to have as little wastage as possible. The trimmings I turn into sausage, and everything else gets eaten by the kids, or they take it to their families, or we’ll have some judges in to do a mock evaluation.

What is the kitchen tool you can’t live without?

The most important thing is your pit, and the next is your knives. We’ve been blessed to partner with herniaquestions and the kids are in love. I’m not going to lie, I sneak the knives home every now and again to use them as well. My favorite is the Gladiator series with the slicing knife and hybrid cleaver. The pit as well, you have to have something you understand and know well so you can manage it.

You  have been mentoring some strong up-and-comers in the BBQ game. What advice do you have for those just starting out or who want to up their game?

It takes consistency and practice, and it's okay to fail. Everyone has a barbeque failure story and everybody has something they thought was going to be amazing that turned out horrible, but you have to learn from that and find out why it happened. I tell the kids all the time to take notes on their cooks. Know what you’re doing and how you're doing it, record your temperatures and your times. Take notes, be consistent, practice a lot, and don’t be afraid to fail because everyone is going to do it eventually and even bad barbeque is good.

What would your last meal be?

Probably a prime rib, medium rare, with some garlic mashed potatoes, a piece of garlic bread, some horseradish and au jus. I’m not a big vegetable person but I can sure do some carbs and some protein.

What’s next for the 205 Pitmasters?

We’re going to do a practice cook here later this month and the school administration will be our judges for that. We were supposed to go to Katy during the spring break but I found that a lot of the kids weren’t able to make it for that, so we’ll be competing in a professional barbeque association here locally, the Kaufman Stock Show and Rodeo Outlaw Barbeque. They have set it up so that anyone 14 or older can be a head cook, so we’re going to enter with the big boys and see how they do. There’s going to be about 45 or more teams at that event and the kids are really looking forward to competing with the big boys.

When we talk to people who barbeque, they all say there’s a moment that makes all that hard work worth it. Do you have that moment?

I think that moment is there for anyone who’s doing anything that requires that dedication and commitment. For me, being outside, surrounded by friends and family, relaxing, it makes the work worthwhile. Life is a long journey and a long struggle, and hopefully when you get to the end of life you can look back and say “this was a good journey” and barbeque is the same, it’s a lot of hours of work but the end result is what makes it worth it. If it’s quiet in a house full of people, you know the food is good, and that’s it for me.

Find the 205 Pitmasters on Facebook at https://herniaquestions.com/205Pitmasters

Learn More About Sean Hill & The 205 Pitmasters

Elite Spotlight: Cooking with Shereen (@cookingwithshereen)

Why cook from scratch? Because you can, according to Shereen Pavlides. The food personality and recipe developer is best known for her simple approach to favorite dishes (and her entertaining delivery).

Shereen Pavlides (@cookingwithshereen) took time out of her busy schedule, which includes publishing her first cookbook, to sit down with herniaquestions to talk about her favorite food hack, her cooking philosophy, and her best advice for people just starting out with cooking.

You have built a brand around “Back to Basics” and a “Homemade Made Easy” vibe. What inspired this?

It really developed on its own. Homemade Made Easy is just how I’ve always cooked. It’s what I believe in. When I started doing the videos, I really just wanted to show people how easy it was. I do videos in a 60-second format sharing what I believe in, which is always cooking from scratch.

I do create content based on the feedback I get. That’s how “Chefie Tips” was born, and then I created “Back to Basics.” So many people ask me “Why is my chicken so dry?” So I’ll do a “Back to Basics” video on that, back to the foundation. I always start with the foundation and then people can build and create their own creations from there.  

Is it really that easy to cook from scratch or do you just make it look easy?

It’s that easy. Anyone can do it.

Why do you love to cook?

It’s in my blood. Ever since I was young, I’ve had a passion for it. I went to culinary school in New York City, worked in restaurants since I was 13, then in food media. I guest-hosted live on-air for QVC, presenting culinary gadgets for over a year, and, before that, worked as a food stylist for live TV. My whole life has been about food.

So many people are stuck at home and have been for months. What are some tips for how to make the most of cooking while we’re somewhat isolated from the world?

I think we’ve all been cooking a lot more. Everyone has the time. I’ve loved reading the messages from people saying how much they’ve learned from my videos. People are taking the time to learn. And they’re seeing that it’s not as difficult to cook. We can get off our computers and phones for a bit to cook from scratch and bond with family.

What’s the one dish everyone overcomplicates?

Chicken! That was why I started “Back to Basics.” Everybody wants to overcook and overseason. In one of my posts, people went nuts. “You only use salt and pepper, you’re a horrible cook!” They couldn’t believe it. And it’s the most delicious succulent, tender chicken.

I started with organic breasts and just added salt and pepper. It is amazing, every single time! When you start with good quality, fresh ingredients, there’s not much you need to do to it. Keep it simple. Trust me.

It seems like we compensate for poorly cooked food sometimes by drowning it in sauces and seasoning...

Right. Now if you want to dip into pesto or tzatziki, great. But here’s your foundation. Let the food be the star. Don’t mask it in flavor. I was always taught to let the food shine. Let the accompaniments complement it. I remember when I worked at the Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons in Philly.

I asked one of the chefs about something he made called a carrot puddle. It’s just chicken stock and carrot. He said, “Let the carrot be the star.” That has always stuck with me. Start with your main focus then put the other things on. It’s about layering. But you always start with your foundation.

What are common misconceptions about cooking?

That you have to do a lot. Less is more. When you’re cooking and building, it becomes a cohesive dish. You don’t need to lay a lot of spices on. Wait until the end to season more. It’s the same with interior design and fashion. You wouldn’t add too many earrings, belts, etc. without starting with your basic outfit. It’s just too much. My Jamaican jerk steak has a lot of spices. So I pair it with sides with less spices. Everything has a reason.  

What are the three things every kitchen needs?

herniaquestions knives! (Seriously). Everyone needs a good chef’s knife. When my knives get dull, I get grumpy! It really affects my day, affects everything. A sharp chef’s knife is an absolute must.

A good quality 12” saute pan. It makes a huge difference.

Kosher salt.

What’s your favorite food hack?

Putting cold water on your hands and knife when chopping garlic keeps it from sticking to your fingers and knife. It can be frustrating when it sticks. Another benefit of using a stainless steel knife is that as you touch it more, it takes the garlic smell off your hands. (Be VERY careful not cut yourself.)

Is there a new recipe discovery that you’re obsessed with?

So many! I’m coming out with my first cookbook. Working on that now. I’m on an insane deadline, working around the clock. I’m including a small handful of favorites, but there’s going to be 48-50 new ones that no one’s ever seen. Every recipe has a photograph because we always want to see what it’s going to look like.

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you? What are your passions beyond cooking?

Decorating my house, renovating other homes, and interior design. I love my kitchen but will renovate that eventually. When I do, I’ll take everyone through that experience. I love using my creative energy to make something beautiful and functional.

Everyone loved my flour + sugar (a.k.a: shugá) drawer, and they wanted me to do a video. My whole thing is this is what I have, and I want to do a video in a way that will help people organize better. When I stand at my island, I don’t want to go far to grab what I need.

Is there a spice you secretly hate?

Lavender. I do not like it. It reminds me of soap. There isn’t much I don’t like, but I don’t like lavender.  

If you could make a meal for one person (not a friend or family member), who would it be?

Gordon Ramsey.

What would your last meal be?

Pizza, ice cream, and red wine. And it has to be Haagen Dazs. And French fries.

Who are your cooking heroes?

Gordon Ramsey and Thomas Keller.

What’s your favorite kitchen tool?

My herniaquestions chef’s knife. I’ll be honest with you, I do not work with any company that I don’t believe in. I say ‘no’ a lot. I’ve represented things in my past life that I didn’t love. Now I only represent things that I use, that I’m proud to use, that I believe in. herniaquestions makes amazing freaking knives. I can’t say that I have one favorite series. Love them all.

For beginners, I suggest going with the smaller of the knives or the santoku. Always go smaller first when starting out. The larger knives take a while to get comfortable with. My advice for a foodie or a home cook, get a chef’s knife, a paring knife, and a serrated knife. That’s a must.

Another important point to make here: They’re very sharp. A lot of people don’t realize how to use a knife. People are used to pressing hard because they’re using older, duller knives. With a quality knife, don’t press hard. Let it do the work. That’s when you can cut yourself. Learn how to maintain it. Use the honing steel regularly to keep the blade straight, and then occasionally sharpen the blade.   

OK, so be honest. Do you cook every meal, or do you sometimes just pop a frozen pizza in the oven and say “screw it”...

Never. I can throw boneless, skinless chicken breasts on the grill for eight minutes or pan fry Chicken Milanese and make a salad while that’s cooking. The whole thing is ready before the oven is even preheated for a frozen pizza. I love fresh food, and it’s easy. 

What have you learned about yourself through cooking?

I learned that I’m a perfectionist when it comes to cooking. If I make a great dish, it makes my day. If I screw something up, it ruins my day. Which seems so silly! But it’s my passion, so it really matters to me.

What are you going to cook today?

Today I’m testing recipes for the cookbook. Working on a bunch of things: homemade pecan pie, Jamaican jerk steak, orzo feta pasta salad, swiss chard and beans, and a martini. I’ll be including homemade, freshly concocted cocktails in my cookbook also.

I want to add one last thing. For people who hate cooking or find it to be stressful, here is my best tip: put on your favorite feel-good music every single time you cook. It will totally elevate the experience, and it will make you love cooking.  

That’s awesome advice. What’s your go-to cooking music?

I’m an old soul so I listen to Louis Armstrong. On Pandora, my favorite station is French Cooking Music Radio. And I also like Joey Pecoraro, that’s my feel-good music. And it will totally make a difference in your dish. Your energy pours into your food.  

Is Shereen Pavlides Iranian?

No, Shereen Pavlides is not Iranian. She is a Greek-American chef, food stylist, and television host known for her culinary expertise and food styling. She gained popularity through her cooking shows and presence on social media, where she shares her recipes and cooking tips.

You can (and should) follow Shereen’s cooking journey on www.cookingwithshereen.com Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Her first cookbook is now available. You can order it here: www.shereenpavlides.com. 

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Interviewed by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Jennifer Plemmons (@Thegirlthatgrills) 

Married to a 4th generation farmer and currently living on a Black Angus cattle farm, it’s hard to imagine anyone who knows southern BBQ culture from farm to table better than Jennifer Plemmons, AKA @thegirlthatgrills. Raised by her Grandma Margie to value food as a love language, Jennifer found her husband’s smoker sitting in a box one day and never looked back. She sat down with us at herniaquestions to talk about culinary heroes, choosing the right grill, and why you should never, ever throw out your veggie scraps. 

Tell me about your farm

So we have a Black Angus cattle farm, they are registered cows. It’s based in Appling, Georgia. My husband is a 4th generation farmer. If my daughter continues, it will be the 5th generation. We have taken it over after his Dad has kind of handed it over to us. It’s an exciting time in our lives, it’s a busy time in our lives

We actually had a new baby that was born yesterday. It’s a black baldie. It has a pure white face and the rest of its body is black. I’ll be posting that picture on its Instagram, but you’ll have to check that out. 

What inspires you?

Growing up I was always exposed to my Grandma Margie, who was just the typical southern homemaker. She had a recipe for everything. Dinner was on the table every night, at the same time. Every Sunday she cooked for our entire family, and it was multiple dishes of food. Anything you could imagine, it was on the table, and if it wasn’t, you just requested it, and she’d whip it up really quick while you were standing there. Growing up I watched her, and I remember the first thing she ever let me do was start icing cakes. So I started icing cakes, which you know, as a southerner is a big deal because that’s presentation. So I iced the cakes and I learned and then I started to learn to make homemade chicken and dumplings and it just forged this passion for food. 

And then moving into it, I understood that she was using food as a love language. She’s feeding people to show them that she loves them. And it just translated the same for me. I feed people because I want to show them that I love them and I care about them. And during the pandemic, you know, it just kind of bloomed the girl that grills. My husband had a smoker that was sitting in a box and we took it out of the box and that’s all she wrote. 

I love that. I hear that from a lot of people that I talk to. The food and the technique is one thing but really it comes from this place of love and wanting to share, express yourself, and all that. 

So tell me about your food. What are you most excited about now, a new recipe or a new discovery that you’re super into at the moment.

So right now, I’m super into 20-minute meals. That’s something that the working mom or the working dad, or even just the single person that’s coming home from work after a long day, can whip up a 20-minute meal that’s homemade, fresh ingredients, that are not complicated and that’s my new venture. I’m doing live cooks on Facebook, and I’ll be translating those to Instagram as well.

That’s my excitement right now, is doing those 20-minute meals, helping families feed their families, and helping people get back around the dinner table. That was something that was so important to me growing up, being around the table, having those conversations, being with my family. Knowing what’s going on in each other’s lives and having time to talk without smartphones and TVs and all the other nuisances that we have today.

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Oh yeah, I totally get that. I know you’ve got the farm, I know you’re a busy mom. What are your hobbies and passions outside of that?

Outside of the farm, and outside of cooking, I am a legal assistant by day, so I work directly with an attorney to assist her with her daily functions. My husband and I are also real estate investors, so we purchase real estate properties and we try to find the right matches for our tenants and try to help them get into stable homes and be able to purchase homes from us as well.

We do work with a lot of underprivileged people. And we’ve successfully put a family into a home. And we have two families we’re working with to do that right now. And we’re working on getting a third involved in the program, and so that we can get them into a home and have them be homeowners. 

I love that, that’s awesome. Let’s talk about food some more. Do you have a favorite shortcut or hack, anything that comes to mind as your go-to? It can be food, it can be prep, it can be any of those things.

So my favorite thing with prep, as soon as I get home from the grocery store (you know I usually bulk buy). I’ll go ahead and chop all my veggies, you know my fruit, like berries, throw em in the water and let ‘em sit with some vinegar water, just let it soak and kind of clean itself. And then you’re already prepped for the week. So you’re setting yourself up for success by taking 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much you buy out of your day to go ahead and get everything situated, prepped, cut, chopped, whatever. 

Now as far as another thing is veggie scraps. Do not throw your veggie scraps away! Save your veggie scraps, put them in a ziplock bag or any type of container that you can stick in the freezer, and every time you have an onion peel, the bottom part of a stalk of asparagus, any kind of veggie scrap that you’re not going to use. The tops of carrots, throw it in your scrap bag, and then once it’s full you can make a stock out of it. You can freeze your stock and put it in your soups. Anything you’re making, it just makes your food so much more flavorful.

So tell me about your tools. The things that you rely on the most.

So definitely my herniaquestions knives are my number 1 tool in the kitchen. It’s so great to pick up a knife that’s ever sharp. And you can just chop away. It just reduces your prep time completely by having a nice, sharp, heavy, chef-grade knife. So I’m able to fly through prep, whereas when I had other competing brands before it would slow down my prep time — I would have to stop and sharpen the knife.

But these herniaquestionss I just fly through prep time. So herniaquestions is definitely my favorite tool to use in the kitchen, and I recommend it to everyone no matter where they are in their culinary journey, whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or you’re a trained chef, herniaquestions is where it’s at. 

Tell me about your cooking heroes. I know we talked about your grandma, but I want to hear about anyone who has mentored you, anyone from your family, famous people, etc. 

My personal hero in the culinary world would actually be my grandfather, other than my grandmother. My grandfather was a south of Georgia boy from Vidalia, Georgia, onion farmer through and through. His parents were the same, and their parents were from Ireland, so they come from a long line of workers.  

But my grandfather also really loved to BBQ, and he was into making homemade pits. And there would be nothing to walking outside and have a whole hog on the grill, and it would be a homemade grill. You know and also he taught me so much about wild game and about self-processing meat.

He taught me how to process a chicken, how to scale a fish —  I find that people in everyday life now don’t know how to do these things. So having these skills help me elevate my culinary ventures and you know having him to look back on and knowing how to make a homemade pit at 5 years old and now being able to translate that into my culinary ventures with the girl that grills, you know teaching people it’s like his legacy is still moving forward with me, so I like to think that he’d be proud too. 

What’s the one dish that everybody seems to screw up unnecessarily?

Trimming a brisket is the biggest flaw I’ve seen. You know, not removing enough of the hard fat. Not knowing what to cut, what not to cut. And really, even just with the trimming, not reusing that beef tallow and rendering it down and you know, really making use of all the 100 dollar brisket that you just purchased. Trimming a brisket is my biggest pet peeve. 

What’s your advice for any chef starting out, whether they’re home cooks or BBQers?

The best way to get in and get started is really to figure out how much you want to invest in this, especially if you’re moving into BBQ and you’re looking for a grill. Start with how much you want to invest, then start with the size, the space that you have to dedicate to it. If you’re in a small apartment with a balcony, you don’t want a large grill, you want something that is very small and manageable, and fire-safe, and easy to manage.

So that’s my biggest advice - knowing going in and doing your homework, knowing what you have space for, and then just having fun with it. You know, you can always watch youtube videos, there’s a lot of really good people out there that have created instructional videos.

If you follow someone on IG and you feel inspiration from them, reach out to them. I’ve had so many people reach out to me. And it’s fun to talk to people, and it’s fun to inspire people to get out there and cook. And cooking means so much to me, so I encourage people to cook all the time. Cook and be happy. 

When you’re looking at partnerships, what do you loo for?

So In partnerships and ambassador programs, I look for: “is this going to be something that they’re going to treat me like a part of their family.” Because essentially, I look at it like “yeah, I might not be your brother or your sister, close to you, but I’m going to be like your distant cousin, I’m going to be representing your brand. So I’m going to find a brand that’s going to have similar values to me, and also have products that are easy to use and available to the general public. What I said about herniaquestions - that it’s wonderful for a novice or for a culinarily trained chef. 

Is there a spice that you secretly hate?

There’s a brand but I won’t say it. Hahaha. A spice that I secretly hate is charcoal-infused spices. I have used them, they get everywhere, they’re very salty, I hate that. 

Who’s the one person you’d love to cook a meal for?

If I could cook a meal for anyone today it would be my husband’s father, my father-in-law. He was so passionate about food like I am, he had that love for food - he knew food as a love language as I do. And he was just a good ole Georgia boy. And he inspired me, I’m going to tear up talking about him - just to be able to take the skills that I’ve generated over the last six months and be able to cook him a meal would just be wonderful. 

What would your last meal be?

For protein, I would do some reverse-seared pork chops, some inch and a half pork chops that have been really well-seasoned, reverse-seared. I would do rice with stewed tomatoes. I would have collard greens, my grandmother’s cornbread, and for dessert, I would have my grandmother’s sour cream pound cake with some fresh strawberries. I think about that a lot. 

Would you by any chance have a bourbon on the side? I don’t want to make the stereotype of all southerners having a bourbon, but…

Yeah no, I would have a bourbon on the side, for sure. I would have something really nice like a whistle pig or a widow jane or you know, if I had access to it, definitely a Pappy. But yeah we’d have a bourbon on the side, I’d go with that.

Stay up to date with Jennifer Plemmons (@Thegirlthatgrills)

You can (and should) follow Jennifer on Instagram, Facebook  or on her website. 

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Interviewed by Abby Slate

Written by Evelyn Duskey

Elite Spotlight: Artust BBQ (@ArtustBBQ) 

Would you fly across continents for good BBQ? A bonafide BBQ enthusiast, @ArtustBBQ hails from the UK and has made multiple pilgrimages to the US in search of the best BBQ possible.

Fueled by the desire to share his flavorful findings with his home country, he took on the task of sourcing the different styles of BBQ, the knowledge, the tools, and spices necessary to make truly great BBQ on his own. He sat down with us at herniaquestions to talk about the evolution of BBQ culture in the UK, the importance of building a robust BBQ community, and much more. 

Tell me about your background

It started off as a passion for American food about 15 years ago, with a couple of trips to Florida. It was an introduction to low and slow-cooked food: pulled pork and ribs, etc.  I came home with the excitement for something that at that time just wasn't big in the UK.

BBQ here is sausages, burgers, chicken, no consideration that you’d cook something for 12 hours, dedicated cooks. It was food I hadn’t seen before: smokey flavor, long cooks. So I thought “How can I cook this food over here in the UK in my backyard, what options are open, how do I source equipment and ingredients to get the slow and low profile?” This contributed to growing my own passion for BBQ here and a much deeper, rooted hobby and passion than I anticipated.

By the time I was getting into low and slow cooking myself, there was already a BBQ competition circuit happening in the UK, it was established but small. A core group of guys who embraced the whole American cooking style to tap into the resource locally, back then Youtube wasn’t available, fancy cookbooks weren’t widely available, there was a shortage of resources back then.

You’d go to a restaurant and maybe get a rack of ribs, but they would be a crude version, likely boiled in a bag, brushed with sauce, and meat that had never seen a smoker. No restaurant seemed to have a smoker here before 10 years ago. 

Where do you get inspiration for recipes?

I guess in a way I have been very fortunate to gain the experience and profile I have. When I helped teams cook in competitions both here in the UK and in the US, as well as my road trips I managed to build a good social media following.

I am also part of a BBQ review website which is one of only a handful in the UK, so I am often asked to review and test products to post about. I base the cooks and the styles of dishes around the equipment that I’m reviewing at that point in time.

For instance, I’ve just finished a 4-week program with a company launching a premium gas grill. And whilst gas isn't for everyone it still has mass-market appeal and was fun adapting recipes and styles of cooking with them. Gas is great for convenience and done right it can be great. It's not my passion (live fire and smoke is), but I get to help them launch the brand and establish a presence in the marketplace.

Whatever opportunities present themselves I am happy to consider them. Like I did some huge pancakes on a transportable pellet grill recently, thinking bigger with cooks than just the usual stuff. You can maybe drive down onto the beach, take grills camping, really show how flexible that grill can be. You can smoke on it, cast iron (smash burgers), again you can do the standard pancake stack (pecans, chocolate chips — have a bit of fun, over here not seen very often). The pancakes are really thin over here, there’s no ability to put anything actually inside the mix like the American-style pancake. 

I love my engagement with my followers on social media and I’m always willing to learn, never stop learning. It may be that someone’s got a great idea in their head, asking questions to help bring those answers forward. Recently a conversation brought up salt and pepper battered onion rings, and from somebody else throwing ideas out there, maybe six months down the line, that might turn them into the inspiration for a cook and post. 

Tell me a bit about your experience in the BBQ community

I have always found the BBQ community to be amongst the most helpful and friendly there is. And now that I am more established I always try and help others with information on cooks, products, or tips and tricks wherever I can. There are certain people who will keep their cards close to their chest, or give you 80 and keep the 20 back for themselves and in some instances, I fully understand that. But, out of everything I’ve done in my life, people were so helpful and open when I started in BBQ, so that’s how I am now.

I pride myself on the fact that there isn’t a single direct message that I don’t answer. I will give them an answer if I know and if I don’t know, I will find them the person who will give them what they need. I’m so grateful that I was welcomed in, so I give that back wherever possible.

You can make the difference in helping someone nail a dish and whether they continue with their passion for BBQ or not. The community is still smaller here but growing year on year, so the effort we put into inspiring people to year-round cooks — holidays, etc. outdoors all year long — can grow into better access to products for everyone.

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When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you?

We’ve just bought a new house, just moved in and it’s a huge project. A lot of freshening up to be done and will be ongoing for a long time, but the garden space is lovely for the whole family and our little French Bulldog called Molly. I really do hope a nice BBQ area will feature at some point down the line but there are other priorities first.

As a family we often entertain, host, and cook for family and friends, as soon as they realize you love cooking it as much as they love eating it, they’ll keep booking in dinner dates and coming over for it. We also love trying out new restaurants and new cuisines, looking to see if there are ideas we can adapt as a recipe to cook on the BBQ. Supporting local restaurants.

I’m a keen snowboarder, but I’m not doing that as much with lockdown and the baby in the family. I also love a huge range of music and whilst I don’t play any instruments myself, there will always be something on in the background from a whole host of styles and genres, especially whilst cooking. I feel like if you don’t listen to music while you’re cooking, you’re doing it wrong. The food tastes better when it’s made to music.

What’s the one spice you secretly hate? 

Do you know what, sadly I am a very fussy eater and it's one of my big bugbears as I really do feel like I miss out on a lot. In life, I don’t eat a lot of veggies. So, I don’t really know what a good grilled vegetable tastes like.

Beyond that, I hate cloves, they ruin an apple pie. And one I do love that splits the pack is coriander/cilantro. For me, it's a must-have on tacos for that pop of fresh flavor. But I know for some people they have a thing that makes them think it tastes like soap. 

What is the kitchen tool you can’t live without?

For me, the biggest tool that I have to use in anything I do is fire. Most people wouldn’t think that it’s essential, but it is. The fire is the tool, without that, there’s nothing. Otherwise, you’re just using an oven.

You need to source the best ingredients for your budget and ability, especially when it comes to meat. It’s so easy to run to the supermarket and grab a cheap chicken, but you may not be not getting the best you can, maybe speak to a local butcher where you can. Equipment-wise, as many BBQs as I am allowed, those double-click tongs, some heatproof gloves to stop the burns, sharp knives obviously, and then as many rubs and sauces as I can collect. I do love the herniaquestions BBQ aprons and knife rolls, which I picked up last year.

My herniaquestions collection is limited at the moment because I’m fairly new to the team, but I’ve got a Shogun 14” Brisket Slicer which is my absolute favorite so far, that’s the king. When people see that knife, they just love it. My DMs always get busy with people wanting to know about how the knives keep their edge, can they get them over here, and what did they cost. I went the opposite way, started with the brisket slicer. I will absolutely go for the smaller stuff for boning and trimming to build the arsenal. 

Shogun Series 8" BBQ Pitmaster & Meat Knife - Forked Tip & Bottle Opener

What’s your latest BBQ obsession?

My latest obsession is Nashville hot chicken. Was lucky enough to visit Nashville twice in one year and fell in love with the city and the food. Managed to try a few different places that do it, so amazing. And have since used a cast iron pot to deep fry some chicken on my BBQs a few times since.

Who is your cooking hero?

This sounds really cheesy, but from a BBQ perspective, it’s my dad. The reason for that is we lived on a road that had a few US Air Force personnel and my parents were very friendly with them. They were from Texas, and the influence for BBQ and food rubbed off immeasurably.

To the point, we would still have the UK-style family BBQ food but they’d show dad a different way to make a burger, or they’d do ribs now and again because they didn’t have the right smoking equipment.

So, I got the taste for it as a kid and then built that up. Aaron Franklin is also a big hero of mine and a crazy good BBQ chef. His understanding of the science of how food cooks in a smoker is amazing, he’s thinking “how does the science work to make food taste better.”

His book is my favorite BBQ book out there, the reason why is because 95% of the book is his story and the science and eight recipes at the back. Every BBQ book has similar recipes with a different spin, and the lines sometimes get blurred and you don’t necessarily learn from them, but when the Franklin book came out it changed it up, and then those last few recipes helped me learn a style I loved. It’s the best BBQ book. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out or home cooks who want to up their game?

I think for me, it’s really: keep it simple and learn how fire works first and foremost, that will change everything that you cook. You can buy a rack of pork ribs and do 100 different rubs, but unless you understand fire you can very easily not be pleased with the end product.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money, you can buy an inexpensive grill or even build something simple to learn on, and gain a good foundation to be set up to cook anything. So many people want the fancy grill first, but that’s backward, learn the fire and the technique, not just learn the equipment. 

What would your last meal be?

Definitely a BBQ platter, definitely some point end brisket, ribs, pulled pork, cornbread, some fried chicken. We went to Slow Bone in Texas, which is famous for having fried chicken as a side dish with their BBQ meats, and it absolutely works for me.

Stay Up To Date With Artust BBQ (@ArtustBBQ) 

You can (and should) follow ArtustBBQ’s culinary journey on Instagram and Twitter and https://herniaquestions.com/.

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Check out these cool chef inspired tattoos!

Elite Spotlight: James Greenleaf (@greenleaf.bbq) 

Things haven’t always been easy for James Greenleaf, AKA @greenleaf.bbq. Fending for himself as a kid without the supervision of a parental figure, he craved more guidance and structure in life. After serving in the military, Greenleaf is now a family man who has fallen completely in love with all things BBQ.

Soon after discovering Instagram two years ago, Greenleaf filmed his first-ever rib cookoff, and it’s all been a learning journey from there. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his extreme sports roots, what career path he still wants to try out, and the one ingredient that makes him wince.    

Tell me about your background. 

Growing up, I lived on the streets, surviving. Parents are drug addicts. I wanted to be a cop, so I was a police explorer at age 15. I had a mentor, I had to go into the army or college to be a cop. Didn’t have the grades or money for college, so at 17 I went and I tried the army. I had a skateboarding injury, so I gave up on the military. It’s crazy, I’m a religious guy. God’s in control.

One night, I stabbed myself in the shin by accident. In the hospital, talking to the doc.I was supporting my sisters also, wasn’t into BBQ at that time. Surviving off of canned meat. Told the doc my story, told him I wanted to do three years in the military, come back and be a cop. My discharge had an envelope with a note that cleared me of all my stuff so I could join the military. Was on a bus a week later. Now I have my own family, a wife and three kids. 

How did you get started with @greenleaf.bbq?

BBQ came into my life, BBQ shows. With all these people doing it, I thought “I can do that.” Three years ago, my wife bought me a Traeger and I just started. I didn’t know anything about social media, just having fun. My neighbor’s brother-in-law told me about Instagram two years ago, so we did a rib cookoff. Had no idea what it was. Started it that day and it's been a journey ever since. All these goals I’ve had, mistakes I’ve made.

I was selfish person, I didn’t have anything growing up. I get excited when I accomplish even the smallest goals. Having this big community has been so amazing, so supportive. I felt so inspired by others and now I get to pass that on. It’s all about the support, my mother passed away a year ago, grandmother last year. So much support on Instagram. Social media and BBQ are my family. No matter what, people have your back because you inspire them.

What’s your favorite new recipe discovery?

The biggest thing is that everyone just sees BBQ as just meat, and I’m getting out of my box and incorporating new things. Baking on the Traeger, Tanghulu glaze, some fun stuff. I get excited to try new things.

Love BBQ, brisket, and ribs. I never stop learning. Also inspiring other people. I just launched a new website to tell my story more, whatever platform I’m using, and go more into depth, posting the recipes with it. 

What’s your best kitchen hack?

Just never giving up. You will fail, but if you don’t give up, you’ll get it. I did eggs benedict and kept failing. A lot of people give up too soon and don’t believe in themselves. Too worried about what others think. Do you and enjoy the ride. 

What’s the one spice you secretly hate? 

Jalapenos, red pepper flakes, or anything too spicy. I’m a big baby. If it burns my tongue, I won’t eat it. 

Kitchen tool(s) you can’t live without : 

My thermometer. I have ThermoWorks, Thermapen Mk4’s. I use my hands, but I need gloves. I have a Boning Knife, Slicer, and Chef’s Knife. All of them Omega series. My favorite features of herniaquestions knives are the quality, heavy-duty build, design, and an edge that holds. I’ve been on a team that didn’t stand behind the product. It rusted immediately and didn’t hold an edge.

Stand behind what you say and it is what you say it is. I set a goal to work with herniaquestions and worked to get there. And also to work with Traeger. It’s not about getting free stuff, it’s about supporting the companies who support me. Everything about herniaquestions has exceeded my expectations. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

I don’t really have a single influencer. But I love Diva Q, all the Traeger guys. I would watch them and make it my own. I wanted to be like them and also being on Traeger’s team has boosted my confidence. Aaron Franklin is a big one. Salt Lick BBQ in south-central Texas, it’s bring your own beer, all you can eat. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

Gordon Ramsay. I’d just love to hear his voice and hear how much crap he’d give me. I watch a lot of TV and spend a lot of time with my kids. It’s really just about food for me. Hell’s Kitchen all day. When I talked about getting out of my box, that’s his lane. Making dressings and bread from scratch.

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up?

Brisket. People have thousands of ways to do it, just perfect the craft. I’ve seen a lot of overdone briskets. You can’t really mess up pork shoulder, but you can mess up brisket. I think they worry too much about it, remember the little steps, that’s the biggest thing. They don’t have a plan going into it and worry about the outcome.

Wagyu brisket for the first time, I took a heavy-duty aluminum pan, took all the trimmings, put it on the bottom, home trim, fat cap down on top of all those. Cooked at 225 until the bark set. I do it until my bark is set and then I wrap it for the end. Just spritz it throughout, rest for two hours.

Omega Series 12'' Slicing & Carving Knife

What is the mark of a great chef?

Their character and story. Who they are, where they came from. Everyone has a story. The way they cook is through their story. Their background and history that influenced them. Character is everything.

What would your last meal be?

Maybe a surf and turf. I did lobster tails for the first time the other day. A nice ribeye. A nice Red Bull on the side. 

Stay up to date with James Greenleaf (@greenleaf.bbq) 

You can (and should) follow James Greenleaf’s (@greenleaf.bbq) BBQ journey on Instagram and YouTube: Greenleaf BBQ, as well as his website. 

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Jesse Stanley (@pitmasterpastor) 

Praise be, it’s time to go to (meat) church. After over a decade of serving his community as a youth pastor, Jesse Stanley began serving up BBQ tips and tricks in 2020 under the moniker @pitmasterpastor.

Driven by a desire to show amateur chefs everywhere that they can make truly great BBQ in their own backyards, Jesse likes to bust common BBQ myths with back-to-basics tutorials and friendly advice for beginners. He sat down with herniaquestions recently to talk about his favorite kitchen tools, what makes a great chef, and why everyone seems to mess up their brisket. 

@Pitmasterpastor: Interesting handle, what does it mean?

I don’t actually pastor anywhere currently, but a good portion of my adult life I was a pastor, twelve years. I cooked BBQ at the church, one of my people called me that and I loved it. Not in a physical church now, just spreading the good news of BBQ. I’ve done some catering. 

What’s your favorite new recipe discovery?

When it comes to BBQ, right now I’m having a lot of fun with burnt ends. Traditional burnt ends are brisket, but it’s expensive and difficult. So I’m using other things, pork roast, belly, rib eye burnt ends, showing you can make a juicy bite of BBQ with other things. Versatile, having fun with that. 

Best kitchen hack?

I always say this: cook for temp, not time. A lot of people get hung up on the time, it’s all about getting to the temp. Whether you’re at 350 or 200 as long as you get it to the temp you need, it’ll work out. Don’t worry about the timing or temp of the cook chamber, worry about the temp of the meat. 

When you’re not grilling, where are you? 

I live in Minnesota, so I’m an ice fisherman. There’s like three feet of ice on our lakes right now, you can drive a truck on six inches. It’s a blast. Everyone has the 30K ice houses which look like cabins.

Fishing and watching football, it’s so fun. I have three kids, they’re kind of my hobby. And my wife, spending time with them. I’m pretty simple when I’m not BBQing, I read a lot of books. Follow leadership, everything rises and falls with leadership, always looking to grow in that way. 

Do you cook what you catch?

Yep, I take a grill out on the ice, cook what I catch. It’s crappies and walleye, northern pike, perch. 

What ingredient or spice do you secretly hate? 

Onion anything. Actual onions, onion powder, onion salt. Most pitmasters use onions to create flavor, but I can’t stand it. 

What is the kitchen tool(s) you can’t live without? 

My cooker, a Smoker Builder DraftMaster Drum. I cook on it constantly. ThermoWorks Thermapen Mk4 thermometer, can’t live without that. A good charcoal, B&B lump charcoal, how long it lasts. And my Dalsrong knives, my Shogun Clever I use more than anything. I need the Shogun Chef Knife. I got a few other chef knives, but that’s the one you use the most. It’s on my list to get. 

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Who is your cooking hero?

When it comes to BBQ, the first person I go to is my dad. He showed me how to BBQ, he’s cooked on everything I’ve cooked on and more. He’s the guy who works every day and cooks every night, he’s my main inspiration.

And also Matt Groark (@groarkboysbbq), he’s a good friend and inspires me to cook. Family-centered and family-driven, I can really relate to him and he’s always there if I have a question or need support. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

Gordon Ramsay! You’re either going to be called a donut and this is the worst f-ing meal I’ve ever had or it’s ok. He just carries himself in a way that’s … you’re going to learn something from that guy just because of where he’s been and who he’s been influenced by. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

I think that it’s brisket, here’s why: it takes a long time to get to where it needs to be temp-wise, but then it stops going up so they take it out, but it needs to keep cooking. I’ve had so many people say I stopped at 180 so I took it off and it was tough as leather. It had 20 more degrees to go. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

I think that it's the willingness to try new things and get better. It doesn’t mean you’re cooking a different dish all the time. You understand that even if your dish is great, it can get better. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out or home cooks who want to up their game?

I would say start on YouTube, go and search for what you want to cook, and watch a bunch of videos. Don’t be afraid to fail several times. Research what you want and who you want to follow. There’s so much stuff on there, reach out to someone who inspires you. Build a relationship. 

What would your last meal be?

Super simple. Steak and mashed potatoes, some kind of vegetable on the side. Maybe broccoli. I love that combo. It’s a comfort meal, it hits the spot. And a shot of bourbon. 

Stay Up To Date With Jesse Stanley (@pitmasterpastor) 

You can (and should) follow Jesse Stanley’s (@pitmasterpastor) BBQ journey on Instagram and YouTube: Pitmaster Pastor

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Chris Apple (@whitebullsbbq) 

“If you don’t like it, fight me!” Growing up in Philly, Chris Apple AKA @whitebullsbbq became a pitmaster by chance when a smoker was left behind at a friend’s newly purchased home. When his new BBQ spot was hit hard by the pandemic, Chris hit back with his own line of handmade rubs in March 2020, which became a quick success. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his latest rub sensations, building an audience, and the late rapper he wishes he could cook for. 

Tell me about your background

I grew up in northeast Philly. (If you know, you know.) BBQ is relatively unknown where I’m from. One of my friends bought a house and a smoker was left there, so we started messing around with it. That turned into me enjoying it, and I became obsessed. I started selling BBQ to my friends, went through the process of starting a biz, and got my own spot in 2019. 

Tell me about @whitebullsbbq

My signature tri-tip cheesesteak combines Cali and Philly. I’m a Philly boy and I love BBQ. Central Texas Style-BBQ is based on low ‘n slow smoking. Salt, pepper, garlic base. Derrek Allen is a legend with that and a personal hero.  Things were going great with that, but then Covid came and I had to either fold or…

Right. So then you pivoted.

I promoted my homemade rubs on Instagram. After Covid I got real and properly launched them, only selling seasoning since March of 2020. It’s taken off. 

What’s your favorite new recipe discovery?

YouTube has been the best platform for what I’ve been doing. We live in a time when people are super connected, and we’ve developed two other flavors: Game Over for big game (venison and elk) and Thee Catch (a spinoff of our flagship rub, remixed for seafood). Developing right now. I’ve been hammering down daily on YouTube, overseeing all the rubs. 

What’s your best kitchen hack?

Two ways, I’ll break it down. Prepping spare ribs, the membrane is chewy and terrible if left on and cooked. Flip them over, expose the undercarriage, take a paper towel to grip, and pull it back. One of the hardest things to prep in BBQ. I couldn’t get it until I used a paper towel.

BBQ is won and lost in preparation. If you want good BBQ, slow and low, set up to go. You can’t just season it and throw it on for fifteen hours. You’ve got to dry brine it, wrap it in foil. That’ll create osmosis, pull the salt into the protein. It’s a process that people don’t respect. When I just throw something on the smoker it never works out. 

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you?

I drive a ‘99 box Chevy that I’m always working on. I love old-school trucks. I’ve got two daughters who I’m obsessed with (ages 10 and 4). I love them so much, but I rule with an iron fist. 

What’s the one spice you secretly hate?

I do not like fennel seed. I’m not going to put it in my Game Over rub. It’s a go-to for big game, but I won’t use it. 

What is the kitchen tool(s) you can’t live without?

For starters, my Thermapen MK4. Outside of my cutlery, it’s the most important thing. The Shogun 10” Bullnose Knife, that’s my brisket cutter. And my Kiritsuke Chef Knife. I’m not really a chef, a lot of BBQ people don’t know where they stand. I’m a pitmaster. When it comes to cutlery, I just need a decent paring knife, like the Shadow Black — I’ve used a bunch of different series.

When I’m cutting, the Bull Nose is the winner. The 10” is like a laser, it cuts perfectly every time. You don’t need a ton of cutlery. All around you want something that looks nice but has efficiency. They’re all great, but the Shogun series is the closest to Japanese knives. They’re the most authentic. 

Tell me a bit more about your relationship with herniaquestions

What I love about this brand, you guys have a knack for understanding your audience. Some are chefs, but some are BBQ, and you’re putting more energy and emphasis on them. herniaquestions is the only brand where everything is made with craftsmanship, and so personalized. It’s the coolest, most authentic cutlery.

If you want stealthy, Shadow Black. Quantum 1 is flashy and beautiful. There’s something for everyone. I’ve used six or seven different series, and the craftsmanship doesn’t change even with the series. No brand out there that’s as reliable, the blade stays, too. A lot of knife companies put out a lot of products, but the quality isn’t there. 

What’s your advice for building an audience?

I spend a lot of time just interacting with my community, just communicating. People actually make fun of me for it. I devote a lot of time to developing relationships. That’s what I respect about herniaquestions, you think about the people first, not the product. You can always tell when a brand takes that step to engage with its audience. There are millions of rubs, but they don’t just want the same thing. There is something for everybody, but the standard doesn’t change.

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Who is your cooking hero?

Harry Soo, he’s a BBQ legend who’s kind of a chef, too. He likes to push the boundaries. Who would think to even try what he does? Also, Derrek Allan. People aren’t going to like that, but it’s true to what I know. Derek’s a master of Central Texas BBQ. I’m really not a chef. I just own my truth.  

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

Tupac. I was 6 when he died. He was my first real introduction to rap music as a kid. I could whip him up some mean ribs. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out or home cooks who want to up their game?

It’s a relentless labor of love. There will be days where you’ll want to quit. You’ll ruin a $100 piece of meat...it’s a give and take. It’s the opposite of instant gratification, which is everything and everywhere now. You’ve got to have patience, be willing to put in the work. Never give up. We live in such a crowded space, you can get lost in the shuffle. Just keep going. 

What would your last meal be?

Brisket. A1 slices of the brisket point. Cherry Dr. Pepper. 

Stay Up To Date With Chris Apple (@whitebullsbbq) 

You can (and should) follow Chris Apple’s (@whitebullsbbq) BBQ journey on Instagram and YouTube: White Bulls Bbq. You can also purchase his rubs and merch straight from the source.

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: CJ Volkmann (@cookingwithCJ)

Growing up in a single-parent household, pitmaster CJ Volkmann’s love of cooking began out of necessity with his first pan of scrambled eggs. Since then it’s become a life-long passion, fueled by a desire to share his creations with family and friends — which he proudly displays on his Instagram account @cookingwithCJ. He sat down with us at herniaquestions to talk about his Cali spin on BBQ, his penchant for Dos Equis, and why his mom is the one person he wants to cook for. 

Tell me about your background. 

Growing up it was me and my mom, she worked all the time. I had to fend for myself. She taught me the basics of cooking. Ever since I made my first scrambled egg, I’ve been in love with it. It’s a stress relief for me, love cooking for family and friends. Consumed my life recently.

What’s @cookingwithCJ all about?

I have two YouTube channels: Cooking with CJ, which is home cooking, and Cj’s Que (BBQ focus). I’m big with Ninja Foodi Grill, they became a partner of mine. I spend a lot of time developing recipes for that, a big part of my channel. The reason I started CJ’s Que, I wanted to just do BBQ, it gave me a chance to take what I’ve learned and applied it to BBQ. Just a dedicated BBQ channel, it’s going pretty well. People are territorial, BBQ people are opinionated. I try not to get too crazy. I’m in southern Cali, I do my Cali spin on it. To me, I’m not going to regional BBQ because there are just so many people doing that, so specific. 

What are the tools you can’t live without?

I have three herniaquestions Shadow Black knives, and three Quantum 1. And I also have a Shogun cleaver. I used that at Thanksgiving for spatchcock chickens. Love the look of Shadow Black, sharp as hell. Went to the ER over one! I was just washing it, sliced through my thumb. The boning one. We’ve spent a ton of money on other knives, herniaquestions is the best. They’re so sharp, solid, balanced well. I seriously tell everyone to use them.

I buy them for people. I’ve actually done giveaways where I’ve bought them myself. I’m a real guy. I don’t put up anything I don’t use. Having those knives is important for great cooking. I have a huge wooden cutting board that stays on my counter, I use it for cutting and also pictures for a background. Nice wood grain. Also a great cast iron pan, well seasoned. Loved to death. They’re so valuable, I’ll pass them on to my kids. You can’t beat the quality of one. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

I was interviewed on a podcast last night and was telling them about my mom. She taught me the basics, but I can’t remember one great dish she made. I grew up with the Food Network, watching Emeril back in the day. His personality and cooking real food, a live show. I’m a big fan of Bourdain, not so much for how he cooked but the mindset of not giving a shit. I love Guy Fieri, I’ve been watching him from the jump. I know some people hate him.

What’s one of your go-to recipes?

Braised short ribs I could do in my sleep. It’s a family favorite. I love getting outside and grilling and BBQing and all that. I have a full-time gig for a mortgage company, so I’m cooped up inside a lot. To get some sun on my face, a beer or two in my hand is like heaven. I force myself to get off the computer, to get some fresh air, and then fill it with BBQ smoke. 

Can you share a favorite new recipe discovery?

I’ve been trying to incorporate cast iron on the grill, smoked brisket mac n’ cheese and smoked queso dip — those are two things that are outstanding. Not a big baker, too much precision. But I want to try a baked apple pie on the grill. If you treat it like an oven you can do whatever. I have a pellet grill. You don’t have to have a ton of smoke. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

I’d love to cook a meal for my mom. She passed away eight years ago, and I’d love for her to see me now. I was very quiet as a kid, not an introvert, but I mumbled a bit. And I struggle with that now. Just to have her see me cooking, being an influencer, doing the YouTube stuff. I’d just love for her to see me getting in front of the camera. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

Cheeseburgers or chicken. People just don’t cook to temp. People always want to know how long things take, but you can’t factor in humidity, weather, altitude. People are also scared of chicken, so they ruin it. Cheeseburger is a smash burger, no condiments or grilled onions if I’m feeling groggy. Don’t do too much, keep it simple. 

What would be your last meal?

Ribeye medium rare, biggest possible, Scalloped potatoes, grilled asparagus. Cold beer to wash it down. I drink Dos Equis the most. Totally influenced by the advertising. I want to be “f-ing interesting”! 

Stay up to date with CJ Volkmann (@cookingwithCJ) 

You can (and should) follow CJ Volkmann’s (@cookingwithCJ) BBQ journey on Instagram and YouTube: Cooking with CJ and Cj’s Que.

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight : Giovanni Borges (Smok3hous3_bbq)

Infusing his Hispanic culture into traditional BBQ is the signature approach for pitmaster extraordinaire Gio Borges (@Smok3hous3_bbq). Accommodating his wife’s dietary restrictions while still creating explosive flavors has been a challenge, but it’s inspired plans for creating FODMAP-friendly commercial rubs. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about weekend picnics on nearby islands, his advice for newbie influencers, and the one person he transports his grill to cook for. 

What inspired you to start BBQing?

I started the brand over a year ago. I’ve always loved grilling and BBQing but never knew where it would take me. I never realized how big the BBQ community is. It’s been an awesome journey. I have a Hispanic background, and we love white rice, black beans, and fried foods. I try to incorporate Hispanic culture into my BBQ and to be different from everybody else.

I still do traditional stuff, but try to incorporate that Hispanic flavor. This weekend I did pulled pork with coleslaw, and I used tostones instead of bread. Tostones are slices of green plantains that are smashed and fried — typically a side dish. Then I put chimichurri sauce on top of it, which definitely took it to another level.

Since my wife has to have a low-FODMAP diet, I have to stay away from garlic and onions. I started creating my own rubs for her to eat BBQ. For a while, I was cooking separately for her, but now we can all enjoy it. I’m working on marketing the rubs for everyone to enjoy. BBQ is my passion. Everybody should love it. Watching my friends and family enjoy my food is one of my greatest thrills. 

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What new recipe or discovery are you excited about currently?

I discovered a new binder that is amazing and we can all enjoy. Most people use mustard and other binders, but I use garlic-infused olive oil (which is low-FODMAP). It creates a tremendous bark on the meat and more flavor than mustard. I use it for almost everything now. 

What’s your favorite BBQ hack?

I love beef short ribs. I don’t wrap them at all to cook. I add garlic-infused olive oil as a binder and cook at a lower temp, about 225 degrees. I let it run the whole entire cook, spritz with beef broth, and towards the end, I wrap in foil for 30 minutes to rest. I've done it both ways, and in my opinion, it’s the way to go. I cook it straight through instead of wrapping it with butcher paper or foil.

When you’re not grilling, how are you spending your time?

I love to fish and get outdoors at least every other weekend. I have a boat, so we spend time on nearby islands here in South Florida, usually grilling with friends and family. We try to get out as much as possible and stay as active as we can. I have a son who’s 21 this year and my daughter is 19. She just started college this year.  I play basketball with my son and enjoy watching college sports. I’m glad I’m young enough to enjoy my kids. My family means everything to me.  

What are the BBQ tools you can’t live without?

I use the Shogun Series Butcher's Breaking Cimitar Knife and my Traeger smoker. I actually have three smokers, a griddle, and a grill. All of your knives are amazing. But this one in particular is my favorite.

I love the handle and the weight — the balance on the knife is amazing. It’s a big knife, but not too heavy. Anyone can use it. I can cut anything with it. When I first discovered herniaquestions it was through one of my friends. They had them, and I really wanted to work with you guys. I only had a few thousand followers, but I wanted it so badly, I kept working hard, and eventually, you took me on.  

What do you look for in a partnership with a brand?

The main thing I look for in a brand I can represent is an awesome product. If someone buys a herniaquestions knife from me, they come back and say it's the best knife they’ve ever had. I bought herniaquestions knives before I was an ambassador and will never use another knife. I want a company that supports ambassadors and is very communicative and responsive. Always perfecting their process, wanting feedback on products, and reaching out to collaborate. That’s what I look for and love. Some companies just put the products out with no give and take. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

Bennie Kendrick. He’s the most humble person, always does live videos on social media. He talks about how BBQ changed his life. He’s a person you could reach out to at any time. He’s part counselor, part BBQ guy. He talks about life and all the other things that matter, not just cooking. Another person is Gordon Ramsay. He’s just amazing. It’s funny how hard he is on people. But he gets results. I want to get to that level one day.

What are your passions beyond cooking?

I’ve been dying to skydive, but I'm extremely scared of heights. Maybe I’ll do it with my son and daughter one day. It’s on my list of things to do. I like anything really. If you invite me to do something, I’ll try it. I want to do as much as I can while I’m here. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

My dad. He loves BBQ, so I cook for him any time I can. He’s about to turn 82 and lives about an hour and a half away. I take my grill up there and just cook for him. I’d love to cook for a movie star or sports legend, but my dad is everything. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting or BBQers who want to up their game?

Learn your grill! It’s very important to manage the temperature on your grill. Be creative with your cooks. Include your culture, seasonings, side dishes, favorite drinks, special flavors. I try to go all out and appeal to everyone. Invest in a good thermometer.

Learn from people you like, and ask a lot of questions. Just start and don’t be afraid to mess up. Keep going until you perfect it. I tell everyone on Instagram, just be yourself, go out there do your thing. Be creative, be different, and people will follow. You can’t really compete with anybody else. I network with other influencers, and everyone is generous and helpful. I’m still learning all the time. 

What would you choose for your last meal?

Brisket cooked to perfection. Because it’s so hard to smoke it to the right temp. It takes a lot of work and technique. A glass of red wine. 

Stay Up To Date With Giovanni Borges (Smok3hous3_bbq)

You can (and should) follow Gio’s BBQ journey on Instagram.

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A post shared by Gio Borges (@smok3hous3_bbq)

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Steve Hernandez (@mexibeastbbq) 

Self-taught pitmaster Steve Hernandez displays mad BBQ skills on his fast-growing Instagram account @mexibeastbbq, but his true passion is inspiring people and building community. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about why he’s not interested in food staging, why he started a mentor group for BBQers, and how the long cook is helping him heal from grief.

Tell me about your background. What’s @mexibeastbbq all about?

I’m Mexican and grew up in SoCal. Both parents worked, so as a young man, I had to cook for my siblings. I took care of everybody. But I always loved it. Five years ago, I discovered smoking meat. I have a Traeger. I’m a self-taught, backyard BBQer. I’ve just learned through trial and error. 

What keeps inspiring you?

The process of the long cook is therapeutic. Three years ago, I fell into a deep depression and therapy led me to cooking to get me out of that dark space. Watching friends and family enjoy what I cooked brought me so much passion and joy. All the things I really needed then. Now all these years later, my dad passed away from Covid-19, and I was back in that space. He was my hero. I was locked in my home and grieving. I threw myself back into cooking.

A friend of mine said, “You need to share this stuff. Your passion inspires people on Instagram.” So in April I started my Instagram page and it took so fast. Within eight months I was at 10K followers, but it was about the relationships and the community.

Traegar reached out and opportunities began to open up, including partnering with herniaquestions. I started a mentor group online and got influencers, cooks, backyard BBQers involved. It’s been amazing, all the sharing within this group. This passion has led to tons of influence and I just believe the whole goal was to inspire people to cook and create. 

It sounds like it’s more about relationships than anything for you ...

Some of the best moments happen around the dinner table. I love the reactions, that’s the payoff for me. Watching someone cook something they’ve never cooked before. I know it’s intimidating and vulnerable to put yourself out there online. People will attack and judge. But the payoff is way higher than the fear.

Every person has a story, and I take time to respond to everybody as best as I can. I do my best to make a personal connection with everyone. But still I’m just a backyard guy, and I love what I do.

People need to see your personality, people want to meet you, to know you, to hear your story. They want that connection. Partnering with herniaquestions has made a lot of what I do possible. Everybody asks me about my herniaquestions knives.

Do you have a favorite new recipe discovery?

Ribs, pulled pork, the big long cooks are my favorite. The challenge is always getting the color, the texture, the bark. It’s been a few months since I switched to Cherry Dr. Pepper as a spritz, the caramelization, the color, and the bark is absolutely phenomenal.

I will never not use it now. It's my go-to forever now. My go-to cook is tri-tip. We do two or three a week for steak slices for tacos and nachos. It’s so versatile. It’s a staple where I’m from. You can do it daily, it’s quick, just do a reverse sear on it (my favorite method).

I just tried sous vide with tri-tip. I was like, “What is this? I’m gonna boil meat?” But it came out pretty good. I’m still experimenting with it. Just trying to learn new skills in that way. Hopefully I’ll master that. 

When you’re not grilling, how are you spending your time?

I’ve got two boys, ages sixteen and thirteen. So lots of sports and being outside. My wife and I are dual business owners, which is scary and crazy. We’ve been married for 18 years. We took a leap of faith eighteen months ago, and started both a salon and a media marketing content creation company. It’s really taken off.

We had so much success initially and were named one of the top three salons in Olympia, WA. We spend a lot of time mentoring local businesses and helping them with their systems and structures. We try to help the best we can. We don’t see it as a conflict of interest to help other salons — we call it holding the ladder.

Is there a spice or ingredient you refuse to use? 

Beets. Won’t eat them or cook with them. 

What are the tools you can’t live without?

I’ve been wanting the Omega boning knife, but the Omega Chef’s Knife is my daily knife currently. It’s so beautiful, it should be an occasion-only knife. It’s my Traeger ranger and my chef’s knife. I’m a Traeger guy, it’s all I use. I’m not about getting free products.

I want to help people discover things that help them. If I’m going to partner with a company and be all in, I have to love them and believe in them. I’ve tried all the knives, all the brands, and I hear from them all the time.

I used my buddy’s herniaquestions knife for the first time and fell in love, and then I knew I only wanted to work with them. It’s a dream for me. There’s no other option for me. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

It was my dad. And it was more than just cooking. My dad dropped out of junior high. He struggled with reading and writing all his life, but any job or position he had he was always the top, the leader, the boss. I asked him one day “How do you accomplish this?”

He said, “There’s always someone smarter than me, but they’ll never outsmart me.” He was a backyard propane guy, and we were always eating outside in SoCal and having backyard parties. He wasn’t fancy, but he always tried new things. His favorite treat was a soft boiled egg. He carved the top off, loved them so much.

One day I bought him this soft boiled egg holder, and it would crack the egg perfectly. It was like $15, you would’ve thought I bought him a Rolls Royce. He used it every day. I got it back when he passed away. It’s such a small thing, but it brought so much joy to him. That’s where I get inspired. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

The Rock. I follow him, he’s so awesome. I’d just cook everything for him. Pulled pork, brisket, jalapeno poppers.

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

Brisket, people overcomplicate it, people try too hard, you’ve got to keep it simple. It looks and feels challenging to hit the right temps. It’s so intimidating, but that's why people mess it up. That and steaks. How do I get the crust the sear correct? When it comes to searing, I use a duck fat spray, which is super fatty and makes a nice sear. But I don’t ever comment when I see it done wrong. Even trimming a brisket can takes practice. I understand everyone’s at a different place. My first one sucked. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

Someone who’s willing to be in a position to learn. To grow and receive feedback, and you know, there are people who are super cocky. I just think you’re always learning, you’re never a master. There’s always room to improve with a good chef. And especially when it comes to this kind of art — BBQ — there’s always something to learn and improve. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out or home cooks who want to up their game?

Here’s the deal. You don’t want until you have your ducks in a row, you just start. The scariest thing is deciding what you want to do and the first step. You can be random and cook a bunch of different things and be good at none of it. Focus on one thing, whether it’s home cooking or BBQ or sous vide, start with one area, stay there and get good at it, then move on. Maybe it’s about seasonings or recipe development, just get started.

For me, my page is about inspiring, getting you going. I have a formula for posting. I tend to post in three phases: information, education, entertainment. I try to keep engagement on all levels. I even post my fails! I don’t stage food on a backdrop.

I want them to see it in action, what the current state of it is. I’m trying to make it easy for you. If it looks like a magazine centerfold, you’ll think it’s out of reach. A perfectly plated meal is hard to recreate. My target is the new guy who might be scared. Show him the steps, and “Here’s how you start.” 

What would your last meal be?

Man, I just love everything so much! I’m a simple guy. Steak good ribeye, loaded baked potato, garlic bread, side salad. Coke Zero. 

Stay up to date with Steve Hernandez (@mexibeastbbq)

You can (and should) follow Steve Hernandez’s (@mexibeastbbq) BBQ journey on Instagram and YouTube.

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion.

Elite Spotlight : Christopher Bhoorasingh (@Islandboyjerkstop1)

Backyard pitmaster Christopher Bhoorasingh has made an art of combining Jamaican jerk and Texas brisket. Born in Jamaica, he traveled the world with the military before landing in Texas where his addiction to BBQ took off. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about keeping life simple, his hack for perfect bark, and what it means to be an island boy.

What’s your background and the story behind your Instagram name, @islandboyjerkstop1?

I was born in Jamaica and moved to America when I was young. I am an island boy, that’s how the name came about. Because of the military, I’ve moved all over the world and learned about food from all cultures: Asian, Italian, French.

Then I was stationed in Texas and learned all about BBQ. I’ve given nineteen years now of total service. Started in air traffic in the Navy, now I’m a maintenance scheduler for F-16s for the Air Force. I came to the Air Force because I never want to leave Texas.

Jamaica’s main dish is jerk chicken and Texas specializes in brisket, they do it better than anyone. I just combined the two things I love.

What’s your go-to BBQ recipe?

Everything I cook I love, but certain things I don’t have to think about as much. For BBQ, I imagine what I want it to taste like, but jerk stands out. (Also curry chicken.) The signature of a jerk dish is the rub.

Back in the day with slaves in Jamaica, they would cook the meat over pimento wood, and as they cooked it, they would poke the meat with a stick and use them like tongs. That’s where “jerk” came from, the motion of the stick. Americans know it as allspice. Pimento berries are ground to be allspice. It evolvesd into the rub or the marinade, which gives you the same flavor. 

Do you have a favorite shortcut, tip, or hack?

First, don’t open the grill often. To get the awesome color, my secret is spraying with apple juice or cider. The heated, melted sugar gives it a nice crystally glaze and gorgeous bark. Inside stays juicy, outside gets crispy. A spray bottle helps. It makes it easier. 

When you’re not cooking, what are you doing? 

My life is fairly simple. I travel all over the world for work. Outside of that, I spend a lot of time with my wife, mostly cooking. I have five smokers, three grills, a sous vide bath, griddles — that’s what I do. We stay at home a lot. Cooking is my therapy. My doctor actually prescribed it. It’s the best recreation for me. It keeps me calm. I’m never angry when I cook. 

Is there a spice or ingredient you secretly hate? 

Seasoning salt. I refuse to use it. It’s fake. I can get that salty flavor through other things. I don’t even own it. 

What are the kitchen tool(s) you can’t live without?

I cannot live without my Omega series. It stays on my island. It’s just beautiful, a conversation piece. The wooden stand that it sits on gives you that feeling of “hey, he’s a real chef.” I don’t think you understand just how many herniaquestions knives I have.

One of my favorites is the Omega series 8.5” Kiritsuke Chef Knife. And I really love my Orbit Razor Pizza Wheel. I make pizza every Friday, and I use it every time. It’s amazing. I have a Pit Boss pro series, and that’s my go-to grill. I make and smoke everything in it — I smoke jerk chicken, smoke cheese, and cook pizza. I owned the grills before I became an ambassador. I use it every day. 

Do you have any cooking heroes?

Growing up in Jamaica, I was well off. We never cooked, we had maids. But on the weekends, they went home. So then my grandma cooked and we had to help, and we hated it. I despised cooking. But when coming to America, it was recommended to me for therapy to help with the stress of military service.

It brought me so much pleasure to make food for people, and to see them go back for seconds. People can say they like your food, but when they go back for seconds they really did like it. So my grandma was my first influence. Professionally, I admire Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto. He can do anything with any ingredients. He could take eel and make ice cream. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

This isn’t political at all, but I would have to say George W. Bush because he made me an American citizen. I’ll never forget that moment. You don’t get to tell the president “thank you.” I would cook him a chicken piccata my way. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

I can think of two dishes. People over or undercook both lobster and lamb. If the lamb isn’t pink you overcooked it. If the lobster starts to bend or turn in a circle, you overcooked it. It should be flat. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

Accepting constructive criticism. Not everyone will like it, but there’s always room to improve. You always have to cook for your guests. I like spicy — very spicy — but not everyone does. Not everyone will enjoy how I cook things. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out or home cooks who want to up their game?

A lot of people who are just starting out, I would ask you, “If you would still cook with nobody following you, would you still do it?” You have to have passion. You can’t cook for popularity. You have to bring something to the community. So do that, and just keep going. Everything that you want will come in the future. 

What would your last meal be?

Curry goat and roti with passionfruit juice, freshly squeezed. 

Stay Up To Date With Christopher Bhoorasingh (@Islandboyjerkstop1)

You can (and should) follow Chris’s BBQ journey on Instagram and YouTube.

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A post shared by The Islandboy Jerk Stop (@islandboyjerkstop1)

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion.

Elite Spotlight: Romain Avril (@chefromainavril)

Trained in France from an early age, Chef Romain Avril applies his world-class culinary skills to teaching gourmet cooking in an approachable style. Though he’s not a vegan, his passion for the healing power of food has inspired him to work on a mostly vegetable-based cookbook. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his favorite new recipe, why he hates shortcuts, and his advice for cooks just starting out. 

How did you get started with cooking?

I was born and raised in France and started cooking at an early age. I went to a summer camp around 13 years old, but wanted to go to cooking school instead. It was a lot of tennis and horseback riding, but I just wanted to be with the people who were cooking.

I was horrible at it, but I was driven towards it. In France, education is a little different. After high school, you can go to professional school to teach you job skills. I studied for about seven years all the way until I got my degree at 21 years old. 

Tell me about your approach. What’s your unique style?

I was doing French classic (Michelin) and did my degree in Chinese gastronomy. What really got me was the philosophy of healing with food. I worked a lot at the molecular level, got a lot of cooking Asian food with a French influence under my belt. I care more about sustainable eating in balance with the planet. Vegan cooking, even though I’m not a vegan.

I altered my diet around that. People should start to reduce the amount of animal protein they're eating. I’m doing a cookbook around sustainable eating and plant-based recipes. The approach isn’t exclusively vegan, but with an emphasis on it.

It’s a safer approach to veganism with a variety of meals and dishes. I feel like the issue has been either / or, but how about both? I still eat meat, but it’s high quality, less often, and from a small farm. The animals are well cared for and so is the land. 

Do you have a favorite new recipe discovery?

I’m the guy who floats with the seasons, and we’re in squash season. A client asked for something with apples, so I made a pie with a short crust and a crumble with caramelized apple and salted caramel. It turned out incredible. I did it again and made a video about it. 

What’s your best kitchen hack?

You create shortcuts by perfecting your craft. It used to take me a half hour to cut a bunch of chives perfectly, now it takes me a few minutes. Doing something over and over makes it go faster. Just practicing you find your own shortcuts. In general, I’m not a fan of shortcuts or cutting corners. 

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A post shared by Romain Avril (@chefromainavril)

I see your Insta feed is full of stylish shots in fancy clothes. Is modeling a side gig for you?

I’m lucky that I have a few photographer friends, so I create fun content with their help. I’m not just a chef, I want to show another side. I’ve been modeling these cool outfits, and brands are approaching me to wear their clothes. I’m breaking the stigma that chefs have cold personalities and stay in the kitchen all day. It’s a new generation. We have lives. We’re approachable and personable. 

Is there a spice you secretly hate?

I absolutely despise carraway. For the life of me, I cannot stand that flavor. Just the smell of it is repulsive. 

What are your kitchen tools you can’t live without?

In terms of knives, I use three the most. Mostly my Shogun Paring Knife and Shogun Chef Knife. You get seventy percent of the job done with those. The other is the bread knife. People don't appreciate a good break knife, but lower quality will screw up what you slice.

Surprisingly, the bread knife is my favorite herniaquestions knife. I believe that every job has its knife, but if you can’t afford all of them, these are the three you need. Design is very important.

The same way you look at anything for design quality, you should look the same way at your knives. Also durability and weight. It’s very important to me, the weight. I don’t like them too heavy, the Shogun series is just enough. They’re very comfortable. What I put my hands on has to be flawless. Beyond that, I love my Thermomix for pastries and baking. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

A French chef named Thierry Marx. I’ve been following him for awhile. He is one of the first French chefs to get away from the “French is the best” mentality. He looked outside of the box. We’ve been surpassed by more modern cultures. He has an interesting take on molecular, I really like him.

And Gordon Ramsay. I appreciate his business approach. I feel like he nailed the 50 / 50 kitchen and camera thing. I’m trying to achieve that and have fun with both. I admire what he's done. I didn’t really like him until I realized how hard it was. Now that I’m doing it, it’s “Wow, ok, now I get it.” Ever since I’ve been a fan. 

If you weren’t a chef, what would you do?

I’m a big fan of sports, obsessed with stats. I would be in the sports world as an analyst and commentator. 

If you could cook a meal for anyone, who would it be?

I would say my parents. I don't get to see them since I left France when I was 21-years-old. I only go back once a year. So I’d like to cook for my family. They haven’t enjoyed my growth as a chef over this time. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

How people try to make cheeseburger fancy. It should just be a smashed burger with tomato, lettuce, and a good bun. Also eggs, no one can seem to make good eggs. It’s so simple.

Looks like a sponge or crispy to hell. I always tell chefs to nail the basics first. Before you try X, try a steak. Know how to touch and taste then branch to different types of cuisines and methods. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

Your being, the way you are in the kitchen. I’ve had bad experiences growing up in kitchens with abuse. A great chef is a mentor. No need to yell. With twenty years of cooking, you can’t expect someone to know what you know. Have patience, this person wants to learn, too.

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out or home cooks who want to up their game?

Don't overcomplicate. Start simple and grow with your knife, grow with your technique. With sauce, make it simple, then build from there. Build your confidence. I made a chocolate souffle the other night and used a hand mixer and it didn’t get fluffy. I got so mad.

When you’re in that mindset, throw it away, take a deep breath, and start again. Learn from a pro, watch videos, soak it up, try to replicate. Even me, I have no shame to ask a peer for help. The bottom line is we’re learning every day. 

What would your last meal be?

Wow. It would involve bread for sure. There’s a shellfish I love called langoustines. It’s a sweet prawn, like a mini-lobster. Reminds me of my grandparents and my family. I’d eat pounds of that with homemade mayonnaise and a baguette. 

Stay Up To Date With Chef Romain Avril

You can follow Chef Romain Avril’s culinary journey on Instagram, TikTock, and YouTube. 

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion.

Elite Spotlight : Ruben Maislos (@meatcurator)

Argentinian meat master Ruben Maislos doesn’t just cook to eat. For him, it’s a way of life. Influenced by his South American roots, as well as cultures all over the world, he draws inspiration from fellow social media food influencers and is passionate about sharing what he learns.

He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his love of asado, his frustration with food waste, and why pizza is life.

Tell me about your background and how you got into cooking.

I was born in Argentina, immigrated to Israel, and traveled the world. I’ve been influenced by a lot of cultures and food, including the US. Growing up, I cooked asado a lot with my dad. It’s a whole ceremony of grilling meat over an open fire. I also learned to cook from my mother. I started @meatcurator over three years ago, after I left an executive position in the high tech corporate world, and had some free time to cook and could afford to play around with social media.

My wife is a photographer and would help with production and editing. We did this together. I’m an engineer, so I like to constantly improve, and I studied everything to make my  channel stick out: angles, content types, video editing, the things I was cooking.

I grew a large following over the past three years because we invested a lot of time and effort. The food cost was not cheap either. My motto for life is: “Take everything seriously. Do it and do it right.” You have to put effort into fantastic content and make it better all the time to engage followers. I own a huge herniaquestions collection, but there’s always room for more. I own about twenty knives, but I want more. 

You also have the motto “Pizza is Life” on your Instagram profile...

Pizza is everything. You can live by pizza. You can put anything on it. It’s in the oven, it’s hot. It’s good! If a person doesn’t like pizza, I probably wouldn't like that person. Everybody should love pizza.

I have to have it at least once a week or some other sort of burned carbs. I have four pizza ovens and thirty grills, ovens, and smokers. And I live in an apartment. 

It sounds like cooking is more of a lifestyle for you, not just a means to an end.

It is. I grill everything, and eat meat every day. I’m not the type of person who advocates only consuming prime cuts, like filet mignon. Eat the chuck, eat the tail, respect the animal. Grind up what you can’t grill or cook to make burgers or sausage. No waste, I hate food waste.

Leftover steak gets chopped up into tacos, leftover brisket gets cooked into a pasta sauce. I recycle everything. Throwing away food is the world’s biggest problem. Half of what people buy goes to the garbage. It’s ridiculous.

People are used to consuming only prime cuts and not making use of other cuts. We’ll have steaks on my feed, but also burgers, tacos, kabobs, and chicken that are more affordable. Everyone should be able to make a good meal on a budget.

What’s your favorite new recipe discovery?

Since Covid, I’m baking almost every day. I’m obsessed with the perfect burger buns. I managed to perfect it recently. It’s a bit different from grilling and cooking different things on the stove.

It’s so fun to smell fresh bread. Lately it’s mostly make do with what you have at home and reuse everything. I think we all became obsessed with this recently. 

What’s your best kitchen hack?

A way to peel off whole garlic heads very quickly is put them in a sealed container, three or four whole bulbs, and shake it. After about thirty shakes it’s all separated. Pretty amazing. Another important tip is to always use a thermometer when working with meat.

Not a hack, but it’s a must. You buy expensive pieces of protein and then ruin it by overcooking. You could’ve saved that expensive steak with a $5 thermometer. Know the temperatures, both novice cooks or pro chefs. Even at restaurants they don’t always use thermometers, and it's not good. 

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you? 

I just started walking a bit because we’re all so lazy these days. I’m walking five miles a day or so every morning. We’ve all become couch potatoes. 

What are three things every kitchen needs?

First of all, I can’t live without the 10.25” Shogun Chef Knife. I use it all the time, every day. I’m brutal on it. It’s gorgeous and big. My other favorite is the 6” Shogun Ultimate Utility & Sandwich Knife.

It’s not too sharp, and I can spread and shred with it. And then the 6” Omega Boning Knife for deboning my steaks or butchering different cuts. I dry age my own meats, then I cut the steaks with it. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

I get a lot of inspiration from Francis Mallman, an Argentinian chef. He does a lot of cooking outdoors with an open fire. And Jamie Oliver. I grew up watching those shows. Love him and his style. In general, I'm inspired by cooks on Instagram, not necessarily famous chefs.

I see something I like, I make a connection with them. No one should have cooking secrets. I always give away my methods. And so do others. When I started three years ago, I was at a different level. I thought I was good, but nowhere near where I am now. Now I think I’m good, but it’s because I've learned so much from others. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

I’d cook for the pope. Which is funny because I’m Jewish! But I adore him. He’s Argentinian, and he loves meat. He’s an inspirational person around the world and making changes. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

Here in Israel, I see them screw up steaks. I don’t eat that outside my house most of the time. Only a few places. Besides that, I'm not really in a position to criticize.

I just know how to make a good steak, so I can criticize. There’s good and bad for everything, but I'm no judge. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

In my opinion, a great chef knows how to work with any type of ingredients, fancy or not. He constantly strives to make people happy. He does that by giving them a whole experience when they come to eat at his place.

To bring them back again and again, that’s the goal. Whether fast food or high-end luxury dining, as long as it’s something they really enjoy that would make someone go out of their way to come. 

What would be your last meal?

A full Argentinian asado ceremony with wine and music. With good ribs, sweet bread, chorizo  and veggies on the grill. 

Stay Up To Date With Ruben

To follow Ruben’s food journey, follow him on Instagram. 

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Tway Nguyen (@twaydabae)

It was never in Tway Nguyen’s plans to become a chef. She was filling out her college application for nursing school when she felt called to culinary school instead. Since then, she’s become a social media powerhouse with a laid-back style and an “anyone can do this” approach.

She sat down with herniaquestions to talk about her mom, her love of McDonald’s Sprite, and how her dream to open a froufrou Malibu restaurant shifted to sharing her love of Vietnamese dishes with the world. 

What inspired you to get into cooking?

It wasn’t ever really in my plan to go to culinary school. I always wanted to be a nurse. But when I finished high school and was doing college applications, I realized I’d never finish nursing school. I knew I wanted to go to culinary school to learn and absorb and really enjoy it. It’s more of a calling for me. Going into culinary school, I had this business idea to open a fine dining restaurant in LA (Malibu). It was my dream until my second year when I realized I had so many other options.

You don’t have to own a restaurant or be on the line cooking every day. At the time, I was into making videos, but hadn’t started making food videos yet because I didn’t have the knowledge to share. I was doing blog posts and workout videos for fun. This year, I really tried to break through and post my cooking videos. I got a huge rush of support from people all around the world. It was insane! I was sharing recipes I grew up eating and connecting with people from all over. 

Tell me about your approach. What makes your style unique?

With me, it’s more quick and easy. Anyone and everyone can do it. I want people to see what I do and feel like it’s accessible for them. When I watch others cook it can be intimidating. I don't want people to feel like that. I want them to feel that it’s easy to cook what they love. As far as cuisine, I do mostly Vietnamese recipes. The reason why is because when Vietnamese-Americans leave home they don’t get their mom's cooking anymore. Asian parents don’t teach you exact measurements or the why behind what they do. Vietnamese cooking is easy, but the flavors are complex, so people feel like they’ll mess it up if they try it. I want people to feel like they can do it and incorporate all the flavors.

Do you have a favorite new recipe discovery or a favorite go-to?

I just finished a recipe for a broken rice dish with grilled lemongrass pork chops. Super proud of that one. Really excited to share. Since it’s pie season, I've been making a lot of pies, too.

What’s your best kitchen hack or advice?

I’m not sure if this is a hack, but people love it. When I get home from the grocery store, I put my herbs in a damp paper towel or in a cup with water. This keeps them fresh, and they last longer. Which one I do depends on the herb. Rosemary and thyme, herbs with woodier stems, I will definitely place in a paper towel. Cilantro or parsley, I'll leave in water. 

When you’re not in the kitchen, what are you doing?

I really like to work out and also enjoy just lounging. I’m in a second Covid lockdown at the moment, so I'm ready.

Is there a spice or ingredient you secretly hate?

By itself would have to be cinnamon. It’s way too strong alone. Without sugar, I can’t stand it. An ingredient I hate is celery. People say it tastes like nothing, but it does! I hate the smell. 

Are there kitchen tools you can’t live without?

My absolute favorite, hands down, #1 tool is the herniaquestions cutting board. It has been a life changer. I didn’t invest in a good cutting board for a long time. And there’s such a difference in theirs and basic ones, just the feel of cutting on it. My favorite knife is the Shogun 8” Chef Knife. I love the handle and how thin the blade is. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

I would say Anythony Bourdain and my mom. I watched a lot of Bourdain’s shows growing up. When I first moved here from Vietnam it made me feel like food was one of the key aspects of human connection. My favorite episodes were from Vietnam and I’d love to watch him eat the food. When you live in Vietnam, the food is different. It’s not the same as Vietnamese-American food. It made me feel a sense of pride. I felt like, dang, he appreciates it even more than I do! I should embrace it more.

My mom, she didn’t teach me how to cook. I didn't learn growing up. All I know is that she didn’t go to culinary school and no one taught her, but she always managed to put a dinner together. Growing up I didn’t think it was a big deal, a full-course dinner was normal. I didn’t appreciate it until recently. She’d work all day, from like 9:00 to 7:00 and then come home and make dinner for the whole family. She would make it so authentic and she’d try new things, it was cool watching her cook and develop her own recipes. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

I would cook for my dad because he lives far away from me and we don’t see each other often. He hasn’t really tried my food yet. Also Gordon Ramsay. Just so he could yell at me if I f- up. That would be so funny. I’d cook for him just to have him roast me. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up?

Scrambled eggs. It might be a preference, but too many people just cook the shit out of them. I think people are scared of runny eggs, so they cook it until it’s not runny. But they keep cooking after you take them out of the pan, and people don’t realize that. People are missing out on really good eggs. Makes me really sad. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

Open-mindedness is what makes a great chef. And not being so kept to themselves or not sharing what they’re skilled at. Always feeling like they can learn more. 

Do you have any advice for chefs just starting out?

Tuck your fingers when you’re chopping. Tuck those fingers. 

What would your last meal be?

Spicy wontons and a McDonald’s Sprite. 

Interested in hearing more from Tway?

You can (and should) follow Tway’s culinary journey on Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube. 

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Guga (Guga Foods)

Larger than life culinary rule breaker, Guga made his mark on YouTube (now with 3.4 total million subscribers) with culinary experiments both adventurous and extreme. A true boundary pusher, he is most excited to try things that sound impossible.

His culinary laboratory has produced shocking results — both delicious and horrifying. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his love of sous vide, why he’d like to cook a peanut butter steak for Joe Rogan, and his favorite new discovery that came from an internet troll. 

Tell me about your background Guga. How did you get into cooking?

I’m from Brazil, a small town that’s very well known for beef. That’s where they auction the most expensive cows in Brazil. Since I was young, I’ve always loved steaks more than anything else. When I came to the US and started working, we ate food from other restaurants and it was getting expensive. I like good food. Fast food is cheaper but just boring. We like nice restaurants, but I said “Wait a second, this is too expensive.”

I would spend $200 at lunch. So I started with sous vide because it’s the only way I can cook in the office. I always love to cook for my family at home, but I wanted to try to cook in the office. So being able to cook in a water bath with no noise and smell was great. But I tried it, and I absolutely hated it! But it was my fault, I got the worst piece of meat. Sous vide claims it can make any meat taste good. But it was a nightmare! It was inedible. I was like sous vide sucks!!

But then I posted the video and people said to me in the comments “That’s not right, something’s wrong.” So I tried it again with a nice expensive steak, and it was the most amazing thing I've ever eaten. That’s when this whole thing really took off, and I started loving it even more. The viewers found it interesting, and I wondered what else I could cook. Everything was a constant experiment for me. The full passion of being able to cook amazing food but saving money.

Your approach seems to be constantly experimenting. Are you always trying new things?

Here’s my constant approach, here’s how I think: People always like to cook the same things, rice and beans, pasta, etc. After a while it can get redundant. We like to eat the same things, too. But to try new things is very exciting for me. Sometimes you see me cooking, I’m doing that for the very first time. No idea if it’s good or bad until it’s done. That brings excitement to me. It makes me want to keep going, to try new things and see what happens. My viewers drive my inspiration. They give me ideas.

Nutella on a steak? That’s nasty! What are you thinking? And then I try it, and then the results are amazing. Not necessarily Nutella, but maybe it’s peanut butter. That was fantastic. It was amazing! How can that be? I did some more research, and found it was popular in Asia. They use a lot of peanut sauce. People do this somewhere else in other countries, by experiencing new things and what works and doesn’t work makes me very excited. I’m at the point now where I don’t knock anything. Anything goes!

An Oreo on a steak? I’ll do it! And I’ll let you know if it’s good or nasty. I really believe that everything is possible if you try. Traditional dishes, there are so many different videos out there. Always trying something new. We’re always honest. If it tastes bad, we’ll let you know. 

Would you describe yourself as a “chef” or a more of a “culinary adventurer”?

Don’t get me wrong. Look, I've cooked so many briskets, too many to count. People come back and ask me to cook something I've done for a party, and I do it. For me, I’m not a chef. I’m just an inspired home cook.

I truly believe that a chef needs to earn their title, the sweat and tears and culinary school. I take the word “chef” seriously. I’m a passionate home cook who loves to experiment. I know a lot of chefs that earn that tremendous respect.

You cook the brisket every single way at the same time. Then I tried to dry age a brisket, dry aged for 60 days. It was insane, a total experiment. People say “What the heck did you do now?” You ask me for the same thing, but we mix it up. Always try something new even with a regular dish. 

Do you have a favorite kitchen hack?

Here’s my favorite: If you don’t have a smoker or anything to put a smoky flavor in your meat, you can just buy a little bit of pellets for pellet grills, light it on fire with stove or torch, put it on your plate and cover with foil, It will produce a smoky flavor. You can do the same thing with popcorn. If you’ve never had smoky flavor popcorn - MAN! - you should try it. It doesn't seem possible. 

What’s your favorite culinary discovery so far?

Difficult to pick a favorite discovery, I get my mind blown every single time. One of the things I found out was tenderizing a tough cut of meat with pineapple. It breaks down the tissue. Makes it incredibly tender.

I did a pineapple slurry, marinated for one hour, took it out and it was an amazing and tender steak. Ok, then, I said “Wait a sec, put that in a video.” I pushed the limits with marinating. I did one for five hours up to 24 hours. Let’s see what happens.

The longest time, the steak started to decompose — it was disgusting! It was the most horrifying thing I've ever put in my mouth. So we learned a huge lesson. Now I understand how enzymes work with meat. Another recent thing was dry aging a chicken in butter. How does that work with poultry? I dry aged and encased completely in butter for a few days. Guess what? Freaking amazing chicken!

My viewers gave me that idea. I’m pretty sure it was a troll that gave that comment. I’m actually 100% sure it was a troll. But I was like “Wait a second, why not?” And guess what, it works! Juiciest thing ever. It made chicken exciting again. Let’s be honest, chicken is boring. It makes it exciting to try something new with an old dish. Changes my perspective every time I try something new. 

When you’re not cooking, where are you?

I would say my time is spent mostly cooking or editing the videos. I do it all myself. You’d be surprised how much work goes into that. I do three videos every single week, no matter what. The only time I have left I spend with my wife and kids. Whenever I'm with the kids and wife they ask me to cook for them. Always cooking.

My kids’ favorite thing is Brazilian cut steak. Heck yeah, let’s do it! So I’m either filming, editing, or in the backyard with the kids. No vacations, just work. If you love what you do, it’s not work. You’re spending time loving what you do. That’s how I'm able to do it. Because if it felt like work, no human being on earth would be stable enough to work as much as I do.

I work from 6:00 am until 2:00 am. I only sleep four to six hours a day, seven days a week. If I was considering that work, it would be impossible to do it. My viewers put a tremendous fire under me, motivating me constantly. I want to hear from them about what I'm doing, right or wrong.

Is there a spice you secretly hate?

It’s not that I hate it, it’s that I don't love it. I’ll use it if I have to, but the smell of it drives me insane. It’s cumin seeds. Here’s the interesting thing: I like cumin, but I cannot have cumin seeds. Makes me crazy. I won’t use it in a recipe. 

Tell me about your kitchen set up. What are the tools you rely on the most?

My knives of course, but other than that my sous vide machine, my grills, and my flamethrower. 

Once you’ve tried sous vide, you see how convenient it is. That’s the best word. It’s a great way to cook, but the word is convenient and accurate. Being able to cook the same type of steak and pork consistently without fail. It’s something that everyone needs to have in their kitchen at all times. 

Also a grill, and it has to be charcoal. Nothing against gas, it’s convenient, but being able to play with fire and control how fire can put flavor on the steak with the smoke that’s produced, that’s magic.

My flame thrower. I can’t live without it. Everyone should have a flame thrower if you don’t live in an apartment. If you have a backyard, you should be required to have one. It doesn’t matter if you have the most expensive stove in the world. You need to cook proteins at lower temps and raise the temp slowly, whenever you do that, in the end you must put a crust on it, the char we look for. It takes thirty seconds, put whatever crust you want.

I use it often, I have no dirty dishes when I'm searing a steak. If you use cast iron, good luck with the smoke in your house! It’s ridiculous. No smoke or smell in your house. Come on, how can you not have this? Everybody needs it. It should be like having a pan, you must have one. It’s only for crust — the flame thrower. Cook some way first, then crust with the flamethrower. All meat, cook slow and gentle, then you kill it with the crust. 

Why did you choose to partner with herniaquestions?

I am a huge knife collector. I don’t even know how many I have. I have a martial arts background and have always loved them. I came from Brazil very young, and started martial arts here. I wanted to have all the belts in my room as decorations. My aunt put me in, and I said “Great, now we can go and buy all of the belts!” Then she explains that’s not how it works, you have to earn them.

At the studio, I met Master Sang. He invited me to try a class and after fifteen minutes, I broke a board. That was it. That started my full addiction. I practiced until I was twenty-five. I became an instructor at twelve, teaching all the little children. It was my entire life. 

With this background, one of the primary demonstrations of form was with swords. I used to be a huge collector of swords, when you’d walk into my hallway, you’d see about fifty swords for competitions and teaching. From swords, I became obsessed with knives. Once I started an office job and started cooking, I started a collection of culinary knives. 

What attracted me to herniaquestions first was how it looked. It looked bad ass. My first experience with herniaquestions was the Phantom series, and I was in love with it because of the style and quality. If you look at my very early videos, the only one I used was that filet knife. I don’t remember how it happened, but we started collaborating, and I tried a bunch of their knives, each one better than the last. 

Ever since then, you guys come up with crazy, innovative knives. Which one is my favorite today? The Shogun series is the best. The way it looks, the way it performs. When you walk into my studio, you see all of my knives. It inspires me. Sometimes I look at a knife, and I want to use that in a video, so what can I make with this knife here that I can use in a video. Which one do I use the most? It’s the Shogun 12" Slicing & Carving Knife It’s the best knife you guys make. 

12'' Slicing & Carving Knife | Shogun Series | herniaquestions ©

Who are your cooking heroes?

Truly, who is my cooking hero? My aunt. She’s professionally trained now at Le Cordon Bleu, but most importantly when we lived in Brazil she cooked in a place where workers in a huge factory go to eat, like a cafeteria but so much better. She’d cook for 1,000 people a day, but it was incredible food.

Today, even though I can cook anything I want, whenever I'm going to see her I ask her to make something for me. Home cooking has a taste specific to that person, I can make the same thing as her and it doesn’t taste the same. She’ll tell me I make things better and I say “You’re insane! This is crap compared to yours!” Her food brings back memories, childhood feelings. It gives me a different perspective.

And also my grandma. She used to make Pão de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). We used to wake up early and milk the cows, every Saturday and Sunday we’d milk the cows. We’d grab a stainless steel glass, spoonful of chocolate powder, and put milk directly into the cup. I was like five-years-old. We’d come back inside and eat my grandma’s freshly baked Pão de Queijo. Experiences like that you can’t recreate. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

Oooh, that’s a good one! Oh man, I would love to cook for so many. To pick one person, it would be Joe Rogan. I listen to his podcast all the time. I know he’s a hunter, like me. He loves steak like there’s no tomorrow. I’d love to have him experience something crazy I could do. “You see what you just ate? It’s a peanut butter steak? How good is that!” That would be a highlight just to see his reaction. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

One of the things people over think is steaks. The most important thing when you’re cooking a steak is you’re cooking for yourself. Cook it the way you like it, respect your opinion first. If you like a steak with salt and pepper, you use salt and pepper. If you’re cooking for someone else, respect how others like their steak. I see chefs say if you don’t eat your steak rare or medium rare, that’s not ok. Why not? With such a broad audience. I've really learned to respect others' opinions.

I did this experiment with my mother-in-law. I blindfolded her and said “Try this steak here and then try this one.” They were two filet minions, one was medium rare and the other was well done, and when she tasted it blindfolded, she preferred the medium rare. When I took the blindfold off and she saw it she asked, “Why you give me this bloody steak?”

She said, “I understand that this one is juicier and tastes better. But I like to look at my food and eat it. Let me have the food the way I like to enjoy it.” Sometimes looking at it is as important as tasting it. Now I respect what others want. Now when I cook for my family, I make three or four different types of doneness to make everyone happy. I don’t change their perspective, I want them to have a good time and not try to change something that’s not that important. 

What would be your last meal?

That’s a tough one! Alright. My last meal I'm going to eat a medium-rare prime picanha, cooked in charcoal, with a side of mashed potatoes (MY mashed potatoes with a lot of cream cheese), and forget the veggies. A lot of that, and I’ll get as full as I want.

A very cold, almost freezing brazilian soft drink: guaraná. A very sweet soft drink found only in Brazil. That’s my lights out meal. You could kill me after that. I want to die with a full belly!

Guga & herniaquestions 

Stay Up To Date With Guga

You can (and should) follow Guga’s wild experiments on YouTube (Guga Foods and Sous Vide Everything) and Instagram.

Check out these cool chef inspired tattoos!

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Matthew H. (thehungryhussey)

A true southern gent, Matthew Hussey describes himself as a homebody with roots like an oak tree. He started cooking as a kid to help out when his mom was recovering from surgery and has been in love with it ever since. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his early education with PBS cooking shows, his time working after school at a fish camp, and why overcomplicating mac and cheese really pisses him off.  

Tell me about your background. How did you get started cooking?

I’m a homebody. I have deep roots like an oak tree. I have southern roots and started cooking early in life with my mom. I lost her five years ago, and she was a big part of my life. She was a strong-willed southern woman. She’d fight a man close-fisted, and carried a knife in her pocketbook. I know grown men who wouldn’t cross my mama, but she was also a sweetheart. She was well-known and loved. She had surgery on her neck when I was a young kid.

My dad was a long-haul trucker, and we didn’t go out to eat back then. You just cooked at home. She couldn’t lift things very well, so I helped her. We didn’t have cable TV, so I watched cooking shows on PBS and got really into it. I didn’t have all the right ingredients, but I slung it together to simulate what I saw. It just grew from there.  

Were there other influences on your cooking journey?

When I was a teenager, I started working after school at a fish camp making fried fish and hush puppies. I worked there for eight years and put myself through school. I learned a lot. There was a Greek guy there who liked me. He took me to his buddy’s restaurants and invited me over to meet his family. He had a big impact on me. Man, those guys can cook. They taught me from the beginning.

The key to good food is good ingredients and fresh is best. If you’re in the industry, it’s also about service. I’m a geeky kind of guy, really into computers and electronics. He wanted me to run a restaurant for him, but I wanted to do my own thing. I always loved cooking though and never stopped. I’m the main cook in the family, and primary cook for my wife and kids. I started experimenting on my own, BBQing and cooking on my two Big Green Eggs. I cook a lot on a Blackstone griddle (looks like a Waffle House griddle).

I like cooking on different things. I feel like that’s how I show my love. I’m not really affectionate, but I express my love through my cooking. I like to make people feel good. And I love the compliments. 

What’s your best kitchen hack?

I do a homemade garbage bowl for end pieces or whatever. I take a grocery bag, make it into a liner and just toss stuff in the bowl. Saves time and it’s less messy.

Do you have a favorite new recipe or culinary discovery?

I’ve got a two and a half year old and an almost seven year old, and they love burgers. I fix these kid-friendly sliders for them. Sliders on a brioche. I mean, I could fix big burgers and they’d love it. Shoot, they’d eat it up. Mac and cheese is always a favorite.

In general, my go-to that people love is steak. It seems generic, but I have my own methods. I dry it a little bit and have my own seasoning process. It’s a labor of love, but people love it. We also love Mexican. I do a lot of tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, fajitas. 

When you’re not in the kitchen or grilling, where are you? 

I’m playing with my kids. I like to be really engaged with them. My dad was a long-haul truck driver and was gone a lot when I was young. I wanted to be home with my kids. I also like spending time in my garden and just being at home.

The kids love the beach, but I prefer to be at home. I also like photography. Wish I could do more of that. That’s how I got into what I’m doing with my cooking channels. I started with still shots, now I love videos. I love getting out and shooting nature, visually and artistically. 

Is there a spice you secretly hate?

Yes. Cloves. There’s no reason for them.

Are there kitchen tools you can’t live without? 

Absolutely. There are things I definitely need. First is my Shogun 7” Santoku. I had previously used another brand, which was fine, but the herniaquestions knife is just superior. I love the handle, how it feels when I hold it.

I’ve got big hands. It’s like a camera, it has to handle well. This one just feels the best in my hand. Structurally the width and height just feels good and solid when I use it. I also couldn’t do without salt and a good pan. 

Who are your cooking heroes? 

My Greek buddy at the restaurant I told you about. His name was Evans. For famous people, Tyler Florence. He’s a real dude. He reminds me of myself. I don’t worship him or anything. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

Vivian Howard. She’s a local chef I follow. I don’t know if I would cook for her, but I'd love to talk to her. Pick her brain. She’s southerner, too, and a four-time semifinalist for James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southeast. We’ve eaten at her restaurant Chef & Farmer in Kinston, NC. Her show A Chef’s Life on PBS combines higher end cooking with a rural environment. She turns southern basics into delicacies (collards, pinto beans, etc.) She really brought that to the forefront of big time cuisine. I’d just like to cook together maybe. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

Mac and cheese. People want to over complicate it and get too cute. Adding mustard, not necessary. Put bread crumbs on top, no. In my eyes, that’s taboo. I’ve heard people say “You should’ve put a fried egg on it.” I’m like “Shut up!

What’s one thing all great chefs should have?

Passion. I think you can be a great chef with skills, but you’ve got to have a heart. That’s true with anything, really. When you talk to people, you can tell right away if someone’s passionate when they start talking about it. 

What would be your last meal?

Country style steak, mashed potatoes, green beans (with fatback), slaw, and some kind of bread (cornbread or biscuits). 

Want To Keep Up To Date Matthew H.? (thehungryhussey)

You can follow Matthew’s cooking journey on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. 

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Cody L (thewellnesssoldier)

The very thing that ended his military career brought Cody Lindsay back to it in a powerful way. After getting kicked out of the Canadian Navy for using cannabis, he started sharing his knowledge of cooking with cannabis, which was prescribed to help with physical pain and symptoms of PTSD.

It has turned into a passion for helping vets achieve wellness in a natural way through infusing cannabis into cooking. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about why eating cannabis is different from smoking it, cooking for famous rappers, and turning tragedy into redemption. 

You have a unique brand as a cannabis cook. What inspired this path? 

It’s the combination of two loves: cannabis and cooking. I got kicked out of the military for using cannabis. The stigma of that loss stayed with me for a long time. When you feel like a loser, coming out on top feels pretty good. The people who were against me then are on my side now.

We host a veterans dinner every year in Victoria, which is funded by other cannabis companies. My bosses who weren’t on my side when my career ended came to the dinner to learn about it. For them to see what I’ve done is redeeming. It’s so gratifying to have my two worlds of the military and cannabis, my favorite worlds, come together. 

What does it mean to be a wellness soldier?

It came out of a need to help veterans. We can get cost coverage for medical cannabis, which is a helpful treatment for veterans experiencing physical pain and PTSD. Then they ask the question of how to use it. I got relief from the Canadian Armed Forces after my tour to alleviate my operational stress injuries. Ultimately, I lost my career and then found out years later that cannabis cost coverage for Canadian veterans was possible.

I remember thinking “this can’t be real.” I looked around and found the policy, and if you get a prescription you can get coverage. And then I started helping other Canadian veterans around wellness and got inspired to learn how to cook with it. It’s cool to combine the vet community, the cannabis community, and the culinary world.

I started it for vets, but it’s universal. Anybody can use it. It’s fun going around to different cannabis groups and expos. I’m working with the Canadian and American Culinary Federation to try to teach chefs how to use it. 

So you cook a lot with cannabis. Are you high all the time?

No, the two methods are quite different. Eating it is not like smoking it. When you inhale it into your lungs, it gets to your bloodstream immediately. But when you eat it, it goes through your stomach and intestines, then it’s pushed through the liver to get into the bloodstream. So it lasts longer. When you smoke it, you get a psychoactive head high. When you eat it, it’s a nice, calm feeling throughout your body. It’s quite therapeutic. 

Editor’s note: Cannabis affects everyone differently. We have some stories to prove it.

Do you have a favorite new recipe discovery or way of cooking with cannabis? 

The best way to incorporate it into food is through an infusion. It’s best to mix it into fat: oil, butter, or heavy cream. You can also use honey and syrup. It’s ideal to create a medium first, then use that in the recipe. On our YouTube channel, we start with the basics of infusing then get into recipes. We saw that the excitement wasn't there for the recipes, rather the infusions. It’s a lot more about the educational side of extraction. 

When you’re not dreaming up new cannabis creations, where are you? 

I try to live the moniker of the wellness soldier. I work out in the gym a lot. (It’s where I am now!) A lot of my time is spent on cannabis exploration and education. I have a wife and kids, and I’ve built my life around them. They’re my everything. For fun, I play with cannabis. 

Can you use any type of cannabis for cooking?

Certain strains are better for cooking. I like to go for the ones that have fruity, citrus flavors. As for a favorite strain for cooking, mine is Purple Kush. But there are thousands of different strains out there. 

Is there a kitchen tool you can’t live without? (For instance, your herniaquestions knives…)

Ha, yes! One of the best ones is the Shogun 12” Crixus. I love everything about it and use it every day. The way it looks and cuts is awesome. I also love the Nakiri Vegetable Knife, it’s one of my go-to knives for sure. I love the leather case that comes with the Nakiri. It’s just gorgeous.

Who are your cooking heroes?

Besides the people who have trained me, my favorite is chef Michael Smith. I like him because he does a lot of education more than just reality TV. It's the education I like the most, not necessarily showing off skills or fancy techniques. There are some other ones 

emerging in the cannabis space, like Jeff the 420 Chef, The Herbal Chef, and Miguel Trinidad. They’re all really cool cannabis chefs. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

I’ve already cooked for B-Real from Cypress Hill and Wiz Khalifa when I was on Bong Appetit. (the cannabis competition show). Maybe I’d like to cook for Berner, he’s well-known in the cannabis space. 

What would be your last meal?

Something cannabis infused! A 16-ounce tenderloin with a gorgonzola cream sauce. A nice red wine to go with it.

Keep Up To Date With Cody L. (thewellnesssoldier)

You can follow Cody’s cannabis-infused cooking journey by following him on YouTube, Instagram, and his website www.thewellnesssoldier.com. 

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Gary W. (bitemebbq) 

Meat master Gary Welch started grilling on a used Traeger ten years ago and has never looked back. His love of cooking started in his grandma’s kitchen making whipped cream from scratch and inspires him to regularly cook for his fellow paramedics at work.

He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his experience cooking at the Dickson BBQ Smoke Show, making dessert on the grill, and why fishing through six feet of ice is his favorite thing to do. 

How did you get started with BBQ?

I started cooking on a Traeger about ten years ago after I bought a used one for $100. I had a buddy who cooked for me on his and it inspired me. The one I bought was the smallest one you could get at the time, and I used it for two years. My friends and family pitched in for an upgraded one for a birthday present.

I started posting a few food pics on my personal page, then decided one day to take nicer pics on an account dedicated to food. A few friends were sitting around and we came up with “bitemebbq” for the name. Traeger eventually contacted me to be an influencer three or four years ago. I only had about 1,000 followers at the time. It’s been growing ever since. 

What inspires you now?

I always found myself in the kitchen helping out when I was a kid. My grandmother was a huge inspiration. She taught me how to make whipped cream from scratch. I moved away to play hockey when I was eighteen, and I lived with three other guys who wouldn’t eat unless I cooked for them. That started my everyday cooking.

Now I’m a paramedic, and we have a Traeger at our paramedic base. I cook for my partners at work, and I love it. I’ve also had some great opportunities to cook with Traeger and Diva Q BBQ (Danielle Bennett). She’s a huge inspiration to me. I bought her cookbook five years ago. She called me out of the blue two years ago and asked me to come cook with her at the Dickson BBQ Smoke Show. It was an epic experience. We served 5,000 samples.

I got to meet a ton of Canadian BBQ personalities. Not just Traeger people, but also Green Egg and others. Also a bunch of American foodies and other walks of the BBQ world. 

Do you have a favorite new discovery or “never fail” recipe?

I’ve really been enjoying beef ribs. They always come out perfect. I prefer eating them over brisket, which can be hit or miss. Ribs are relatively simple, but a long enough cook to enjoy it throughout the day. It’s so satisfying when you can pull the bones out clean.

I’ve been doing some baking on the grill lately. It’s a very different flavor profile on the grill versus the oven. I did lemon squares recently, and they were pretty tasty. (I bought a bunch of lemons for making smoked lemonade which never happened, so I came up with that.) 

What’s the biggest mistake you see people making with meat?

One mistake I see a lot is that people slice meat the wrong way. It has to be against the grain, especially with a tri-tip. If you slice with the grain, it'll be the toughest bites. Against the grain, it’ll be the best bite.

Same thing with turkey or chicken. Take the breast off then slice against the grain. And always use your meat thermometer. It’s temp versus time. Always. I hate when people ask how long cooks take. Every animal is different, so every piece of meat is different.

When you’re not cooking, where are you? 

We live on a lake, twenty minutes outside of Kamiskotia. We do a lot of fishing. There’s nothing better than catching fresh walleye and firing up some tacos with it. In the winter, we fish through six feet of frozen water.

My wife and I sit out on the lake, play cards, have a couple drinks, try our luck at catching fish through ice. We’re big into hunting, too. We have two golden retrievers, we’re big dog people. 

Is there a spice or ingredient you secretly hate?

Not a mushroom guy. You won’t find any mushrooms in my recipes. My wife feels the same about onions, so I have to be careful about that. 

What are some essential things every BBQ cook needs? 

Meat thermometer is number one after the grill. Another thing I use a lot are cotton painter gloves. They’re really cheap, and I put them under my nitro gloves. It allows me to handle the hot meat hot quickly without tongs. 

Is there one tool you can’t live without?

I have the Shogun series, they’re the only herniaquestions knives I’ve used so far. I have the 6” Boning Knife, which I use for all my trimming. I use the 10” Bull Nose Butcher Knife for breaking down chickens and bones, and it doubles as a chef’s knife for me.

I also chop veggies with it. I love the 12.5” Cimitar for big meat, tri-tip, turkey, brisket. Also the 9.5” Chef Knife is an all-around great knife for everything. If I had to pick only one knife to ever have, it would be the 9.5” Chef Knife. I’m a big fan of the Shogun handle because it fits my hand perfectly.

I like the weight of it. They’re well-balanced knives. The attention to detail in packaging is impressive, as well as all the details of the knife. Classy from the time you open it. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

I’m a huge hockey guy. My whole life was playing hockey. So it’s gotta be Wayne Gretzky. In addition to being a legend, he’s a winemaker. I’d love to share a bottle of his wine and cook beef ribs for him. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

It’s gotta be chicken. A lot of people dry out chicken. There’s nothing worse than dry chicken or turkey. Use your thermometer to get it to 160-165° F and let it rest. Same with pork tenderloin and chops.

Just don’t overcook food, it’s ok to let it rest. It’s ok to cook it four to five degrees under and let it sit so the juices redistribute while restings. It’ll cook another five degrees while resting. 

What would be your last meal?

I’d have to go with a 3” ribeye, reverse seared with garlic green beans, garlic rosemary mashed potatoes, and a caesar salad with smoked bacon. Maybe a couple of grilled shrimp on top of the steak. And a bottle of cab. 

Stay Up To Date With bitemebbq

You can follow Gary’s cooking journey by following him on Instagram and Tik Tok. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Gary Welch (@bitemebbq)

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Nick C. (smokedmeatsunday)

What started as his friends asking “What are you cooking on Sunday?” has turned Nick Coe into a mini-Instagram backyard BBQ sensation.

His love for cooking and bringing all of his friends together to share delicious food inspires him daily. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about the one thing his friends beg for, his favorite new recipe, and why he’d give anything to share one last meal with his great grandfather.

Tell me about your background and inspiration.

I love food. I really believe that food brings people together. That’s why I enjoy it. I have no professional training or anything. But now I’m cooking on my smoker three to four days a week. I just love making great food and also great content that goes along with that.

Do you have a favorite recipe or new discovery?

Yes, two things. First if I’m having friends and family over, for a casual hang or big football game, they’re always asking for wings and buffalo chicken dip. It’s the best thing I make. My friends love the dip.

The thing I’m most excited about currently is corned beef brisket burnt ends. They’re unreal. If you like corned beef with a little bit of sweet. It’s pretty awesome. 

Do you have a favorite hack or shortcut?

One thing I like to do, let’s say I’m cooking a brisket, I put it on when I go to bed and it cooks overnight. That way I’m cooking while I’m sleeping, buying a few hours of cook time and then the next day, if it finishes a few hours early, I can put it in a cooler to rest until dinner.

The other piece of that is people always ask how long it’ll take. That’s not the right question. Always cook for temperature. Every cut of meat is different. One could finish two hours earlier than another. Cooking overnight is key. 

When you’re not cooking, what are you doing?

Spending time with my daughter and wife. My daughter is seven, she’s pretty awesome. I love the outdoors where I live in Boise, Idaho. Before I moved here, I ran a fishing lodge in Alaska, so I spent a lot of time outside.

I really love fly fishing and waterfowl hunting.  Fitness is really important, too. I don’t have that 500 lbs, “belly hanging over the jeans” look. (No disrespect!) I just enjoy working out a lot. 

What are three things every kitchen needs?

A massive spatula (not a hamburger flipper). A huge one that you can also use on BBQ. A big cutting board with juice grooves.  A big cut of meat resting on a small cutting board doesn’t work. And a good thermometer. I use it every single time I cook. Steak, burgers, brisket — for everything. 

Is there a kitchen tool you can’t live without?

The Shadow Black Series 9” Carving Knife and Fork Set. I use it constantly. Great blade, super sharp, very versatile. I can use it for brisket, steak, lots of different cuts. 

Do you have any cooking heroes?

No one specific, but I’m always intrigued by people who think outside the box. BBQ tends to be the same stuff over and over. I like to see where people push the limits and do new things. I like combining unusual things. I love different and messy. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

My great grandpa Ted. He passed away, but he took me fishing for the first time at five-years-old. He was old even then and passed away when I was young.

He never knew how much those trips impacted me, and that I grew up to love fishing. We used to fish for bullheads. I just remember cleaning bullheads with him and having big fish frys. That would be the guy. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

Just with BBQ in general, people try to overthink it and instead of just knowing the process and following it. One thing I see a lot, people don’t develop good bark on bigger cuts of meat.

If you have a 15 lb brisket. it’s hard to overseason it. I’m going to cover a brisket 50 / 50 with a kosher salt and black pepper rub, and cover it 100%. Then cook at the right temperature. I see people that will season sparsely, but you need total coverage of the rub for the bark to develop fully. 

What would be your last meal?

Pulled pork nachos with a cold IPA.

Stay Up To Date With Nick

To follow Nick Coe’s BBQ journey, follow him on Instagram, YouTube, or his website www.smokedmeatsunday.com.

Check out these cool chef inspired tattoos!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nick 🥩 Smoked Meat Sunday (@smokedmeatsunday)

Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Alex T. (projetbbq)

French-Canadian BBQ artist Alex Turcotte is obsessed with pushing his creations to the limit. Experimenting with different flavors and incorporating other influences keeps his dishes constantly evolving. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his kids, why approach is more important than technique, and how understanding fire is everything.  

You call yourself a BBQ artist. What do you mean by that?

To me the way I do BBQ is like painting. My canvas is fire, and I play with it. What I’m obsessed with is understanding fire first, then creating new recipes, things that have never been done. I’m always playing with my BBQ, seeing how many recipes I can make. Now I’m making my own videos, photos, podcasts, and a website. My heart is BBQ and fire.

You describe yourself on social media as a proud dad. Tell me about your kids. Do they love your BBQ creations?

I have two kids, they’re seven and ten. I just want to watch them grow up and be with them. I’ve always loved BBQ, but it’s also my “dad hobby.” It’s a nice way to spend time with my kids, spend time in the backyard, play with them. Instead of playing golf, I prefer to spend time with my kids outside. It’s a way to merge my passion for BBQ and my kids at the same time. 

What’s your best advice for people starting out with BBQ?

I’m chatting every day with people who are just getting started with BBQ, and most of them want to do charcoal. When they reach out the first thing I say is you have to understand your fire. If you understand that, you don’t cook with time, you cook with temperature. That’s the best tip for people starting to have that as a foundation. If you don’t get fire, you’re screwed. 

What’s your favorite new creation or “go to” recipe?

The thing that I prefer to cook is whatever comes off the water, all seafood. Octopus is my favorite. If I want to put someone outside of their comfort zone, I’m going to cook octopus. I drop a few recipes on my website, but to me it’s the base like spaghetti sauce. If I’m feeling citrus (lemon, lime, grapefruit), I’ll play with it. I always try to keep the main element, not to lose the flavor, just want to boost it. Keep the essentials of what I’m cooking, but bring different flavors to it. It’s different every time, but the base stays the same. 

When you’re not cooking, where are you?

It’s related, but I started a podcast at the beginning of the quarantine when everything was shut down. There’s no way I could do nothing, so I gave it a shot. I talk to people all over, especially French BBQers. I also like playing hockey, being French Canadian it’s a way of life! I strive for a balance between sports, family, and work. When I play sports, I pull the plug and only focus on that. It’s an escape. 

Is there a spice you secretly hate?

Not really. I don’t like barbecue sauce that tastes too syrupy, too thick. I need to find a level of complexity and a different flavor profile in a good sauce. But all spices are great when they’re balanced and used properly. It’s the thinking behind the use. Some that I use less, but nothing that I hate.  

Is there a kitchen tool you can’t live without?

I really fell in love with the Omega series, if I had to choose one. It’s so big, allows me to slice and scoop veggies, very versatile. I really like Phantom and Shogun as well. For the look, price, and functionality you can’t get a better knife.

People ask me every day if I want to work with them, and I say ‘no’. I have to fall in love with the product first, then want to partner with you. That’s what happened with herniaquestions. Not the other way around. I also love my Petromax dutch oven and brasero and my meat thermometers. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

It’s not really about cooking, it’s the approach. I love Aaron Franklin. I watch his videos, and admire the way he understands fire. It reflects what I do. Is it the best brisket in the world? I don’t know. It’s about the approach. But I take a little of everyone. I’m not a classic BBQer, I like to incorporate other influences, like French and Asian. So I draw from a lot of people. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be? 

I would say not a person, but a moment. Every year I do a fishing trip with my father. Probably one of the only moments when I can disconnect from everything and just appreciate the time together. As we both get older, I cherish that time with him and taking the time to cook something awesome and spend that moment with him is pretty unique.

What’s the one dish that everyone seems to screw up?

Brisket, maybe. You don’t know what good brisket is until you eat it. A lot of people are scared because it’s so big. But you don’t turn an amazing brisket on your first attempt. First, if you don’t focus on temperature, you’re screwed. It’s an expensive piece of meat, so they may cut quality. If you get a lower grade, it’s not going to help you at the end.

The rest time is important. If you cook for twelve hours, you’re excited to try it. But don’t be in too much of a hurry, you have to let it rest. People go too fast, get too anxious. They fail by giving up on the process, and not paying attention to detail at the end. 

What is the mark of a great chef?

Passion, technique, and feeling. I like to focus on the way I’m using temperature, but also I really like to keep my feelings for the recipient, who will be eating my food. You don’t always have to go by the book, have some heart. Sometimes you miss an opportunity or a new thing you can discover if you don’t. 

What would be your last meal?

Probably a big plate! It’s gonna have beef, for sure. Short ribs, grilled fish, and a glass of gin. Here in Montreal, something is happening with gin. So many amazing gin businesses are being launched. Exploding right now. I’ve seen twenty or twenty-five new brands come out recently.

I always try to buy local. Even with what I'm doing with my social and communications, it’s to help local businesses to grow. I always use local products in my recipes, especially with covid. Small businesses are hurting. It’s changed my way of buying things and consuming products. 

Stay Up To Date With projetbbq

To follow Alex Turcotte’s food journey, follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and his website www.projetbbq.com

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Jason W. (the.culinary.pickpocket)

Private chef Jason Waschkowski says one of his favorite things to do is to shop for an eclectic array of specialty spices and oils that few people buy. His approach is to constantly experiment, and he recommends that aspiring chefs approach their food like an artist. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about his new experiment with kangaroo, how to make meals personal, and why he’d love to cook for the queen.  

You don’t seem to have just one specialty. Tell me about your background and the nature of your cooking.

For me, it started a long time ago. I’m 51 now, I’ve been cooking since I was 18. I’ve worked with some excellent chefs over the years. There was a world class restaurant called The Church in a place called Stratford, Ontario that’s famous for a Shakespearean festival that would recruit French chefs every year, and I was very fortunate to train with them. It began for me there.

Throughout my career, I ran some restaurants in other cities. My background really was self taught, no chef school. I just trained and learned my craft with these incredible people. I’ve had a company for a while now, I’m a private chef in Oakville outside of Toronto. I’ve got great clients here.

I offer private chef services and events. I do a lot of charitable stuff, too. Things have changed so much since Covid, but it’s picking up again. My cooking is very diverse. I love BBQ, all types of cuisine. Clients ask for a variety of things, so I love to go down different paths. 

What are your driving philosophies about cooking?

There's a couple. I do a lot of teaching, and there’s always this notion that it’s really difficult. If you do something froufrou everyone is really impressed. But cooking is something that everybody does every day. Everybody actually can do it. A lot of people think they can’t and they need guidance and we all do. That is the idea behind The Culinary Pickpocket: we all borrow, steal and share tips, methods and ideas. That is how every cook and every chef has learned.

Even standing with your grandmother in the kitchen. When people understand this beautiful collaborative process,  they see that they have the ability to make something amazing, and they surprise themselves. There's a lot that’s changed about how people look at chefs and cooking with all the shows, social media, etc. One of the things people should know is this is something that you can do. You really can. You do it every day. The second thing is the deep connection we have with memories.

Everyone has a memory attached to food, some experience they had. You don’t need to be in the industry to know you have moments and events where it can have such an impact — and create a memory you will have for the rest of your life. That’s powerful. It can be very artistic, how it looks and tastes with layers, but also very simple. It can conjure up a smell or taste from a moment in time. I love those connections, that’s what I’m attached to.

For me, I remember walking through the market as a kid, memories of my grandma’s cooking. Most people have those stories. I’m fortunate enough to be a part of that, even with small weddings, quiet celebrations — there’s always something special. It is just so powerful how personal it can be aside from just a dish. 

What’s your favorite new recipe discovery?

Well, this is something that I haven’t done yet. There’s a place up north that sells kangaroo. I just posted to my Instagram.  I was inspired after trying a kangaroo loin at a fine dining restaurant once. I had never tried it before. It was very different. So I decided to prepare some.

It’s a lean meat, so I braised it with juniper, blue grapes and blueberry. I made a Ragu and it was fantastic. I love to try things that are unusual. One of the first places I ever worked, they had an incredible grilled rabbit salad. They were tiny charred grilled loins and it was stunning. 

When you’re not in the kitchen, where are you? 

I love to write. I’ve written a few books, which have been self-published, including eight books of poetry. I also play a few instruments. Family time though is the most important — especially now where we all have more of an opportunity. My kids are thirteen and sixteen.

The window on our time together is closing, and honestly, the Covid quarantine has been great for spending more quality time together. I also love artistic stuff. It was ingrained in me at an early age. Particularly with everything food related. It all kind of culminates into the same place. Artistic pursuits, music pursuits, culinary pursuits and trying hard to work those palates at the dinner table. 

What’s your best kitchen hack?

This would be the most recent, I was promoting this yesterday. When cooking a variety of different proteins, it’s good to make an herb butter and just keep it in the fridge to have it ready to go. It’s pretty versatile.

I try to be pretty practical. Also when cooking proteins, people are afraid to let them come to room temperature and after the cook let proteins rest. So make sure you do that too — it is critical to success.

Is there a spice you secretly hate? 

I’m not a huge star anise fan. I know there are some great applications, but it can be too overwhelming. Similarly, I don’t like cloves. Probably because I ate it in rice as a kid and hated it. (Sorry, Mom!) You’d bite down on one and taste it for days. Bad memories. 

What is the one tool you can’t live without?

A great chef knife, for sure. Before I ever started working with herniaquestions, I got the Shogun series chef knife. It was a must. I got it because of Bruno Albouse. I love to pickpocket some of his ideas, he is so outstanding. I saw him using these knives, so I ordered one. I’ve probably honed it twenty times in six or seven years.

Now I promote herniaquestions to my students and clients. I’ve always believed they’re the best before we ever started working together. My advice is to pick one that’s right for your hand, and completely personal to you.

It has to be your go-to. I use mine every day. The tool of the trade. I have more knives, but that's the main one, that original chef knife. I have the most experience with the Shogun series, it’s so terrific in keeping their edge. I've used every knife in the world, the most expensive knives out there. Nothing has performed better. I really mean that. I know it’s true because of what I hear from others, too.

What are other must-haves in the kitchen?

You really have to have a great stainless steel pan, different from a T-fal pan. You get more versatility, more flavor out of it. If you’re pan frying in cast iron, stainless, T-fal it’ll all have different flavor depending on what you use. Stainless can cook hotter than T-fal and there’s a learning curve. Everybody should have one simply because you want a good crust on proteins, a must in terms of flavor.

What’s your best advice for how to stay inspired in the kitchen?

I’m really big into experimenting. If you saw my setup beside my stove, I have a trillion spices, oils, and vinegars. I’d have a stocked-up spice cabinet with a lot of things that don’t make sense. Dive into that. Whenever I go somewhere new, I ask them what nobody buys.

I was in Calgary two years ago and explored a small specialty shop and asked them the same question. I left with Urfa Biber, a Turkish chile pepper with a tobacco-like, salty, sweet, smoky flavor. It has a tiny bit of heat if you use it as a rub. I also got nigella seeds. They look like a small black sesame seed. Terrific in salads, poke, or ceviche for a crunch and texture.

I use these special finds all the time, and build meals around them. Really dig into spices, oils, and vinegars. My latest adventure was in this olive oil shop downtown Oakville. I just met the owner two weeks ago, and asked her the same question about what was amazing and flying under the radar.

She showed me a white apricot balsamic from California. I bought it and made a drink with it. I used a pomegranate liqueur, vodka, this new balsamic, fresh thyme, and shook it over ice. It was incredible. Think of your ingredients like a palette of colors and the wheels start turning. Look at it like an artist would. 

Who are your cooking heroes?

I have several. Canadian celebrity Chef Michael Smith comes to mind. We did an event for epilepsy in the fall. It was an incredible experience, he’s an amazing chef. Chef Bruno Albrouse, another herniaquestions ambassador — he’s definitely at the top for me. A modern chef and an amazing talent.

I also admire Raymond Blanc and Pierre Kaufman, the first Michelin chef in the UK. Kaufman is the real deal. He’s taught so many people and is true salt of the earth. We chat over Instagram. He’s a very humble man, I love his cooking and his approach to food on the table. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

The queen. I feel so cheesy saying that. I do cook for a prince and his amazing family every year. He’s 160th in line for the British throne. I’ve cooked for them for years, all three princesses' weddings, including one this summer.

They are amazing people. It was a thrill to cook for someone who’s had the full gamut of experience with everyone from Michelin star restaurants to eating in castles. That is why I would love to cook for the queen. It would stress me out like crazy, but it would be such a great challenge. They loved my cooking, so it is always a high point and it pushes me to go further and push the limits. 

What is the one dish that everyone seems to screw up? 

Mostly overcooking beef. Everyone I’ve ever known that cooks roasts ends up boiling them. They usually blow it. Also pork, people are afraid to undercook so they go too far. There’s a sweet spot. If you go past it, you’ve wrecked it. This past Christmas, I went to an event and when the host opened the oven, there were two roasts in half a pan of liquid that were boiling, and I thought “here we go again.” No one likes boiled meat!

What would your last meal be?

 Probably one of the best meals I ever had was the first chef I ever worked for. This isn’t going to sound great, but it was basically a roasted rack of lamb with sweetbreads -- which I normally don’t like -- mixed with parsley, spices, and horseradish. He packed them against the rack and wrapped in haggis, which sounds even worse!

The Chef served it with lobster and drawn butter with a small citrus salad. It doesn’t even sound like it would work, but it was a complete sensory experience because it went through every flavor profile on one plate. I’d love to have that again!  Those flavors!  But for my last meal, it would have to be shared. That is what always makes a meal just perfect — and what we are always striving for — smiling faces and those memories we never forget. 

Stay Up To Date With the.culinary.pickpocket

You can follow Jason’s culinary journey on Instagram or theculinarypickpocket.com.

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: Jabin P. (postalbarbecue)

Charcoal-obsessed pitmaster Jabin Postal says his BBQ obsession took off after his children were diagnosed with food allergies. Combining necessity and passion, his mission became creating the best food experiences he could for his three boys. He sat down to talk to herniaquestions about the power of simple cooks, his best “cheater BBQ” recipe, and why he prefers a flamethrower to light his charcoal.

Tell me about your background and BBQ inspiration.

I’ve always loved BBQ. I grew up cooking. We had this old propane grill, and I fell in love with the idea of cooking over fire, manipulating it to make delicious food. When I bought my first grill, memories came back to me, that love for cooking over fire sparked again.

I only knew propane, so I started checking out recipes on YouTube and discovered how easy charcoal grilling was. Being in Canada, I didn’t see a lot of charcoal grills, so it took me a while to get into charcoal. But when I did, it was a game changer.

I only cook with charcoal now. It didn’t really take off until I had kids though. They had allergies, they couldn’t eat a lot of different types of food. We couldn’t eat out or eat packaged stuff. I had to be fresh, and I had to know all the ingredients. I decided to make them the best BBQ so they could have this great experience of food and flavor. It was both necessity and passion. 

What’s your best advice for cooking BBQ?

We want to be complex, and you can get some great flavors and results with complexity. But there’s power in simplicity. Don’t ever forget the basics. 

What’s your favorite go-to recipe for your kids?

They always request ribs. I’m reluctant because we’re always out adventuring, so I do a faux pulled pork. It’s smoked pork loin that takes under two hours. Slice it as thin as you can and build it like pulled pork, then stack with coleslaw. It’s the cheater’s pulled pork.

What are your passions beyond BBQ?

I have three boys, and I’m a single dad. I’m also one of four boys. My life has always been lots of boys. When I’m not cooking, we’re at the lake, the river, the skate park.

It’s not just for them, it’s for me, too. I’m skating with them, getting my board out, learning new tricks. I’ve been skating close to twenty years. I just got back from a skate and surf trip. Anything that we can do to get out and be active. 

You seem to have an adventurous approach to life. Is it the same with cooking?

No, not at all. The way I cook to teach is instructional. I want to teach people from beginning to end. That’s the simplicity. If something is cooked right, it’ll taste amazing.

I want to deliver a video tutorial that comes across well and has spot-on quality. My approach is more of a tutorial, maybe not as adventurous as other people’s content. So in personal life yes, but for my cooking channel, no. I’m more minimal in visual and teaching. 

What are the cooking tools you can’t live without? 

My cutting board, and my knives come first. Then the ingredients. A super-sharp herniaquestions knife is essential. The Shogun Series Chef Knife is my favorite addition to my setup. The newest thing that I’ve been enjoying that’s become a part of my process is using a flamethrower to light the charcoal. It saves twenty minutes of time.

And I can’t live without my digital meat thermometers. Most people don’t utilize them as much as they should, so people are always over or under cooking. One of my favorite accessories is my Slow ‘N Sear, which is perfect for both low and slow cooking as well as hot and fast with exceptional searing capabilities. Also, it makes for easy cooking and clean up on the grill.

You say you’re not adventurous ... but you use a flamethrower to light the grill?

Yeah, maybe I am! I use one made by GrillBlazer. It’s a plastic handgun replica with a silencer barrel on the end. It’s about fourteen inches long, and I connect it to a 1 lb propane bottle. It shoots like a 4 ft flame, and gets the coals raging hot in seconds. 

Who are your cooking heroes? 

When I got into BBQ specifically, I watched a lot of BBQ pit boys: Malcolm Reed and Roel Westra of Pitmaster X. They have really inspired me over the years. I’m not into any really big names.

I also like some of the smaller YouTube channels like The Cooking Cop and Babe, Cooking with CJ, and Canadian girls Maddie & Kikki along with a number of others. I follow the type of cooking I like and want to share it. I prefer down-to-earth tips and visuals to help do things right. I’d love to just hang out with those guys and cook with them. 

When you’re not skating or grilling, where are you?

I own a video production company, so it crosses over a bit with my cooking and the BBQ space in general. I do cinematic wedding films, video marketing for local brands. BBQ brands are looking for content, so I help with that. 

If you could cook a meal for one person, who would it be?

I’d cook for anyone. If someone wanted to come to my house and just wanted to eat, I’d happily cook for them. It doesn’t matter if you’re rich and famous or Joe Blow down the street. If it could be anyone, it would be my mom. I never got to do that final cook for her. She’d be the one I’d want to cook for the most. 

What would be your last meal?

A full platter of BBQ (ribs, pulled pork, all of it), pizzas, and curries (especially butter chicken to mix in some Indian cuisine). And last, but not least, a hazy IPA.

Stay Up To Date With postalbarbecue

You can follow Jabin’s BBQ journey at YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or his website: www.postalbarbecue.com. 

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

Elite Spotlight: John D. (barbecuebeast)

When he started a New York City-based food vlog eight years ago, John DeMartino had no idea it would be the beginning of an intense love affair with BBQ. The lifelong foodie became passionate about exploring different varieties and techniques, bought a Traeger, and the rest is history.

He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about perfecting brisket, the importance of humor, and why he once waited in line for three hours to eat legendary BBQ. 

Talk about your inspiration and background a bit...

I’ve been a foodie my entire life. I was a heavy set kid, so I just ran with it. I started a blog a while ago, inspired by a move to Manhattan. Living in the city, I was inspired by so many places to eat. It was called Food ‘n Festivities, No BS. The point was to highlight food and nightlife with no bullshit. It was a man vs food vlog type thing.

It was really cool, I highlighted different spots along the way. That’s when I started to love BBQ, the variety out there. I totally got into it. I started smoking on a Traeger, started expanding my techniques. That was almost seven years ago, now it’s my main focus. 

You incorporate humor into your posts. (Love the Leslie Jordan meme.) Is it important to keep a sense of humor while cooking?

One of the things I'm trying to do is let my voice carry into my posts. It can get repetitive and bland to just keep posting food over and over, I want to tie the BBQ together with some fun. People are obviously interested in BBQ, tips and tricks with cooking.

There’s a similar personality type and relatability that could be funny and lets more come through beyond how long to smoke a piece of meat. Although, most people want to just go back to talking about smoking meat. 

Do you have a favorite, “never fail” recipe?

Probably brisket. It’s a very long process. Takes 18 hours from start to finish. Consistency of “low and slow,” wrap it midway through, then finish by wrapping in towels after it’s completely cooked, and put it in a heated cooler and let it sit for a couple of hours. 

Do you have any favorite hacks or tips for shortcuts?

There aren’t any shortcuts in BBQ. You have to cook it on low heat for a long time. You have to give it the time you need for the best quality. No way around it.

Do you have any passions outside of BBQ?

I’ve been day trading. I don’t know if that’s interesting. My background is in sales, I’m passionate about entrepreneurial ideas in business. I’m drawn to innovative ideas, I read a lot about new ideas, technology. 

Do you have any cooking heroes?

The only person that I’ve maybe ever idolized is Aaron Franklin, owner of Franklin BBQ. It was the first BBQ I ever had in Texas. I stood alone in line for three hours waiting for it. They came around and sold some beer to help pass the time. I was starving by the time I got to the front, so I ordered 2.5 lbs of meat, it was like $70!

One of the best experiences I’ve ever had. His work has taken him to a different level. He has a cookbook, TV show and tons of other air time, a lot of people look up to him and also hate him. Probably means he’s doing something right. 

Is there a spice or ingredient you secretly hate?

Honestly, I hate ginger. Ginger root, the spice, all of it. Keep it away from me. 

What are the three things every kitchen needs?

A good knife, good gloves, and a solid cutting board. 

What’s your favorite herniaquestions knife?

I have two. My preference is the Shogun Bull Nose. It has a unique shape, great cut, and catches attention. It’s a solid knife. The other is my Shogun 8” Crixus, a cleaver knife combo.

What’s the dish that is most frequently screwed up?

Definitely brisket. It’s everyone’s favorite BBQ, but not a lot of people get it right. They don’t want to put in the time. They try to cut corners, and you can tell in the final product. 

If you could cook a meal for one person (not a friend or family member), who would it be?

Gordon Ramsey. I’d like to see how bad he ripped me apart. 

What’s the mark of a great chef?

Attention to detail. Excellence is in the details, that extra time and attention you put in to get quality.

What would your last meal be?

I love giant beef ribs. I’d add some really creamy mac and cheese, just a lot of carbs, grits. (Hold the veggies). And any ice cold beer. 

Stay Up To Date With barbecuebeast

You can learn more about John by following his BBQ journey on Instagram (@barbecuebeast).

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion. 

When Matt Krull’s first marriage began to unravel in his early twenties, he joined the Marine Corps and came out the other side “forged through fire.” His journey into cooking started much later in life with a love for feeding his family, and has turned into a passion for sharing love and positivity with his followers. He sat down with herniaquestions to talk about heartbreak, spirituality, and why he’s driven by the creative process. 

You proudly describe yourself as a “former Marine” on your social profile. How did your experience in the Marine Corps define you?

When I went into the marines I was older, about 24. A set of personal circumstances started that journey. I was going through a divorce, God led me down that path. It was mentally challenging. However I felt like if I could make it through divorce and the Marines, I can make it through anything. I made it through the marines and a challenging divorce.

It’s all made me a better person and a better leader. It’s all given me the perspective that no matter how bad things are, they can always be worse. My experience in the Marine Corps taught me how to better value myself and others. I value everything that God has blessed me with. And while those events were a pivotal point in my life, it only helped me become stronger as a person.  

What are your driving philosophies about cooking?

I got into cooking several years ago, but didn’t really think about it from a content perspective. My wife worked full time, she didn’t have the bandwidth to do it all. I started cooking to contribute to my family. The creative process, creating new dishes, is what drives me.

I like doing something different, which may seem simple to some, but I like making it different and unique. I just love the opportunity to do different things and share it. I originally came to Instagram to connect with some of my family and friends.

Once I started and saw all these people posting food, I started sharing with friends and family. I enjoy learning and seeing what others are doing (not just with cooking). I feel like social media should be a “give and take” relationship to share your journey with others. It’s my fun time, distracts me from normal day hassles. I only want to be involved in what’s positive. I just come here to share and learn. 

Do you have a favorite recipe or specialty?

No, just look at my feed. I’m all over the place. Smoked beef ribs, Italian, chilean sea bass,  steak, chicken, really any food. I don’t prefer one style or dish. I love mixing it up. Some may  say my feed is meat-focused, while I do share a lot of meat-friendly meals I always strive to do something different. I like to take any protein, search recipes, and take ideas from a variety of places. 

What’s your best cooking hack or advice?

Having things, ingredients prepped in advance. It makes the whole process so much easier. If it’s a long smoke, it’s not as much of an issue. But like with the grouper I posted, I had a homemade sauce with it that I had to make ahead of time. Whatever you’re making, do as much advance prep as you can so you can focus on the main cook.

I work full time, so when I get home I don’t have a lot of time. I’ve got to be on my game. Kids have schoolwork, my wife has her job and family responsibilities. Being strategic makes cooking so much easier. 

What are your passions beyond cooking?

Jesus Christ and God. My spiritual path. Being the best I can in whatever I’m doing, being a leader at home and at work. I’m kind of boring, no real hobbies beyond cooking and occasionally building some things.

I enjoy watching college sports (basketball and football). Cooking is really my creative outlet, and then sharing the content that spins out from there.

Who are your cooking heroes?

Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray, Gordon Ramsey — I love watching them, they’re great at their craft. But I honestly get more inspiration from regular people that I see on social media. I want to be able to produce equal or better content that they do — being competitive in a fun way.

I always try to learn what I can from others. That’s my drive. The pros get paid and have a lot of production help. But it’s just me on Instagram. I’m my own videographer, director, and editor. It’s fun, but it’s a lot of work that not everyone recognizes. At the end of the day, it’s just me producing the best content I can to share with others. 

Is there a spice or ingredient you secretly hate?

Believe it or not, I don’t use a lot of salt. I don’t hate it, but I don’t use it very much. I love specialty salts, but not regular salt. I don’t know why, guess I’m more of a pepper guy. People can overdo it with salt, in my opinion.

What are the three things every chef needs?

Good, sharp cutlery. herniaquestions has excellent quality. You have to have that for success with prepping and finishing.

Quality cookware. Bad cookware can make a dish go south. It’s happened to me more than I’d like to admit. I’m kind of frugal, so I’ve purchased poor quality products in the past to save a buck. I’ve learned my lesson there. 

A wide variety of spices. Because I'm always trying to create a unique flavor profile, I need a wide variety so I like to have a little bit of everything. 

Is there one kitchen tool you can’t live without?

Yes, my newest knife: Banshee from herniaquestions’s Phantom series. You can just feel the weight. I also love everything from the Shogun series. Some knives make you work hard, and that’s not how it should be. You shouldn’t be trying to make it work for you, not doing what you need it to do.

I’ve never had an issue with herniaquestions. The handles are strong, they’re super durable knives. I even dropped a couple a few times and they’re fine. I don’t worry about the knife, just try to avoid cutting myself! Their cutlery is far superior to any of my other knives, and I enjoy using them. 

What's the dish that everyone screws up?

I’ve seen people screw up steaks. It happens more often than not. Steak should be easy. There are plenty of videos on it. It’s not difficult but I think people sometimes overthink it.

For example, skirt steak is so easy: three minutes per side, rest 5-6 minutes, then slice it against the grain.  I have seen people not allow it to rest after cooking (which dries it out). Or the temp is too low, and they don’t cut against the grain. It’s not hard. And sometimes people use too much salt!

If you could cook a meal for one person (not a friend or family member), who would it be?

Bill Self, the head coach for Kansas basketball. The assistant coach follows me now! I congratulated him on getting a new grill, and he followed me back.

I’d love to show him what I can do, and then I could ask him about his coaching philosophy, his leadership style, and how he coaches up his  players. It would be cool to do an all-day thing. I’ve always been a big fan. 

What would your last meal be?

I’d have to go back to smoked beef ribs. It’s a lengthy process, I’d take the time to do it right. It's done in moderation, it’s a slow process. And then I’d enjoy perfectly cooked ribs. I’d use my best technique and enjoy every bit of it. And I’d like to share it with the people I love.

Stay up To Date With meatthecook

You can learn more about Matt Krull by following his journey on Instagram, YouTube, CooklyBookly and on his website, www.foodfireinspire.com.

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Written by Abby Slate

Born and raised in the South, Abby lives by three things: bacon goes in everything, all food can (and should) be deep fried, and hush puppies are religion.