Show Notes
Before Jess Pryles became one of the biggest names in live-fire cooking, she was living in Australia, bouncing between careers and travelling to Texas whenever she could. Eventually, she realised her life back home was essentially “on pause” while she waited for the next trip.
So she made the move.
In this episode of Smokeless, Jess joins Nick Pencis of Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue and Justin Fourton of Pecan Lodge to talk about finding the thing she was genuinely passionate about, moving halfway around the world to pursue it, and building the career and Hardcore Carnivore brand that followed.
Jess also gets into becoming a certified meat scientist, why she felt she needed that extra credibility, the reality of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, burnout and the relentless pressure of social media, hunting in Texas, building Hardcore Carnivore, and why being told she can’t do something usually has the opposite effect.
Plus, Jess takes us inside her new book, Prime Cuts. A culmination of around 15 years of learning, cooking and teaching people about meat.
This is Jess Pryles beyond the recipes, rubs and BBQ videos - and the story of what can happen when you finally find your thing.
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What BBQ advice actually matters and what’s just hype? This week on the Smokeless Podcast, Nick Pencis of Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ, Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue and Vic Barry get into the questions backyard cooks actually want answered. What should you buy if you want to start smoking brisket and ribs? Are expensive pits really worth the money? What’s the one meat that’s almost impossible to screw up? Which BBQ trick is completely overrated? And what happens when even experienced cooks get it spectacularly wrong? The guys talk Weber kettles, overpriced smokers, beef tallow, pork shoulder, BBQ sides, guilty pleasures and some of their worst cooking disasters, including a brisket that ended up being thrown into a river. Plus, a surprise call to Jordan Jackson for his backyard smoker recommendation, and a look ahead to our upcoming episode with Jess Pryles. Got a BBQ question for the guys? Send it our way and don’t forget to send us your best (or worst) cooks for Plate or Hate.