BBQ Interview Series - Kevin’s BBQ Joints

Joe Riscky - The Meat Board - Fort Worth, Texas

In this episode I chat with Joe Riscky from The Meat Board in Fort Worth, Texas.
See Joe Riscky on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/joe.riscky
See all things The Meat Board here: https://www.themeatboard.com
Follow The Meat Board on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/themeatboard
Buy a gift card from The Meat Board here: https://www.themeatboard.com/store/gift-cards
Place online orders for the Meat Board here: - https://www.themeatboard.com/online-ordering/the-meat-board/menu/order-settings
We chat about his history, with Joe being a 4th generation BBQ cooker and about his branching off on his own. We talk about his connection to Texas A & M's meat program and how that led him to his job at The Meat Board AND get into everything The Meat Board offers and what he specializes in there.
Lastly we discuss the potential of additional offerings and locations for The Meat Board.

Brandon Burrows - Food Scientist | Chef | Professor

In this episode I chat with Brandon Burrows, a Food Scientist, Chef, and Professor(among other things...his skill set is expansive).
Follow Brandon on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/bhburrows
See him on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/BRANDONHBURROWS
Currently Brandon is the principal food scientist for Cargill(https://www.cargill.com/food-beverage) and basically 'get’s paid to play with food’. He see himself dealing with everything from harvest to the plate.
I initially wanted to chat with Brandon because of his connection to Texas A & M and Barbecue Summer Camp/Brisket Camp. I knew he spoke at these events and knew his focus was poultry and seasoning trends, but didn't realize his whole story and his incredible food knowledge.
We talk about how he became a food scientist from the very early days, his time catering extensive well crafted meals, to a deep dive into salt, pepper, marinades, rubs, BBQ sauces and more. I know that you are really going to enjoy this and leave with an understanding about food and barbecue that you didn't realize you could gain.

Robert F. Moss - Author - Barbecue: The History of An American Institution

In this episode I chat with Robert F. Moss, contributing barbecue editor for Souther Living Magazine about his new book, The Revised and Expanded Second Edition of Barbecue: The History of An American Institution.
See all things Robert F. Moss here: http://www.robertfmoss.com/
Purchase Barbecue: The History of An American Institution here: https://amzn.to/3pxzOOg
Sign up for his fantastic newsletter The 'Cue Sheet at the top right of this page here: http://www.robertfmoss.com
Here's a link to all of his work at Southern Living: https://www.southernliving.com/authors/robert_moss
See Robert on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/robertfmoss/
Check Robert out of Twitter here: https://twitter.com/mossr
We start off with how he’s been holding up so far and get into some detailed burger talk. It's been 10 Years since the original book came out so a lot has changed in the barbecue world since 2009. The first edition focus primarily on the first golden age of barbecue in the 50's and beyond. We talk about his first chopped pork sandwich and a bit about his history.
Primarily we focus on the new book and The 'Cue Sheet which is an amazing resource that pops into your email box every Sunday(if you sign up, which you should)

Brandon Hurtado - Hurtado Barbecue - Arlington, Texas

In this episode of 'From Behind the BBQ Front Lines' I chat with Brandon Hurtado from Hurtado Barbecue in Arlington, Texas.
See all things Hurtado Barbecue here: https://hurtadobbq.com/
Order ahead of time on-line here: https://www.toasttab.com/hurtado-barbecue/v3
Pick up a Hurtado Barbecue gift card here: https://www.toasttab.com/hurtado-barbecue/giftcards
Follow Hurtado Barbecue on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/hurtadobbq/
See Hurtado Barbecue on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/HurtadoBBQ
Check out Brandon's marketing firm ANKR Agency HERE: https://ankragency.com/
See their brick and mortar location here: 205 E Front St, Arlington, TX 76010
Hours: Wed - Friday - 11AM - Sold Out; Saturday and Sunday 8AM - 8PM
Saturdays and Sundays: Smoked menudo and breakfast tacos.
We talk about being open during the pandemic, what changed and what stayed the same, how htey added online ordering, the new location he put down a lease on, and that they are hiring front of house right now. They are currently at 50% capacity, but they have a massive patio with around 18 picnic tables spaced apart.

Chris Prieto -PRIME Barbecue - Knightdale, North Carolina

In this episode I chat with Chris Prieto from PRIME Barbecue in Knightdale, North Carolina.
See all things PRIME Barbecue here: https://prime-bbq.com
Pre-Order here: https://prime-bbq.com/pre-order/
See PRIME Barbecue on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/primebbq
Check them out on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/primebbq
Follow them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/PrimeBBQ
See Chris on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/barbecue_nerd/
PRIME Barbecue Hours: Tuesday - Saturday. - 11AM - Sold Out
Located at: 403 Knightdale Station Run, Knightdale, NC 27545
 This chat was so great. It was actually supposed to happen over a year ago, but it seems like it was fate to happen now because we got a chance to explore what it was like to open a dream restaurant(one he bad been planning for 2 years) during the pandemic.
He opened Cinco de Mayo and goes into depth the build up to realizing that his opening would be completely different than he imagined and all the hurdles and fluctuations they had to go through to turn a sit-down business into a completely to-go one.
For his restaurant he obsessed over every single detail and goes into great depth about this in our chat. He also talks about his relationship with his mom and dad and how upsetting it was to not have them there for the opening. He goes into insane detail about everything they are offering and the logic that goes into why they are on the menu. It sounds incredible. Especially options like Creekstone Brisket, scratch-made sausage, lechon and red beans and rice.
This restaurant is 100% of what he dreamt about and he has been preparing himself for his entire life for this.

Roy Perez - Kreuz Market - Lockhart, Texas

In this episode I chat with Roy Perez from Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas.
See all things Kreuz Market here: https://kreuzmarket.com/
See Kreuz Market on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/KreuzMarketLockhart
Check out Kreuz Market on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kreuzmarket
See Roy Perez on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/pitmaster_kreuz/
Order BBQ from Kreuz to be shipped nationwide here: https://kreuzmarket.com/order-menu/
This is a GREAT conversation that spans the history of Kreuz, Roy's history before Kreuz and during Kreuz. How hard he works, how much he appreciates his job and how he works through pain to show up every day for a job that he loves and for the customers and fans that visit.
We talk for a good amount of time about Elvis Presley and what his two favorite Elvis songs are. We talk about how he has always been really reserved, but has gotten stronger and better at dealing with strangers because of Kreuz.
We also talk about Kreuz in depth. The food and the experience AND what his favorite thing to order is. It's almost an hour that I think you'll greatly enjoy.

Jess Pryles - Hardcore Carnivore - New Interview

In this episode I catch up with Jess Pryles from Hardcore Carnivore.
See all things Jess Pryles here: https://jesspryles.com
See all things Hardcore Carnivore here: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/
Check out the tools in her line here:: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/collections/tools
As well as accessories: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/collections/accessories
Check out the great line of apparel here: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/collections/apparel
Use the Store Locater to find items near you HERE: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/apps/store-locator
See her Gerber knives here: https://blog.gerbergear.com/badassador/jess-pryles/ It’s been 3 years since our first interview and so much has happened since then, especially the fact that she got married a year ago .
We go into detail into her background and journey to living in Texas, but it's interesting to note that she has now lived in Texas for 5 years. She had been traveling back and forth for nearly 7 years before.
Also, it's crazy, but understandable, that she hasn’t been able to get back to Australia this year at all to see her family because of the pandemic I love talking to Jess because the discuss is always so educational. Her knowledge is immense and she conveys it so well.
A great portion at the end of this interview discusses her love of hunting. Super interesting.
We also go into all of her new product(she just had the Hardcore Carnivore Black when we originally talked, which is wonderfully the #1 activated charcoal seasoning in the world).
Here's a link to all 5 of her seasonings: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/collections/seasonings We also get into JKF(not JFK) which stands for 'Just Keep Flipping' and we get into her old school tried and true way called 'reverse sear' which is infallible, but takes 1-2 hours. JFK takes 15-20 minutes tops.
See her book Hardcore Carnivore here: https://www.hardcorecarnivore.com/collections/book
Hardcore Carnivore is now it it’s 4th or 5th printing in both countries(US and Australia).

M. Brady Clark - Brisket Country - Georgetown, TX - Part 1

In this episode I chat with M. Brady Clark from Brisket Country in Georgetown, Texas. Brady is a graphic designer that has designed some of your favorite iconic BBQ images. I guarantee.
See all things M. Brady Clark here: https://mbradyclark.myshopify.com
Brisket Country: https://www.instagram.com/brisketcountry
Check out Dough Unto Others here: https://www.instagram.com/doughuntoothers
See The Golden Rule here: https://www.instagram.com/goldenrulegtx
I sat down with Brady the week that Netflix's Chef Table with Tootsie came out so we jump right into it and about what Snow’s BBBQ and Tootsie means to us.
He’s been in living Texas for 15 years having moved from Costa Mesa(Orange Count) in California for a synthetic turf company doing design work. He moved sight unseen to Georgetown. After large layoffs he went out on his own. Currently he he has 4 full time jobs which includes doing design work for custom apparel company called Thunderwear(https://www.thunder-wear.com).
We talk about his connection with Chet Garner(The Day Tripper - https://thedaytripper.com) and how a Bacon poster he created bridged a friendship with Daniel Vaughn. He ended up doing a map for Daniels Book The Prophets of Smoked Meat.
Knowing Daniel and doing work for him led to a book party in Dallas where he met writer and photographer Kelly Yandell(The Meaning of Pie) who was on the board at Foodways Texas. It was this connection that had Brady doing work for Foodways Texas, Camp Brisket, and Barbecue Summer Camp. It is here where he connected with Jess Pryles and has been doing work for her ever since.
Mainly the gist of the discussion is that these connections, these friendships, fueled additional connections, friendships, and work. We talk about his methodology into how he creates designs for clients and what he needs going into it(he asks 20 questions to get a good overall perception). He explains packages and about the current lead time which wonderfully is not too long right now.
At the very end we find out where the M. came from in 'M. Brady Clark'.
Here's a list of clients: BBQ Confessional, Belmar St. Barbecue, Best BBQ Show, BlackBox BBQ,, Brett's Backyard Bar-B-Que, Brotherton's Black Iron Barbecue, Burnt Ends Sauce Co., Cattleack Barbeque (in progress), Convenience West, Daniel Vaughn, Eddie O's, Edgecraft Barbecue, Feges BBQ, Flores Tortillas, Foodways Texas, Gardner Barbecue, Goode's Armadillo Palace, Grillin' With Dad, Hardcore Carnivore, Jess Pryles, Helberg, Heritage Barbecue Hildee's (In progress) HooDoo Brown Barbeque, I Crush BBQ Podcast Interstellar BBQ, J Bar M (In progress) JQs Tex Mex BBQ, Khoi Barbecue, Kimchi Smoke, Liberty BBQ, Miller's Smokehouse, Moo's Craft Barbecue, NOMAD BBQ, Oakhart Barbecue, Old Bucs Barbecue, Old Colony Smokehouse - Edenton, NC Penelope Coffee, Roegels Barbecue Co., Rosie's BBQ & Grillery, Salt Run Barbecue, Scotty's Whole Hog Barbecue, Smiley's Craft Barbecue, Southside Market, Sticky Business Barbecue - Napa, The Smoking Ho, Truth BBQ