BBQ Interview Series - Kevin’s BBQ Joints

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

Pat Martin - Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint - Behind The BBQ Front Lines

In this episode of 'From Behind the BBQ Front Lines' I chat with Pat Martin from Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint with locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
See all things Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint here: https://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/
Order Delivery from all locations(except currently the downtown Nashville location) here: https://www.doordash.com/business/47596/?utm_campaign=47596&utm_medium=website&utm_source=partner-link
Follow Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/martinsbbq/
Check out their online store here: https://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/online-store2
Purchase Martin's Gift Cards here: https://www.martinsbbqjoint.com/gift-cards
See all things Hugh Baby's here: https://www.hughbabys.com
Follow Pat Martin on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/pitmasterpat
Once covid hit, and it hit hard and it hit swift, he had to furlough 90% of his 600 employees. He has 10 Martin's Bar-B-Que Joints and 4 Hugh Babys. We talk about everything that happened, how hard it has been, and how 'pivot' has become the new sexy business word. He has had to redo his whole labor model because you 'can’t ever pass your inefficiencies on to the guest'.
He talks about how to help and that is dine with them, either take out or at whatever percentage is allowed and get merch, gift cards, and swag.
He also discusses why whole hog barbecue is important in East Tennessee and that there are are only 3 people in all of Tennessee cooking whole hogs(Zach Parker being one of them).
He chats about the flavor too of whole hog which is a subtle flavor more like a confet. He also tells us his favorite sandwich order.

Eric Wech - FatStack Smokers - Sun Valley, California

In this episode I get a chance to Eric Wech from FatStack Smokers based out of Sun Valley, California.
See all things FatStack Smokers here: https://fatstacksmokers.com
Check out FatStack Smokers on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/fatstacksmokers
See FatStack on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/fatstacksmokers
Shop for FatStack Smokers here: https://fatstacksmokers.com/shop
Email Eric and FatStack here: info@fatstacksmokers.com
I first met Erik at one of Burt Bakman’s underground BBQ pop ups a few years ago. In Burt's backyard and we talked for a while about barbecue, pits, and got deeply into the subject of welding.
We discuss business in the time of the pandemic. It's actually been better now because so many people are cooking at home. Selling a lot of the smaller models. He was born in Michigan and grew up with a woodworking shop at his house. He's always been a woodworker. We talk Lego and hamsters too. He got into welding by necessity. Doing things cheaply because of a lack of funds. This grew into a career because he was hooked. We talk about how FatStack came about and his connection to his business partner Steve Vartazarian(who is also a lawyer and owns The Brothers Sushi in Woodland Hills).
They offer a 36” and 48" Backyard 'Octo' Pits, a 90 gallon and 110 gallon for the home AND a 120 gallon tank smoker that is similar to the 500 and 1000 gallon ones. They also offer sizes of 250, 288, 500, 750 and 1000 gallon. A cool option is the Firebox griddle top.
Their current lead time is 5-6 months and you can go on their site to buy pits, but the custom ones you must inquire about.
We discussed this museum: Nethercutt Collection https://www.nethercuttcollection.org/Museum.aspx

Kathy & Wade Elkins - Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue in Crockett, Texas.

In this episode I get a chance to sit down with Kathy and Wade Elkins from Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue in Crockett, Texas.
See Mimsy's Craft Barbecue on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mimsyscraftbarbecue
Follow them on Facebook here: https://bit.ly/32IyLSl
This one was nice because it is in the early stages of the opening of their new restaurant in Crockett that they have been talking about and dreaming about for 5-6 years. In the last 60-90 days the construction has been rapid fire(they broke ground on July 6th). They especially want to thank his mom and stepfather for everything.
Currently they are both working full time(she as an Executive Chef at a country club and he managing and cooking at Reveille). They also have 2 daughters which are being homeschooled. They are moving to Crockett and will be about 12-15 miles from the restaurant
When it does open they plan to have the hours Wednesday through Sunday from 11AM - 8PM.
The timeline so far is: Friends and Family Event in November, December they will be booking some private events and in December/January they hope to have hiring done.
There will be a soft opening in January and the Grand Opening middle of February/or early March. All depending on many factors.
For the menu(which they have basically worked) it will be 5-7 smoked meats, 7-10 sides, and Kathy is going to be doing desserts and baked goods. Then after a month or so they will be adding plates. Burgers will definitely be on the menu as well as blackened catfish and specials.The restaurant capacity is 135 people.
If you want a shirt you can DM or message them. Prices are $ 20 for a shirt and $ 25 if you want it shipped. You an also email wade@mimsyscraftbarbecue.com

Michael Keskin - Bark City BBQ - Portland, Orgeon

In this episode I chat with Michael Keskin from Bark City BBQ in Portland, Oregon.
See all things Bark City BBQ here: https://www.facebook.com/barkcitybbq
Check out Bark City BBQ on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/barkcitybbq
Follow Bark City BBQ on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/barkcitybbq
Hours:
Thursday - Sunday
11am - 7pm
Pre-order BBQ here: https://barkcitybbq.square.site
Purchase a Gift Card for Bark City BBQ here: https://squareup.com/gift/68VJ3D2JAQYD3/order
We talk about his journey, living across the country in many different places before settling on Oregon and eventually Portland.
We discuss his menu in depth and how he came up with the name Bark City BBQ(hint Rip City and bark for both wood and brisket) and we get into a ton of different specials which are much different than other BBQ spots and extremely creative.
We talk about how he truly wants to make Portland a BBQ hub and it's working with getting notice from the likes of Daniel Vaughn and David Landsel.
We also go into what it's been like since the pandemic hit and how he has pivoted, adjusted the menu, and even moved his cart to a better area with 13-14 other food pods.

Cade Mercer -koKo Ramen / Guess Family Barbecue - Waco, Texas

In this episode I chat with Cade Mercer from KoKo Ramen and Guess Family Barbecue in Waco, Texas.
See all things Cade here: https://www.instagram.com/cmerc26
See all things Guess Family Barbecue here: https://www.guessfamilybbq.com
Check out all things koKo Ramen here: https://www.kokoramentogo.com
Follow Guess Family Barbecue on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/guessfamilybarbecue
Follow koKo Ramen on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/kokoramenwaco
Guess Family Barbecue Hours:
Monday - Saturday - 11am - 8pm
Sunday - 10am - 4(Brunch at Guess is only on Sunday)
koKo Ramen Hours:
Monday - Thursday - 11:00 am - 8:00 pm
Friday - Sunday - 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
We start off talking about how hot it gets in a pit room then get into his backstory. He grew up in a small town between Austin and San Antonio near New Braunfels, then moved near Galveston, then onto Fresno, California, then moved back to New Braunfels to work at Rudy's BBQ.
We get into his going to culinary school and how Reid Guess was the chef at Lambert's and called him. We talk about that time at Lamberts, his time at East Side Tavern and hanging out at Hung out Freedman's for a few months where he learned a whole lot from Evan, Chris, Brad and Lane.
He moved to Waco because Reid needed someone to come in to work at koKo because Reid was doing everything. He assisted too on moving koKo the truck to Union Food Hall.
We go into the specials at Guess being a Burger special Monday, Taco Tuesday(using Flores Tortillas), Chicken Fried steak Wednesdays, and a Donut special on Sundays. We got the lowdown on how things are at both spots.
They are both at 50% capacity now for dining in and for Guess they have have a BIG building so they can seat a lot of people if they wanted to.
We go over in depth the Brunch at Guess featuring brisket hash, brisket tacos(again on Flores Tortillas), pancakes AND pulled pork pancakes, biscuits and gravy, and their 'Build your own brunch" where you can add BBQ along with brunch items. He also gives his ideal tray for brunch.

Tarik Sykes aka BBQ With Rik Rik

In this episode I get the chance to chat with Tarik Sykes aka "BBQ With Rik Rik".
See all things BBQ With Rik Rik here: https://linktr.ee/bbqwithrikrik
Get your BBQ With Rik Rik merch here: https://yourxpressions.com/rikrik/shop/home
Follow BBQ With Rik Rik on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/bbqwithrikrik
See the Rik Rik YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBxvkmMJ7BvXXWgmg6niqYQ
Check out his videos on The BBQ League here: https://www.thebbqleague.com
Follow his personal Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/dunkondunks
First off, he's just a good guy. A kind soul who is hard working and has an amazing eye for photography and video.
We talk about his upbringing, all the places he lived, and what brought him to Kansas City. We especially talk about his passion for fire and grilling(some great stories here).
We talk about his connection to Tyler Harp from Harp Barbecue (https://www.instagram.com/harpbarbecue) and his awesome Mother's Day shoot he did for Tyler and family by Tyler's 1,000 gallon smoker.
We talk about his previous projects which include work for XXL Magazine, King Magazine, Sole Collector magazine, SneakerNews.com, and Nike.
We also go into depth about how he will be doing A LOT of cooking and filming it all for his show.
BBQ With Rik Rik sponsors:
Jealous devil charcoal
Kotai Knives
Thermoworks
Vaughn Wood Products
Denny Mikes Rub Company