Fire and Grain: Recent Episodes
Nick Parsons & Justin Carroll
Modern brewers, distillers and barbecue pitmasters celebrate the mastery of fire and grain as building blocks of human survival, modern culture and creative expression. We sit down for drinks with these masters to talk about their stories, philosophies, and the art of handcrafting fire and grain.
The guys talk about Nick's trip to the American Royal World Series of BBQ with Hat Creek Q. They discuss:
- How to qualify
- What the Royal is and who competes
- Categories and schedules
They also talk about the new Hasty Bake barrel smoker, the upcoming release event and holiday classes.
Nick and Zach get the rare opportunity to sit down with the legendary BBQ "King in the North," Greg Moir. Greg has been a staple in the Hasty Bake and northern BBQ community for over a decade. They discuss his cooking origins, Minnesota beer, cold smoking, cooking fish and more.
They also touch on the newly announced changes with Memphis in May and Nick's upcoming trip to the World Series of BBQ, the American Royal.
Nick speaks with Zach Rowell, Director of CX from Hasty Bake Grills, to talk about Zach’s history and intro to Hasty Bake. They also touch on the Scratch and Dent sale event coming up. Lastly, they ponder the top 5 pieces of advice to improve your grilling immediately.
We're excited to update you about 1907 Barbecue's launch and the first couple of months! Justin updates us on all the fun of getting the brick-and-mortar opened and the crazy response they've had. Nick touches on his Bourbon Trail trip and a bit about what's next for Fire and Grain
Co-host Nick, along with friend Clint Pollard, recount their recent massive, 1600-mile BBQ tour of Texas, where they visited 14 of the Texas Monthly's top BBQ joints in the state. Strap in, this one is loaded with info about restaurants, menus, wait times, and personal reviews of each place.
Chef Shannon is back and is schooling the guys on all things mezcal. She also recounts her recent travels to Mexico and updates us on her upcoming cookbook and her yearly chef's dinner.
After a long break, Nick is joined by Adam and Chris and they discuss: * The new Lassalle's French Market and Farm * The legend of Donny Teel * What supporting local means * Price gouging toilet paper * Making the most of the legendary Cain’s Ballroom * Macs Mayfest version 2.0 * Boiling Crawfish for 5000 and when to buy them * Partying at Green Acres
Host Nick Parsons, along with guests Adam Green and Craig Kus talk about BBQ and family traditions during the holidays, along with new ventures and childhood memories that still stick with them to this day.
Nick and Justin host a live class for Tulsa Barbecue School where they answer questions, talk different techniques, and get specifc with tips and tricks. Pull up a chair and sit in on this bonus Zoom conversation!
Nick and Kevin join world-traveler, chef-extraordinaire and humble teacher, Shannon Smith, as she documents some of her favorite stories from journeys around the world, highlighting experiences with live-fire in many different countries. Her videos and blogs on chefshannon.com give people a glimpse inside Shannon's experiences and travels. She talks multiple recipes and cooking styles with Nick and Kevin (and brings dinner!) and shares a few laughs and cocktails as they broaden their horizons of "bbq" and bold flavors. Her cookbook is set to be released soon.
The guys give a "BBQ Industry" update from the food side and the equipment side, and then jump right into the real applicable stuff - how to adapt in this changing meat environment. Including
- cooking off cuts
- home butchering primals
- finding hard to find stuff
- utilizing new cuts for old recipes
They also touch on some summer trends, good and bad, and mixed method grilling.
Content Warning This episode contains graphic explanations of hunting scenarios to educate listeners about the process of obtaining and cooking wild game
On this epsiode Nick is joined by the Grippando family, local hunters and amatuer chefs who recently completed a DIY Colorado Elk hunt and retell their stories, processes, and recipes.
Nick is joined by friend of the show Kevin Snell to discuss how we share meals, recipes, and traditions with our family. The guys discuss:
- Favorite memories surrounding food and family
- Their best family recipes still in frequent rotation
- Techniques from family life that have shaped how they cook now
- Evolving recipes over the years
- Family recipe books
In an epic battle of burger-awesomeness, the guys debate, discuss, and throw punches over the best damn burgers out there. Your mouth will water as they decide:
- Smashburgers, diner burgers, or thick burgers
- Grinds/blends
- Cheese, seasoning
- Grilled, flat topped, smoked
- Buns and toppings
- Restaurant burger ratings
Pitmaster and owner of Tulsa Brisket Co., Phillip, talks about his BBQ raisin', the philosophy behind mouthwatering brisket and original craft sides, and the joys of owning a food truck in the Oklahoma summer.
An awesome conversation with pitmaster and owner Zack of Edge Craft Barbecue about the theology of BBQ, it's origins and the launch of his new BBQ joint in OKC.
The backstory of Prairie Creek Farm with farmer Nate, along with discussions on ethical farming, current regulations, the ongoing meat price battle, and the importance of supporting local farms.
The guys throw down in an epic battle of wits and strength. Well, not really, but they do have some good-spirited debate on the following topics:
- Grass finished vs Grain Finished
- Dry age vs wet age
- Dry rub ribs vs sauced ribs
- Beef burnt ends vs pork belly burnt ends
- Fall off the bone ribs vs some pull
- Sweet vs savory cornbread
- Santa maria brisket (mind blown)
The guys are addressing 2021 BBQ trends such as:
- Grilled Veggies and pandemic gardens
- Weird, fancy spices and chef shows
- Live fire grilling in the backyard
- Mixed-method grilling and sous vide
- Technology in the grill
- Burgers - smashburgers vs bigmouth burgers
- and more!
The guys work thru recent mailbag questions such as:
- Spring cleaning tips for pits and grills
- Is it important to clean your pit?
- Reseasoning? Is it a thing? Why?
- Charcoal types: What’s the difference?
- What is creosote and why is it bad?
- What to do with all that grease!?
- Must-have nearby items when cooking.
- Marinate vs rub vs injection vs baste
- Sauce - when to use, when not to
- When to use direct heat and when to use indirect
On this star-studded episode, we talk about:
- Sausage Brothers Meat & Deli and the history of Craig the Butcher
- New adventures in business
- Mac's Mayfest - the huge summer kickoff party Adam Green of Mac's BBQ is planning
- Donny Teel, one of the winningest folks in KCBS, tells us stories of competition BBQ.
On this episode Nick and Wes talk about learning backyard BBQ and what it takes to start a new hobby. They talk pits, meat, processes and fire. Justin also joins remotely and walks us thru cooking on his 1000 gallon pit and prepping for food truck service.
On their first video-podcast ever, the guys talk with BBQ biz owner Oliver Larrabee of Killer Wail BBQ about flavor, technique, and cooking in negative-degree temps. They also passionately discuss jam vs jelly, how to make the best grits, and why Nick shouldn't ice his scotch (they're wrong).
The guys and Jess talk about:
- History of Hardcare Carnivore
- Just Keep Flipping #JKF method
- Meat Science School
- Best SuperBowl snacks by location
- Valentine's lobster tails
Nick and Wes talk about:
- Marshall Brewing
- The beer making process and history
- Parallels of beer and BBQ
- Fermenting and home brewing
- Crafting art like woodworking
- Scotch
- Family histories
On this most epic of Christmas episodes, our many guests share some stories, read their worst yelp reviews, pour some creative cocktails, recount 2020 highlights, and generally just yell and sing at each other. We wish you a Merry Christmas (and Hanukkah!)!
(with guests Chris West, Adam Green, Ben Kilgore, and Hunter Gambill)
This episode we're joined by musician, foodie, and home-cook extraordinaire Ben Kilgore. We discuss:
- 1907's crazy Thanksgiving and future Christmas plans
- Ben's backstory and music career
- His love of cooking, grilling and Hasty Bake
- The marriage of music and food for artists
- Restaurant hot takes and home cooking creativity
- Ben sings for us...cuz that's what he does.
Sadly missing co-host Justin, Nick chats with spirits expert and field sales manager for a major spirits company, Eric Bringaze. They touch on tons of super interesting topics from the spirits world, including:
- The distillation process
- How allocation works
- How does distribution happen
- Are we in a bourbon boom?
- Shortages and hoarders
- The Bourbon Secondary Market
- Price fixing and gouging
- Barrel picks
- Tips and tricks for purchasing
Recorded on Election Night 2020, the boys react in real-time to the disaster that's unfolding, talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving meal and favorite T-day memories. It's good to be back!
The guys, joined by guest Regular Sean and a slew of half-empty whiskey bottles, answer tons of listener-submitted questions and touch on various topics:
- Why Prime?
- MSG - Makes Stuff Good?
- Sous Vide
- Firewood differences
- Are chilis/peppers a fad?
- PELLET GRILLS! OMG!
- Bologna vs Spam: the showdown
- Cast iron cooking
- Cheap smokers vs quality smokers
Topics Discussed:
- BEER!
- The start of Cabin Boys Brewery
- Philosophy of bringing different beer styles to market
- Collaborations
- Branching out and trying new beers
- Importance of approachability in brewing
- The ever-changing craft beer scene
In this special mini-episode, we continue our conversation with pitmaster Kevin Snell, and take a few rabbit trails, including:
- pellet grills
- southern comfort food
- Tulsa restaurants
- Italian homecooking
- Food trucks
- and more!
Topics include:
- Cooking BBQ over live fire
- Different types of live fire pits
- Heat management and instinctual cooking
- Utilizing coals/caveman cooking
- Temps and times
- Hanging vs laying protein
- burning clean fires
- The romanticism of caveman cooking
- Basic seasoning
Topics Discussed
- Mescal and tequila.
- Prune liqueur.
- Making your own rubs and bringing them to market.
- Whole-hog bbq.
- The definition of Oklahoma style bbq.
- Throwing a whole hog cook.
- Butchering pigs in Romania (for real).
Topics discussed:
- Can you define BBQ?
- Fusion BBQ
- Tex-Mex BBQ
- Asian-inspired que
- Can you put anything in a taco and still call it a taco?
- Non-traditional protein cuts
- Live-fire, romanticism, and caveman-ness
With 4th of July coming, a lot of people cook for larger-than-normal crowds. The guys discuss tons of techniques on how to have a successful backyard cookout, with details, timelines, recipes and hard lessons.
Topics discussed:
- Crowd-pleaser recipes
- Food quantities
- Keeping things warm/holding
- Timelines
- Backup plans
- Cooking ahead
- Serving and portions
- Party fails and follies
Topics discussed:
- Ben's story and journey
- Home-brewing
- Studying abroad
- Working at different breweries
- Scaling home brew to restaurant
- Brew equipment
- Inspiration of brewers
- Equipment failures and fiascos
- Love of bbq and crafting products
Topics discussed:
- How sanitizer saved everyone
- Alcohol laws in Oklahoma
- Distilling and brewing
- Starting new businesses
- Uniting the world with tacos
- The importance of air conditioning
- Cartels aren't all bad
- Influencers and Yelp
Discussion Points
- The guys talk to Adam Green of Mac’s BBQ in Skiatook, Oklahoma
- Bottled in bond whiskies and allocation selections
- Deep dive in barbecue
- The story of Mac’s BBQ and how Adam came to be the owner
- Old school vs new school bbq
- Getting bit by the “bbq bug”
- Competition bbq and learning from the masters
- Pit preferences and differences
- Using the right type of wood
- Holding temperatures and techniques
- Mac’s “celebrity steak night”
- The guys talk to James Beard-nominee Executive Chef, Kevin Snell, about his story, fishing and campfires, where he’s worked and what he’s learned.
- They discuss opening restaurants and what it entails.
- They talk about home butchery (PG-13 rating) and respecting the animals we raise.
- Kevin talks about sourcing local ingredients.
- Keven reveals his next adventure.
- Brett Galloway, co-founder of the Steak Cookoffs Association (SCA) talks about their history, and some memorable moments in past years
- Nick & Justin discuss steak cuts and grades
- They cover grassfed and grainfed beef and dry aging preferences
- They share their favorite steak cooking processes
- Justin volunteers his man-card.
- Our guest, Christ West, talks about Justin Wilson, Leah Chase, Paul Prudhomme and their influence over cajun, creole, and his own food.
- Chris tells his story about his restaurant, Lassalle's, Hurricane Katrina, and how him and his wife met.
- The guys explore the concept of boucheries and whether they should be more predominant in current society.
- Chris tells us how he got into barbecue and why he relates to it.
- Angie from 413 Farms breaks down the mess that is the current American farming system.
- Nick and Justin swap stories of BBQ fails
- Nick and Justin sum up what this podcast is going to be about
- They talk about COVID and how its affecting local restaurants and farms