“I really was that person who didn’t buy steak.”
This is a surprise. As a co-founder of the , author of a new book called and occasional TV host has barbecue in her soul. But she wasn’t always as clued up on meat cuts as she is now.
“I really was that person who didn’t buy steak because I wasn’t sure what to buy and how to cook it,” she says. “The barbecue was a little bit daunting, so I just stayed away from it until I got frustrated enough to do something about it.”
Her upbringing in Melbourne mostly consisted of her mum’s lamb roasts and steaks that were a little too well done.
It was the in the States that Pryles’ carnivore crusade began. She first fell in love with the idea of America pre-internet, stumbling across a Lonely Planet guide to Louisiana and the south and pouring over every page. Taking every vacation opportunity to visit the US when most of her friends were heading to Europe or South East Asia, Pryles became besotted with Austin, Texas, home of the low’n’slow barbecue style.
“As I fell in love with barbecue, I wanted to understand more about how it was cooked and the raw ingredients,” Pryles recalls, chatting to SBS Food as she arrives home to launch her book.
Having felt she had gone as far as she could in Melbourne, and with her life increasingly split between both places, Pryles relocated to Austin full-time two and half years ago, accidentally acquiring a southern twang in the process. “I’ll never make fun of Kylie [Minogue] again,” she laughs, noting her accent corrects itself as soon as she’s around Aussies.
Pryles arrives back in Australia later this week to promote the launch of Hardcore Carnivore, an in-depth guide for beginners who hanker after a firmer foundation in cooking meat. The book covers off the basics of cooking meat in great detail, including top tips on the best way to cook a steak, reverse searing.
“I wrote it for me when I was starting off on this journey,” Pryles says. “What would have been useful that I had to learn the long, hard way? I wanted the information to be as relatively concise and as useful as possible.”
That includes easily digestible but diligent detail on how best to cook meat Texan-style, including what type of cuts to look out for, the relationship to salt and the vital importance of maintaining the correct temperature. The latter requires investing in a fancy thermometer.
Pryles is returning home to launch her first book. Source: Murdoch Books
“You have to buy a good thermometer, because it doesn’t mater which animal or cut you're cooking, or what you’re cooking it on, through all of those variables there is one constant, which is temperature,” Pryles insists. “Understanding temperature and owning a good meat thermometer is going to put you way ahead of the curve, because guessing isn’t fun, especially when it comes to an expensive piece of meat.”
The art of patience is also vital when it comes to American-style barbecue. Learn to crawl first, Pryles says. “People read so much on the internet before they even try to cook,” she says. Better, she says, to start simple. “Don’t inject [the meat], don’t mess with it, and don’t try too many rubs. Just understand the cooking, how the fire is working, what that meat is doing over the 16 hours and don’t rush it at the end because you’re getting tired.”
Resting meat after cooking is another must. “You’re stressing those muscle fibres, putting them under trauma and they squeeze tight together and push all of the moisture out toward the edges of the meat,” Pryles says. “Once you remove them from the heat source, those muscle fibres start to chill out again, allowing all that moisture to return to the centre of the meat. Otherwise all of those precious juices that help contribute to both flavour and tenderness are lost to the board instead of your mouth.”
While Pryles says nothing will ever replace her love of a Bunnings sausage sizzle, she’s glad to see Australians slowly embracing the bigger picture when it comes to cooking meat.
“For so many people, barbecue is gas and even a flat top, rolling it into the footy club and cooking up some snags, but there’s a whole other world of outdoor cookery that I don’t think most of Australia has explored yet. They’re starting to dip their toes in the water and that’s pretty exiting, so I’m here to hold their hand.”
Jess Pryles will launch Hardcore Carnivore at Melbourne’s on September 1 at 6pm and at the in Sydney on September 6 at 3pm. Jess will also take part in a dinner and book signing at , Sydney, on September 5 at 6.30pm.
Cook the book
With a crisp, golden skin and succulent meat, this recipe for a Cajun-style roast chook is a real step up from the classic lemon and herb sprinkle.
Packed with Southern U.S flavours; Cajun brick yardbird Source: Murdoch Books / Mark Roper
A rich, hearty stew, gumbo hails from Louisiana and is well worth discovering. Andouille is a Cajun sausage, but a good chorizo will do the job if you can't find any.
Rabbit and andouille gumbo. Source: Murdoch Books / Mark Roper
Fusing southern US smoking with a spicy Korean sauce, these ribs will give the local grill a run for its money. You'll need a smoker for this one, and if you don't have one, Jess has a great guide .
Spicy gochujang ribs. Source: Murdoch Books / Mark Roper
Part skinless sausage, part exotic meatball, these ‘nekkid’ sausages are inspired by Balkan cevapi and Middle Eastern kofta.
Images and recipes from Hardcore Carnivore by Jess Pryles (Murdoch Books, hb, $39.99) .
Source: Murdoch Books
