If you ’ re looking to don that favorite chef ’ s apron , grab your oversized grilling utensils and head to the backyard to stoke the fire on a nice summer steak , brisket , ribs or even just a good oldfashioned hamburger , it only makes sense to turn to a man that knows his way around fire .
Greenville Fire Chief Jeremy Powell basically eats fire . He breaths fire . He lives fire . So the man ’ s gotta be an expert grill master , right ?
With that in mind , Greenville Life magazine posed four questions to Powell that can surely be of help , inspiration or just induce an allknowing chuckle to grill seekers everywhere . And you ’ ll see a theme in Powell ’ s taste – he ’ s apparently a brisket man through and through .
Q . When it comes to grilling or smoking , what do you consider to be your specialty and why do you think it stands out ? A . Well , I absolutely love the process of smoking a brisket . I believe that smoking a brisket is as much an art form as anything else and requires your attention and patience . A lot of people think you should smoke your brisket to a certain internal temperature . While the temperature has value , smoking brisket is much more about letting the brisket tell you when it ’ s done . For me , I prefer using a temperature probe to gauge the tenderness of the brisket . It should feel like you are probing a stick of butter . Smooth with very little resistance . That ’ s when you know it ’ s done .
Q . Is there any new thing that you ’ ve been trying grilling or smoking-wise lately ? If so , how has your progress been ? If not , is there something you ’ ve been meaning to try to cook but you just haven ’ t gotten around to it yet ? A . I ’ m a person who loves a firm bark on the outside of my brisket . I find it gives the brisket a little more flavor and a bit of a “ bite ” that I love . I used to wrap my brisket in butcher paper at around 170 degrees but lately I ’ ve left the brisket naked throughout the cook . I ’ ve found this gives me the results I ’ m looking for and if cooked low and slow you won ’ t dry out the brisket .
Q . Who is someone you look up to as a grill or smoke master and why ? What can they cook that no one else seems to be able to duplicate ? A . I don ’ t have a person that I look up to necessarily , but I am amazed at the flavor and more importantly the consistency that Hutchin ’ s BBQ in McKinney is able to achieve with their brisket . I can ’ t remember ever leaving that place and thinking “ man they missed the mark today ”. If you haven ’ t tried them , you are missing out !
Q . Do you have any grilling or smoking mishap stories and what did you end up doing for mealtime as a contingency ? Make bologna sandwiches ? Boil a batch of Ramen ? Order pizza ? Is there anything you do differently when you grill or smoke now to avoid what happened that time ? A . Anyone that smokes briskets has had “ a moment ”. My most memorable was cooking for my family for Thanksgiving and just simply undercooking the brisket . It was tough as a boot . Most people think when a brisket is tough , they have overcooked it . Not so . It means you have undercooked it and there really isn ’ t much you can do about it but cook it longer . That ’ s not always an option when its lunch time and it ’ s time to eat right “ meow .” What I ’ ve learned is to always give yourself a little wiggle room with your expected cook time just in case it takes a little longer for that rascal to get finished .
GREENVILLE LIFE 21 SUMMER 2024