Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!
Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.
See lots of entertaining and barbecue ideas on our Pinterest boards.
And we post fun things on Facebook, too!
Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!
Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.
See lots of entertaining and barbecue ideas on our Pinterest boards.
And we post fun things on Facebook, too!
FireMasters is a new live-fire competition series on Food Network Canada. Fans of BBQ Pitmasters will love the format of this show. Each episode starts with three competitors cooking a dish that represents them. One is eliminated, and the winner of that challenge gains an advantage in the next challenge which is in the form of “either/or” Peanut butter or jelly … ham or cheese, for example. The winner of that challenge cooks against one of the judges — a totally new twist. This challenge is a bit longer — 45 minutes — and it involves cooking, again to a theme, a protein, two side dishes, and a dessert. That’s a lot of food to cook in 45 minutes, so fortunately, each person gets a sous chef to help.
The show was filmed in Hamilton, outside Toronto. An old warehouse was transformed into such a cool set. Each competitor has a decked-out, top-of-the-line cooking space with Napoleon grills — two gas grills, a charcoal grill, and a bullet smoker. In addition, there’s the FireMasters fire pit, fashioned out of concrete blocks, with several adjustable cooking areas.
Being on a show set is a lot like summer camp. New faces, old friends, and a highly skilled and professional crew dedicated to producing quality television. In the past, some of the same people seemed to show up on every series. The casting directors for FireMasters did such a good job of finding new talent to mix in with some familiar faces. The host of the show is Dylan Benoit, a Canadian chef now living in the Cayman Islands. His deep knowledge of food traditions from all over the world, combined with a fabulous personality and sharp chef skills made judging and the commentary so interesting and educational. Mark my words — he’s going to be a huge food television star. I judged with such a knowledgeable group of people — you can read more about them here. Mike Sheerin and Architect Films were top-notch. The producer, Jen Pratt Visser, was an integral part of Top Chef Canada, and she ran an incredibly tight ship. The care and thought which which she commanded the set, communicated with the talent, and solved every challenge along the way left me filled with a huge amount of respect and admiration for her leadership and skill.
Barn doors opened to reveal a stocked and stacked pantry that was a thing of beauty. Every ingredient you could possibly want, all neatly organized and labeled — the freshest fruits and vegetables, quality proteins, including all kinds of Certified Angus Beef cuts, and dairy, and all manner of condiments — was available. Contestants could even harvest herbs from a garden. One wall contained all types of small appliances, and a large array of platters and smallwares for plating.
Being part of a show requires quite a bit of work before even arriving on set. Because this show is filmed in Canada, I had to go through an immigration/work permit process. I traveled to the set several times and some entries were easy; others got a little complicated. It all depends on the immigration agent at the desk. There are creative briefs to read and digest, both at home and each morning prior to call time. Getting a wardrobe together and approved, via many texted photos, is also a process. You don’t really think about it while you’re watching a show, but the judge’s panel and host all need to coordinate and look good against the background, and not detract or distract from faces and conversation. Patterns and stripes/small checks generally don’t look on camera. As a female, I always appreciate hair and make-up help and Lucky Bromhead and Ana Sorys were the best.
I have the unique perspective of being on set on day one and on last day as well. The weather ranged from very hot to pretty cold, with a torrential downpour and flooded set thrown in for good measure.
By the time you read this post, my first appearance will have already aired, and, SPOILER ALERT, I cooked against Rusty Johnson of Rusty’s BBQ. I haven’t been able to watch the episode, but obviously, I lived it, and I can say without a doubt it’s the fastest 45 minutes I’ve ever worked in my life. This was my first experience actually cooking on a show and I was very apprehensive. The adrenaline rush is like no other. A protein, two sides, and a dessert in 45 minutes is a real challenge — even with the help of an extremely experienced sous chef. During the entire episode, we watched from the judge’s table as the contestants failed to get the fire pit hot enough and the food low enough. My first order of business was to stoke up that fire, and, in doing so, it was my downfall. I removed the steak too late, and, as well all know, meat continues to cook while it rests. I was pleased with the flavor, but I knew it would be too done by the time it reached the judges. On the positive side, I was very proud of the bourbon-and-butter soaked grilled peaches, served on a swath of sweet mascarpone cheese. The judges really liked those, too, proclaiming them the “best bite of the evening.” I’ve never lost a competition that felt so much like winning. Watching Rusty cook all day, and then competing against him was such a thrill. Knowing that I helped him win $10,000 felt great.
I have high hopes for the success of FireMasters. If you’re a Canadian friend, I hope you’ll tune in and cheer it on. I’m hoping Food Network US will pick it up soon. Being part of the production was a huge honor. Fingers crossed for future seasons.
Our 8th annual Whole Hog Extravaganza/Brisket Bonanza/BBQ MBA is just around the corner and we have fewer than 20 spots left. Click here for a peek behind the scenes in this article from The Local Palate. Our events are designed for restaurant and catering professionals and entrepreneurs or barbecue super enthusiasts. Here’s a link to a recent chat with Kevin Kelly of Kevin’s BBQ Joints where I answer many frequently asked questions. You can also listen to it as a podcast.
The ability to watch every step of the prep and cooking process, and then taste the results makes this a one-of-a-kind experience. You’d have to travel over 15,000 miles to visit these restaurants.
While the meats are cooking, we’ll discuss a variety of business topics. Just a few of this year’s special guests include Beth Schiff, casting director for CHOPPED, who will talk about the casting process for food television shows. Ken Goodman, prolific food and cookbook photographer, will give his best practices for creative beautiful iPhone photography for social media. Kat Kinsman, journalist and author of Hi, Anxiety, discusses the epidemic of depression and anxiety in restaurant kitchens across America — a timely and vital topic for all of us in the business. You’ll leave with dozens ideas for improving your business, from running a profitable bar, catering with whole hogs, best methods for serving brisket in a restaurant and catering operation, and adding your own signature style and flavor profile to your barbecue.
We’ll be cooking on a variety of pits, including a concrete brick pit, Ole Hickory Pits, Austin Smokeworks, and a Camelback, and the pitmasters will use their signature spices and woods to create flavor profiles that are uniquely their own.
Barbecue’s most talented cooks and best business minds will share their skills and knowledge in this intimate setting. Class size is purposely small so you’ll be able to get to know one another and rub shoulders with all of the guest pitmasters and speakers. Community is what makes the barbecue world go around and creating opportunities to foster relationships is important to us.
Here are just a few of the people from whom you’ll learn:
Mike Mills, 17th Street Barbecue
Amy Mills, 17th Street Barbecue
Chris Chamberlain, journalist
John Delpha, chef, pitmaster, and author
Billy Durney, Hometown Barbque
Ken Goodman, photographer
Phillip Heern, 17th Street Barbecue
Tank Jackson, Holy City Hogs
Kat Kinsman, author and journalist at Extra Crispy
John Lewis, Lewis Barbecue
Michael Ollier, Certified Angus Beef
Beth Schiff, CHOPPED
Barry Sorkin, Smoque
RH Weaver, bar man extraordinaire
The food at our events is unparalleled, especially during this program. You’ll taste heritage and commodity whole hogs cooked with different methods and using different seasonings and wood, several cuts of Certified Angus Beef, and more. RH Weaver will lead us through a whiskey tasting and Aaron Kleidon from Scratch will be pouring his famous foraged brews. You’ll get to see behind the scenes of our catering operation and get great ideas for decorating and setting up events.
Hope you’ll join us. Space is limited, so reach out today via the link below.
Click here to download the schedule and accommodation information.
If you are in the biz and interested in elevating and expanding your catering business, you won’t want to miss the Catering Master Class at 17th Street Barbecue. Hear from our crew, along with John Delpha, an outstanding Boston chef with extensive catering and restaurant business experience, and Lisa Marie White, a celebrated pastry chef with so much experience to share, who will teach us to make the best biscuits on the planet.
One constant in the catering world is that a business must constantly evolve and keep refining itself. We’ve re-engineered our own catering pricing and processes, and we’re excited to share tips and techniques, policies and procedures that will help your business soar!
Click here to download the schedule and accommodation information.
Our 2018 Murphysboro Praise the Lard Cook-Off is September 20-22. Local friends are encouraged to enter the Steak Cook-Off and the Bloody Mary Contest. Visit our cook-off page for all entry forms. 
Mike and Phillip are in Amarillo, Texas this week, visiting family ranches with Certified Angus Beef, purveyors of the beef we use at 17th Street. Below you’ll find a method from our new book, Praise the Lard, outlining the reverse sear, our favorite way to cook steak.
Recipe makes 4 to 6 servings
The term “reverse-sear” refers to flipping the traditional sequence of steak-cooking steps so that the meat is first infused with smoke and searing happens just before serving. This is an easy route to a tender piece of meat with a delicious savory crust, especially if a perfect medium-rare is your goal—which is one of the factors determining a win, according to Steak Cookoff Association guidelines.
We like to cook boneless Certified Angus Beef prime or choice grade meat. Bone-in or boneless—the choice is yours.
Up to 40 minutes prior to cooking, season the steak generously with the Brisket Rub or Steakhouse Shake. Set the steaks on a baking sheet and refrigerate them, loosely covered, until you’re ready to grill.
Set up the cooker for indirect-heat smoking: Open the top and bottom vents. Load a charcoal chimney one-quarter full of charcoal and light it. When the coals in the chimney are glowing, dump them on one side of the cooker. Set the wood on top of the coals, replace the grate, and put the steaks over the side with no coals (the indirect cooking area). Close the lid.
Don’t open the cooker for 15 minutes, but keep a close eye on the temperature (see page 84 for how best to assess and monitor cooker temperature); when it reaches 200°, which might happen very quickly, close the vents about halfway so that less air comes in to feed the re and the heat in the cooker rises slowly. Let the temperature climb to between 225° and 250° (see page 77 for how to determine your target temperature). Maintain your target temperature; if at any point it climbs more than 5° above your target, close the top and bottom vents further so that even less air comes in to feed the fire.
After 15 minutes, open the lid of the cooker and use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the steak; you are looking for a slow and steady climb to 105° (for rare) or 110° (for medium-rare). This will take no longer than 20 minutes.
After you check the meat temperature, reload the chimney halfway with charcoal and light it. You’ll soon need these additional hot coals to sear the steaks at the finishing stage, after they’re done smoking.
When the steaks are 105° for rare or 110° for medium-rare, set them aside on a baking sheet. Working quickly, add the hot coals and spread them out all over the bottom of the cooker. Replace the grate and put the steaks directly over the hot coals. Sear for a minute or two on each side, just until a brown crust forms and the internal temperature is 120° for rare or 130° for medium-rare. Top each steak with a slice of Herb and Garlic Butter, and blue cheese if you like, and serve.
© Mike Mills and Amy Mills, published in Praise the Lard, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Recipe makes about ½ cup
This savory blend tastes great on hamburgers, steaks, brisket, and beef ribs
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a whisk to blend evenly. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool, dark place. Keeps for about 6 months, or until the color or pungent aroma fades.
© Mike Mills and Amy Mills, published in Praise the Lard, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Recipe makes 1 cup
Press this butter into a ramekin or roll it into a log, chill, and cut into slices to top a steak. Bring to room temperature for spreading on biscuits or buttering ears of corn, baked potatoes, or vegetables.
Pulse the herbs and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pulse to combine. Scrape the butter into a ramekin and cover with plastic wrap, or scrape onto a sheet of parchment paper and form into a cylinder about 2 inches in diameter. Roll the paper to cover it and twist the ends. Wrap in foil to keep airtight, and refrigerate or freeze. The butter keeps in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
© Mike Mills and Amy Mills, published in Praise the Lard, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
All photos ©Ken Goodman Photography
Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!
Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.
See lots of entertaining and barbecue ideas on our Pinterest boards.
And we post fun things on Facebook, too!
$950 – The barbecue industry’s only barbecue business class. Experience ribs, pork, brisket, and chicken demos with an emphasis on restaurant production and holding. Discuss branding, marketing, PR, catering sales, vending, restaurant financials, resources and suppliers. Tour behind-the-scenes of our restaurants and catering facility. Novices and veterans alike will leave with concrete ideas to impact their bottom line.
This class always has a good mix of people at different points in their barbecue journeys — from legendary family joints to those just starting out. Even if you are very established, just picking up one or two ideas can dramatically impact your business — and we share dozens of great ideas.
Any of our classes work well as team-building and training opportunities. We often have groups of two, three, four, or more, both FOH and BOH. Not only are you all learning and getting inspired together, it’s so much easier to implement ideas back at your restaurant when everyone hears the same information and is equally inspired.
Click the link below to register online or email Amy to pay by check and avoid the ticketing fee.
In late 2018 we hope to have a hotel open in Murphysboro. The hotels we suggest are all in Carbondale, just five short miles away. We’ve also suggested some cabins and B&Bs that are closer and charming. There is one lovely, new cabin that has six bedrooms and we’ve had a few people who brought a whole restaurant team and stayed there — excellent bonding time!
Our restaurant signs have become points of interest and photographed and shared across the world. Please tag us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook so we can see how far they travel!
Follow our adventures in real time on Instagram and Twitter.
See lots of entertaining and barbecue ideas on our Pinterest boards.
And we post fun things on Facebook, too!
