Join JT, Leanne Whippen, and Chef Stephen for a lively discussion on the nuances of barbecue, including the impact of weather on grilling techniques and the importance of not burning your food. Leanne shares her journey of expanding her barbecue skills, including her recent venture into smoking prime rib. The trio also delves into personal anecdotes, such as Leanne's past as a stand-up comedian and the supportive role of her husband in her culinary adventures. JT recounts a humorous catering experience that highlights the joys of cooking for others. As they wrap up, they emphasize the excitement of the upcoming barbecue season and encourage listeners to get out and enjoy cooking good food.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
Painted Hills Natural Beef
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcripts
JT:
Welcome to Barbecue Nation with JT And Leanne.
JT:
After Hours, the conversation that continued after the show was done.
JT:
Hey, everybody, it's JT and this is a special version of Barbecue Nation.
JT:
It is brought to you in part by Painted Hills Natural Beef.
JT:
Beef you can be proud to serve your family and friends.
JT:
That's Painted Hills Natural Beef, everybody.
JT:
Welcome to After Hours on the Nation.
JT:
I'm JT along with Leanne Whippen and Chef Stephen today.
JT:
All right, this is where the rubber meets the road.
JT:
What's the most important thing, Steph, that you think you've learned as far as barbecue or smoking or grilling in the last five years?
Leanne:
What's the most important?
Leanne:
Don't burn it.
JT:
Yeah, there you go.
Leanne:
Make sure the house stays intact.
Leanne:
No, I, I.
Leanne:
We were talking about this earlier weather.
Leanne:
Like, I've really been playing around with how different weather patterns change things up a little bit, whether it's if it's super sunny or even if it's just windy.
Leanne:
I mean, I know I'm in California.
Leanne:
We don't get, like, the ice and the snow, but we do definitely get some winds.
Leanne:
We get some cooler evenings.
Leanne:
We get some hotter days.
Leanne:
So I think weather and also just expanding my barbecue knowledge.
Leanne:
So I've been messing around with smoking prime rib, which is something I never would have attempted a couple years ago, so probably just branching out.
JT:
That's a good thing you're doing with the prime rib.
JT:
I do it every Christmas here and works out pretty well.
JT:
What does your husband think of all this?
Leanne:
I don't know.
Leanne:
You know, he's.
Leanne:
He's probably one of my biggest fans.
Leanne:
I mean, he thinks if.
Leanne:
If anyone can do it, that I can do.
Leanne:
And, you know, you just gotta appreciate having someone in your corner and eats well.
Leanne:
You know, I mean, he eats pretty good.
JT:
I.
JT:
I think one of the funniest things that I ever happened, I was not completely, but kind of helping cater a.
JT:
An event for a radio station that I was involved with.
JT:
And it was at the general manager's house, and he had done a great spread, and I was basically there to cook the steaks and everything else, but I brought a couple of sides in like this.
JT:
And so my wife went with me, and she was sitting there at table kind of talking to another lady, and a couple of the people, the staff walked up and said, do you eat like this all the time?
JT:
And she got.
JT:
Well, they said, you're Jeff's wife?
JT:
And she said, yeah.
JT:
Do you eat like this all the time?
JT:
She said, depending on his mood.
JT:
But Generally, yes.
JT:
You know, like that.
JT:
And I actually took that as a compliment.
Leanne:
Yeah, I mean, I remember to answer to kind of elaborate on your question.
Leanne:
Like a couple years ago I decided I wanted to start making ricotta and I was like, I think I start making ricotta.
Leanne:
He's like, no, because he's going to be cheese hanging everywhere.
Leanne:
You know, I didn't know he like four man ricotta, three ingredients over the stove.
Leanne:
But yeah, now he loves her comments so.
JT:
Well, there you go.
JT:
So I want to know something too.
JT:
You said this before the top of the show or before the regular show.
JT:
Tell us about your stand up career in comedy.
JT:
Find it first here.
Leanne:
It was a long time ago and I full transparency.
Leanne:
I was, I was married to a man that said, you know, you're cute and all, but you could never do that.
Leanne:
And I was like, okay, it's on.
JT:
So don't forget, you can swear on this episode now.
Leanne:
Okay.
Leanne:
And so, you know, I did a couple open mic nights just to say, you know, I did it.
Leanne:
And then it turned out to be like a six year thing.
Leanne:
I opened for Bruce Baum and, you know, a couple Tommy Davidson and a couple other people.
Leanne:
And yeah, it just turned out to be a lot of fun.
Leanne:
I like to make people laugh.
JT:
Did it.
JT:
Why did you stop?
Leanne:
You know, I moved to California and it became.
Leanne:
I had a comedian one night steal my, steal my act, like right before I went on.
Leanne:
And so at that point I was kind of like, okay, nobody's really doing it for the love.
Leanne:
At least that I could see.
Leanne:
It was all very cutthroat.
Leanne:
And being a Midwest girl, I'm not really, you know, I wasn't really what I was looking for.
Leanne:
Right.
Leanne:
Stopped.
JT:
Okay, well, just you heard it here first on Barbecue Nation after hours that Steph was a stand up comedian.
JT:
Yes.
Leanne:
So I make you laugh while I cook now, you know, there you go.
JT:
I think we need a lot more humor in our lives right now.
JT:
And what have you ever tried stand up?
Chef Stephen:
No, I think it seems like it's really difficult.
Leanne:
It's therapy.
Chef Stephen:
Yeah.
Chef Stephen:
But I mean, these, I've seen the way they study and how they have to roll one joke into the other and it seems like they have to tie it all together at the end.
Chef Stephen:
It seems very difficult to me because it's work and you have to make it funny and seem off the cuff and no, I've never done it and I would never would seems difficult.
Chef Stephen:
And I can't remember a joke to save my life.
Chef Stephen:
So I'd be Really bad at it.
JT:
Oh, I think you'd be good at it.
Leanne:
If you can pull.
Leanne:
Pull together a barbecue the way you do, you can.
JT:
Yeah, you can do it.
JT:
You can do it.
JT:
And it's all, you know, current stuff or personal stuff.
JT:
Those are usually the topics and.
JT:
Yeah, yeah, you could do that.
JT:
You could do that.
JT:
See if I can make it in the radio world.
JT:
You can do stand up, Leanne.
Chef Stephen:
Okay.
Chef Stephen:
All right.
Chef Stephen:
I said in writing.
Chef Stephen:
We'll see how that goes.
Chef Stephen:
Do you notice how dark the screen is?
JT:
Yes, it is dark.
Chef Stephen:
The sun is setting here and it keeps, like, doing weird stuff.
Chef Stephen:
I was like, wow.
Leanne:
So it is about that time, huh?
Leanne:
Yeah.
Leanne:
Yeah.
JT:
So if I sent you an Oregon state flag, will you hang it on your trailer instead of that buccaneer?
Chef Stephen:
Well, I'm trying to sell my trailer.
Chef Stephen:
That's why the picture up there, I thought you might say something about it.
Chef Stephen:
So after all the years of barbecuing on it.
Chef Stephen:
Yeah, I'm downsizing.
Chef Stephen:
So it is for sale with a Gen Master on it.
Chef Stephen:
Full on three compartment sink refrigeration.
Chef Stephen:
It's a nice trailer.
Chef Stephen:
It's got AC, brand new roof on it.
Chef Stephen:
10 year transferable warranty, 15K.
Chef Stephen:
Can't beat it.
Chef Stephen:
Great starter for, you know, without spending a lot of money on an rv.
JT:
See?
JT:
Steph, Steph.
JT:
There you go.
JT:
Yeah, it's all set up for you.
Chef Stephen:
Yep.
Leanne:
Yeah, that might be a little much for my driveway.
Chef Stephen:
Well, you need a big truck to tow it.
Chef Stephen:
Oh, the truck's for sale, too.
JT:
This is Leanne's after hours sales dialog.
Leanne:
Stocked with pig powder.
Chef Stephen:
No, it does not.
Chef Stephen:
But I'll give you a discount.
JT:
I was.
Leanne:
I was so close.
JT:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
JT:
It's all good.
JT:
Have you ever thought about competing, Steph?
Leanne:
Yes, I have.
Leanne:
And I would.
Leanne:
And I've done some, like, competitions for, you know, contests and things that I have, I've won.
Leanne:
So I won Melissa's Produce.
Leanne:
I won Pit Boss one year, but that was like, online stuff and that type of thing.
Leanne:
If I had an opportunity, I don't know how well I would do because obviously I would be competing against some really heavy hitters, but I would do it for the experience.
Leanne:
And, I mean, you never know.
Leanne:
Stranger things have happened.
JT:
Yeah.
JT:
What's your absolute favorite thing you've ever created?
JT:
Doesn't have to be barbecue.
JT:
Can be anything you want.
JT:
As far as food.
Leanne:
Ash, I would say I really like my Asian flank tacos just because they're weird and they're easy.
Leanne:
And I also came up With a.
Leanne:
You know, because nobody likes making a roux, and everybody complains like.
Leanne:
And half people are intimidated by it.
Leanne:
So I came up with a stabilizer that you.
Leanne:
A flourless stabilizer that uses mustard as an emulsifier to help keep sauces together.
Leanne:
And I really.
Leanne:
I'm kind of proud of that one.
JT:
Good, good, good, good.
JT:
I actually, I think it was a year or so ago.
JT:
I.
JT:
You'd been on the show that fall, and then I reached out to you and you had a recipe, and honest.
JT:
Forgive me, because I don't remember which one I did, but I called you and asked you if I could use one of your recipes on.
JT:
On tv, and you said yes, and they really loved it.
Leanne:
Oh, that's wonderful.
JT:
Yeah.
JT:
And I gave you credit.
JT:
I gave you credit.
JT:
I give Leanne credit, and when I steal stuff from her.
JT:
But, yeah, it's.
JT:
It was an.
JT:
Some sort of Asian.
JT:
It was an Asian chicken type thing.
JT:
I remember.
Leanne:
Okay.
Leanne:
Oh, it might have been my sticky wings.
Leanne:
My Asian.
JT:
Yeah, yeah, it was.
JT:
It was.
Leanne:
Oh, good.
Leanne:
Thank you.
Leanne:
I'm so glad.
JT:
Yeah, it was all good, and I gave you credit for it.
JT:
So it's all like that.
JT:
I think we got to get out of here.
JT:
And I'm sorry to cut everybody short today, but I've got to go someplace.
JT:
Not that anybody cares.
JT:
Marvin, don't get up and.
JT:
But, Steph, we want to thank you for being on the show today.
Leanne:
Thank you for having me.
Leanne:
I hope to see you guys again soon.
JT:
You will.
JT:
You will.
JT:
And, Leanne, you got a busy time coming up.
JT:
I know.
JT:
And.
Chef Stephen:
Yeah.
Chef Stephen:
And then it's going to be barbecue season.
JT:
It's going to be barbecue season.
JT:
Imagine that already.
Chef Stephen:
I know, it's crazy.
JT:
And don't forget, this show will probably drop on Friday.
JT:
If you're not doing anything and you just happen to be in Mississippi, be run down to Ocean Springs to the shed.
JT:
The NBBQA has their convention.
JT:
It'll be the last day on Saturday, but there's also an SCA cook off there, and I did a real short.
JT:
It didn't go out over the radio network, but I did a short piece with Brett Galloway, one of the founders.
JT:
Him and Ken Phillips are the founders of sca, and it's very interesting.
JT:
So a lot of fun stuff going on down there, but we're going to get out of here, everybody.
