Crafting Great Recipes, Judging the Jack, and Building a Solid Following with Girls Can Grill

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In this episode of the BBQ Beat Podcast, I talk with Christie Vanover, who runs the food blog Girls Can Grill, as well as the competition BBQ team by the same name. Christie has a long history of writing about food, as well as a strong academic and professional background in marketing communications.

Christie does a great job with her recipes, as you can see immediately by visiting her blog. Visitors get the basic recipe and a great write up, but they also get some amazing instructional graphics and videos as well.

In the course of our talk, Christie shares her thoughts on competition BBQ and the path she’s on there. She admits that she’s not burning up the road competing in a race for Team of the Year by any means. Rather, she’s moving forward with competition BBQ in a way that allows her to continue focusing on recipe development and connecting with her large and ever-growing following.

The Girls Can Grill Experience

Christie states in our conversation that Girls Can Grill started out as a recipe archive for herself. Over time, she continued to put together practical recipes that offer up expanded experiences for those who want to expand their culinary skills.

Grilled Elk Chops with Juniper Pickled Onions

One example of how Christie helps her followers expand their skill set is with the Grilled Elk Chops with Juniper Pickled Onions recipe she mentions during our chat. Christie came across some elk cuts while in Wyoming. Being new to elk as a protein, she asked a local butcher for a suggestion on how to prepare it. He told her that she should crush up some juniper berries and use them as a rub. She went for it, and as you can see – the dish turned out pretty awesome.

Prime Rib Roast Broken Down to Ribeye Cap and Ribeye Filet

Christie Vanover Girls and Grill Ribeye Fillets and Cap Steaks

During our talk, I ask Christie to share her thoughts about a recipe and tutorial on her site that helps people learn to best work with a Prime Rib roast. Go see it for yourself, and you’ll instantly gain an appreciation for the work she does to make her work very accessible to her readers.

For the uninitiated, a Prime Rib is comprised of a few different muscle components: the cap, the fillet, and the tail. You can break the Prime Rib down into whole ribeyes. But you can also break it down into individual ribeye fillets and cap (spinalis) steaks. My vote is for the latter!

Smoked Cocktail Recipes

Christie Vanover Girls Can Grill Smoked Cocktails

Whether you’re looking to impress guests at a dinner party you’re hosting or just want to make dinner for two something extra special, the smoked cocktail recipes that Christie has on her site are sure to please.

I love that she bases each of these cocktails on a base of smoked simple syrup that you can use to create any number of smokey libations. Definitely give her recipes a try.

Connecting with Christie

If you love food, great food photos, and recipes that will help you expand your skill set and wow friends and family, be sure to reach out and connect with Christie Vanover at Girls Can Grill via the following channels:

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About the Show

The BBQ Beat Podcast, with BBQ Podcast host Kevin Sandridge, shares all that’s good in competition and backyard BBQ and grilling. Guests include competition BBQ pitmasters, food industry insiders, BBQ and grilling product manufacturers, and event promoters from the US as well as abroad. If you love BBQ and have an appreciation for southern culture and live-fire cooking – this is the Barbecue podcast for you.

Check Out These Other BBQ Beat Podcast Episodes

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Have a question or a podcast guest suggestion? Please leave me a message on my contact page. You can also find me on Instagram and via the BBQ Beat Facebook Page.

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