This Hardcore Carnivore’s In a Class of Her Own

Watch as Jess Pryles slides the blade of her big knife between the ribs of a hunk of beef.

Listen to the sizzle as she flips a tomahawk steak again and again and again – her motto: Just Keep Flipping – on the blazing hot grill that flanks the back patio of the Texas Beef Council’s well-appointed headquarters.

Smell the melting fat of a thick slice of genetically 100% wagyu beef as Pryles re-positions the Made-In pan that holds the meat over a gas burner.

She's a carnivore. She's hardcore. She's Jess Pryles, and she'll teach you what you need to know.

Jess Pryles – who came to Austin from Australia, tasted her first Texas barbecue and had a sort of carnivore’s epiphany, and has gone on to make herself a Known Force in the meat-forward culinary world – this Pryles knows what the hell she’s doing. (We already told you as much in this revealing article from a couple years ago, remember?) She also shows and tells others how to do it – as she did a couple weeks ago in an engaging and informative (and, omg, delicious) Master Class at the Texas Beef Council HQ.

Yeah, the TBC, they’re the folks who bring us that cleverly effective Beef Loving Texans campaign and do much toward promoting Lone Star beef nationally and even beyond, and so of course they’ve had the good sense to hook up with the Hardcore Carnivore herself.

We’re not sure when Pryles’ next class is going to be, at TBC or elsewhere, but we can point you to the charming meat guru’s website that’s chockablock with helpful information (plenty of videos, too, on how to pick the right wood for barbecuing, how to reverse-sear a steak, why you should rest meat after cooking, and so on) and photos and recipes and merch.

[Note: Merch? Not just others’ expert gear that Pryles regularly uses, but her own line of Hardcore Carnivore seasonings, too.]

Do you or your taste buds know the difference between 75% and 100% wagyu beef? Do you know how long to dry age beef before cooking it? Do you know what (if any) purpose the bone of a T-bone steak serves in cooking? Have you ever wondered exactly what the hell a tri-tip is? In her classes, Pryles will tell you, will show you, will often provide a taste of what it is you’re learning about.

Now, maybe you’d rather learn about methods of making vegan cheese. Perhaps the plant-based complexities of the Impossible Burger and its ilk are more in your line of interest. Could be that, we don’t know, maybe you’re totes gaga for lentils?

All well and good, citizen, all well and good. But if it you’re seeking knowledge about meat and how to turn it into something your mouth and belly will thank you for?

We’ll just provide that link again, shall we?