For Bracken County native Staci Jett, a hot fire and slabs of pork are her trademark, along with her pink BBQ smoker.
Across the region there are grilling competitions and festivals where Jett has been a participant, including Pig-Out on Main in Maysville.
Last year Jett was the winner of the Travel Channel American Grilled and came in third at the 2015 International BBQ Festival.
This year Jett was also asked to participate in the upcoming BBQ Masters segment of the Chopped television series, which airs 10 p.m., July 14. on the Food Network.
Without giving away how she fared during the taping of the show, Jett said she has been continuing to cook up a storm, even recently supplying pork for festivities at Augusta venues when George Clooney brought his wife Amal, to visit to his home town.
A competitive nature brought Jett to where she is today.
“I started out baking and canning for the Germantown Fair and Robertson County Fair Floral Hall contests and competed when Kroger had their contests,” Jett said. “Then I started getting into BBQ and saw the competitions on television and decided to go for it.”
In addition to competitions, Jett opened her own catering business, appropriately called Hog Heaven BBQ, complete with a neon pink smoker/cooker.
“I catered off and on but about two years ago I got into serious competitions and catering,” she said. “I have taken it all to a whole new level.”
For a beginner to grilling, Jett recommends working with a steak or pork chop to get accustomed to grilling.
“Pork tenderloin is a favorite for getting into BBQ and smoking meat,” Jett said. “If you are brave enough they could try a whole chicken.”
The key to smoking meat is to monitor thermometer temperatures, she said.
“They have changed the rules and you no longer have to cook pork to death. It can be cooked at 145 degrees Fahrenheit, and is considered cooked,” Jett said.
At this time her children are showing little interest in Jett's passion for competition, though her son Gavin is showing an interest in the television aspect of it all.
“He thinks it is cool,” Jett said, “My daughter Sierra is content to stir the pot for me and help with little things.”
For those inclined to think a small town upbringing is a hindrance to getting to a big dream, Jett says to keep on climbing and doing what you love.
“If it is something you want, go for it,” she said.
With a variety of methods to cook with available, Jett still likes wood or charcoal for her BBQ.
“If I am using the upright Weber grill I use charcoal, but in the big smoker/cooker I like big chunks of wood, preferably hickory, apple or cherry wood,” she said. “Each gives a distinct flavor to what you are cooking. Cherry leaves a red ring on the meat.”
Jett is a 1996 graduate of Bracken County High School where she also attended technical school classes, she said.
In the Chopped competition the show begins with four chefs who are given identical baskets of featured products and an assignment to cook a themed entree, main course or desert dish with them.
Famous chefs judge the results and decide who gets chopped in the first two rounds, leading to a head to head in a desert round, for the title of the night.
There is also a public viewing of Jett's episode of Chopped at Augusta Pub at 10 p.m., Tuesday, she said.
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