Accent July 09_new South Grilling

IN THE KITCHEN |

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grilling with st. john

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Grillin’ and Chillin’ With Robert St. John It all started with an Easy Bake Oven for this successful Hattiesburg restaurateur and cookbook author

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TEXT BY LYNNE JETER PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOEY DELEO

With a grilling cookbook fresh off the presses, a celebrated

There’s nothing pretentious about St. John. He’s a family guy who cooks up winning recipes as an A-list grillmeister, yet he just might prefer to toss wieners and burgers on a 12-year-old rusty grill he refuses to discard. Not bad for the man whose principal once said he would “never amount to anything.”

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weekly newspaper column, and a successful restaurant line, Robert St. John is smoking hot. This summer, the Hattiesburg native is busy promoting “New South Grilling: Fresh and Exciting Recipes from the Third Coast,” along with his specialty seasonings and growing collection of custom products. His Bloody Mary mix and rimming blend got a shout-out in 2008 from Oprah Winfrey’s O At Home magazine. Perhaps because his fortune is hard-earned, there’s nothing pretentious about St. John. He’s a family guy who cooks up winning recipes as an A-list grillmeister, yet he just might prefer to toss wieners and burgers on a 12year-old rusty grill he refuses to discard. Not bad for the man whose principal once said he would “never amount to anything.” “The jury’s still out,” said St. John, with a hearty laugh that has become his signature Facebook expression. An open book by nature, St. John’s friends know he must be “wed or dead” to put on a tie, and that he can eat a lot in one sitting, grits excluded. The younger of two sons born to Larry and Dinny St. John, he grew up watching Batman, Captain Kangaroo and The Three Stooges. He rocked with The Beatles and Herman’s Hermits and initiated his kitchen skills with an Easy Bake Oven. But when he was six, and learning how to ride a Schwinn Stingray, St. John’s world was turned upside down. His father died. By the time St. John entered the second grade, he was in a different house and a new school. “My mom never remarried, so I was always the kid without a dad,” said St. John. “But I didn’t know the difference because I was so young when he died. It’s all I knew. It didn’t do any good to walk around feeling sorry for myself.” He found comfort in routine: church every Sunday, lunch at his grandmother’s, backyard football, listening to the Rolling Stones, and fishing on the Gulf Coast with his grandfather. Turbulence hit during his teenage years. He “got wild,” he admitted, bought his first car from earnings as a radio station DJ, listened to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, “stepped up the wild behavior” and “went crazy” after high school. During a dark streak, his grandfather died, he totaled his first car, was evicted from a trailer park, and got fired from a few ill-fitting jobs. “I flunked out of college after a couple of years and took a job managing a deli,” St. John said. “It was my first restaurant job. I waited tables at another restaurant at night. At 19 years old, I fell in love with the restaurant business and decided that I wanted to open my own restaurant one day. Seven years later, I opened the Purple Parrot Cafe.”

Between heeding his calling and opening the Parrot in 1987, which includes the Mahogany Bar (The Hog), and Crescent City Grill within New Orleans-flavored walls, St. John relocated to Omaha, Neb., then to Jackson, and finally back to Hattiesburg, where he took 21 hours per semester at the University of Southern Mississippi while also working two jobs waiting tables. A shortlived marriage led to a stint in Florida. Then he met Jill, his true love and soul mate. After they married, he focused on entrepreneurial interests. “I was attracted to owning my own business because I would have some degree of autonomy and I could wear whatever I wanted to work,” he said. “I work in shorts and T-shirts through the summer, and jeans in the winter. Comfort is a big thing with me.” While on the learning curve of the restaurant business, St. John opened and sold a bar in Jackson, “made a risky foray into the catering business and lost a lot of money,” he said, opened a live music club and “assumed that I had life figured out.” Then he closed the club and opened a fish house. In between business deals, he returned to Southern Miss to finish up two lingering classes required for an undergraduate degree and graduated in 2000. St. John picked up a pen and discovered another calling. He began writing a weekly food column infused with a good dose of humor for the Hattiesburg American; it was soon syndicated across the Southeast. He self-published his first cookbook, “A Southern Palate,” which sold thousands of copies. Book deals followed, including a rare three-book contract with Hyperion. Along the way, he befriended artist Wyatt Waters, a frequent collaborator. “My editor in New York says that she likes my ‘voice,’” said St. John, shaking his head in amazement. “I’d agree that I write with a different ‘voice,’ but doesn’t everyone? It’s the only one I have. It’s made up of all of my experiences from the time I was a kid until now. Everyone draws from different experiences.” Parenting and traveling are among those experiences. With daughter Holleman about to hit puberty, son Harrison in elementary school, and two dogs (Atticus and Bear) in tow, St. John often hits the road with his family. “They’re at the age where they’d rather be with their mom and me than with their friends,” he said. “That’s not going to last much longer, so I’m enjoying every moment and soaking it all in.” For now, he and Jill are adding destinations to their travel wish list for the time their children are in college, when he also plans to huddle over the computer to hash out more fiction. Perhaps by then, he’ll have life all figured out, an elusive goal he’s “wondering if I ever will” meet.

CHIVE-TARRAGON MAYONNAISE 1/2 cup red wine v inegar 1/2 cup white wine 2 tablespoons orange juice 3 tablespoons minced shallots 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic 3 tablespoons dried tarragon 2 egg yolks 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 cups canola oil Warm water as needed 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives Place vinegar, wine, orange juice, shallots, garlic and tarragon in a small sauce pan. Simmer over medium heat until mixture has reduced by 75 percent. Remove from the heat and cool.

WHOLE GRILLED TENDERLOIN WITH CHIVE-TARRAGON MAYONNAISE Center-cut beef tenderloin, 3 1/2-4 pounds 1 1/2 tablespoon Steak Seasoning 2 tablespoons freshly cracked black pepper 1 recipe Chive-Tarragon Mayonnaise Coat the surface of the tenderloin with the Steak Seasoning and cracked black pepper. Allow seasoned tenderloin to sit at room temperature 1 hour before grilling. Sear tenderloin over medium direct heat until it is well marked, about 15 minutes, turning one quarter of a turn every 4-5 minutes. Continue cooking over medium indirect heat until desired doneness is reached, 15-20 minutes for medium rare. Remove from the grill and allow tenderloin to rest for 6-7 minutes before slicing. Slice the tenderloin into 1/2 inch-thick slices and serve with Chive-Tarragon Mayonnaise. Makes 1012 portions.

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Place the egg yolks, mustard and salt in a stainless steel mixing bowl. Beat with a wire whisk for 2-3 minutes. Add in half of the tarragon reduction and slowly begin drizzling in the oil, constantly whipping the mixture. As the mayonnaise begins to thicken, add the remaining tarragon reduction, and continue to whisk in the oil. If the mixture becomes too thick, add 1-2 teaspoons of warm water. Add pepper and chives, and store refrigerated until needed. Makes 2 cups.

STEAK SEASONING 1/2 cup Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 3/4 cup freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup lemon pepper seasoning 2 tablespoons garlic salt 2 tablespoons granulated garlic 1 tablespoon onion powder Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Store in an airtight container. Makes 1 1/3 cups.

CREOLE SEASONING 1/2 cup Lawry’s Seasoned Salt 2 tablespoons onion powder 2 tablespoons paprika 1 tablespoon cayenne 1 tablespoon white pepper 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon dry oregano 1 teaspoon dry thyme Combine all ingredients. Makes 1 cup.

BBQ RIBS 3 full racks of pork spareribs, 3-4 pounds each 2 cups white v inegar 1/2 cup paprika 1/4 cup garlic powder 2 tablespoons onion powder 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning 1 recipe BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup cider v inegar Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a 3-quart Dutch oven, heat the bacon fat over low heat. Add the dehydrated onions and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and place the sauce in the oven. Bake for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. Use to baste ribs during the last hour of cooking or serve on the side. Makes 8-10 servings.

Place the ribs in a large roasting pan or baking dish and pour the vinegar over the ribs. Using your hand, rub all of the ribs with the vinegar and allow them to marinate for 1 hour. Drain the vinegar and dry each rack completely with paper towels. Combine the spices, sugars and Creole Seasoning and coat the ribs completely with the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Prepare the grill. Cook the ribs over indirect low heat for 2 1/2-3 hours or until they begin to pull away from the tips of the bones and the entire rack bends easily when held in the middle with a pair of tongs. Serve ribs dry with BBQ Sauce on the side. Makes 6-8 servings.

BBQ SAUCE 2 tablespoons bacon fat 2 tablespoons dehydrated onions 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup molasses 2 cups chicken stock 1 quart ketchup 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons dry mustard 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup balsamic v inegar

St. John’s “New South Grilling” is available in area bookstores and specialty shops. For additional information, visit www.robertstjohn.com.

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