A true talent behind the grill, Chef Jimmy Cheang was unhappy with the way his barbecue was turning out - cooked on the direct heat of charcoal (as most of us do it), he found the results to be inconsistent.
He then sought to up the ante and found the answer in good ol’ American barbecue: to him the perfect barbecue with a dark, flavourful crust or some call the Bark, and tender meat that still retains its juiciness.
Through rave reviews from friends and by word of mouth, he joined foodtech platform Esseplore as a home chef, before the opportunity came to be the Pitmaster at Smokehse, which is Esseplore’s latest venture. Here, he talks with Rebecca Assice reporter with Choice Media about the pursuit of perfection in his passion for barbecuing that took him on a journey from Singapore to Kansas City in the United States.
Q: How did you get started Chef Jimmy?
Chef Jimmy: Basically, I was not happy with the results I was getting on my barbecues using charcoal under the grill. The direct heat, I found, caused the results to be inconsistent-- the meat was either over-or-undercooked, or sometimes even burnt.
So I began doing my own research into the different types of barbecue, and I found out about American barbecue, which is the technique of using a smoker to cook the meat over indirect heat, with lower temperatures, and for a long period of time.
The result is more consistent, with deeper flavours and the three elements of the perfect barbecue: the Bark, Juice and Bite. The Bark is the flavourful crust that forms on meat after hours of low and slow smoking, while Juice and Bite are about the juiciness and tenderness of the meat.
So, I reached out to the manufacturers of a particular smoker I wanted. The manufacturer I reached out to is a family-owned company in the US that started over 50 years ago making electric smoker ovens, pellet-fired smoker ovens, charbroilers, pellet grills, a wood burning pizza oven and other related smoking products such as accessories, wood, pellets, barbecue sauces, spices and business solutions. That was back in 2009, and they invited me to go to the States to train with their pitmasters and the rest is history.
Q: What’s your background, and where were you trained?
Chef Jimmy: It all began with me wanting to improve my craft in barbecue. It’s my passion, and when I got the smoker I began as a home chef, doing private catering for friends and family, but for most of my career I was in presentation systems, AVs and events management.
Q: How did you join Esseplore - and why?
Chef Jimmy: While I was doing private catering, one of my regular customers was Paloma, who is the Operations Manager at Esseplore. She persuaded me to join as a home chef with Esseplore’s FeastBox offering, and I felt that it was a good match for my skills and needs. When the opportunity came for me to be the Pitmaster at Esseplore’s Smokehse, I definitely welcomed the chance.
Now instead of me barbecuing alone, I have many people who work together with me to perfect the barbecue that I so love. More ideas, more innovation and more team to do what I love. It’s great!
I feel that Esseplore is a great platform for me to pursue perfection in my craft, focus on cooking and not worry about all the marketing, logistics and supply. Esseplore takes care of all that so I can concentrate on cooking and barbecue.
Q: What’s coming up next for Smokehse?
Chef Jimmy: A lot! We are looking to expand our menu and offerings, and hope to look into exploring with more dishes. We want to be the Number 1 in American BBQ in Singapore. Some of our customers already said that we are the best American BBQ in town – fresh, succulent, juicy and delicious. I know great BBQ when I taste one and we are definitely the best in town!
About Esseplore
Esseplore is a food technology company that is orchestrating a vibrant food ecosystem enabled by digital technology. The talented chefs on our platform bring forth a unique experience with a plethora of different cuisines, designed to excite our customer’s taste buds in the comfort of homes or corporate settings.
Founded in 2017, Esseplore now has several gourmet brands under its belt, FeastBox, Gourmand, Umami Chefs and Smokehse. Esseplore chefs are carefully selected for their ability to present authentic cuisines and quality of their menus.
With the vision to expand this experience across Asia, Esseplore is disrupting the dining industry with cutting-edge software and operational concepts.
