Chris Carter is the co-founder of Porter Road, an company with a new outlook on the meat industry in America.
Porter Road works with select local farms, processes all meat in their own facility in Kentucky, and expertly hand-cuts every piece. While the butcher shop has become a cult favorite for people who live nearby, the founders realized that friends and family outside of Nashville were still stuck eating low quality, grocery store meat. In 2017, they decided to take Porter Road online with the goal of making the world’s best meat accessible nationwide. We chatted with Chris about the beauty of smoking meat and grandma's fried chicken.
Q&A With Chris Carter
Brightland: What does living in a golden state meant to you?
Chris: Living in a “golden state” is all about those evenings when you sit down at the table with friends in the early evening and lose sense of time. The only markers that you’ve been laughing and eating for hours are that the sun has gotten lower and more empty wine bottles have accumulated. Those nights can only happen when great conversation, wine, and food are flowing.
Brightland: What is your favorite way to use olive oil?
Chris: I love making salads with grilled vegetables and a light vinaigrette. Chimichurri also makes a regular appearance on my table — it’s great on everything from roast chicken, to steak, to vegetables.
Brightland: What was your favorite thing that your mom/dad/grandparent cooked for you when you were young?
Chris: My grandmother would make me the best fried chicken, always accompanied by mashed potatoes and peas. While I love all types of cuisine, in my heart, I’m a true southerner when it comes to food.
Brightland: If you had all the time in the world, what meal would you cook for yourself on a Sunday night?
Chris: When time is abundant, I’m always eager to get the smoker going. Smoking meat encourages you to slow down, stick around the house, and have friends over to spend the day outside. I’ll smoke just about any piece of meat but Pork Spare Ribs are always a favorite. There’s something about smokey, crispy pork fat that’s hard to beat. Homemade mac n cheese is a favorite accompaniment to smoked ribs. To lighten things up a bit, I like to grill some corn, rubbed down with a bit of olive oil and finished with flaky sea salt.
Porter Road Chimichurri Sauce
If there is a source we trust for a steak sauce, it is Porter Road. This herby, flavorful chimichurri is adapted from their original recipe, elevated by Brightland's ALIVE.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of packed parsley
- 2 Tbsps fresh oregano
- 1/3 cup Brightland's ALIVE
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 small shallot
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Directions:
- Finely chop parsley and oregano. Place in a bowl (Do not use aluminum).
- Mince shallot and garlic. Add to the bowl.
- Season with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper. Mix with a spoon.
- Add in vinegar. Mix.
- Add in Brightland's ALIVE. Mix and serve on anything you want to taste awesome, especially grilled Porter Road meats. Enjoy!
