The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1676 - Jesse Griffiths
CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 5:16
Rinella connections, Dai Due mission, and the “chef as craftsman” mindset
Joe welcomes Jesse Griffiths and credits Steve Rinella for connecting him with people passionate about wild foods. Jesse and Joe discuss whether chefs are “artists” or more like craftsmen, and how ingredient-driven cooking reshaped public perception (via Bourdain and food media).
- •Steve Rinella’s role in popularizing wild-food culture and connecting communities
- •Jesse’s philosophy: humility, craftsmanship, and consistency over “chef-as-artist” ego
- •Bourdain’s influence on how people value chefs and food as a temporary art form
- •Ingredient sourcing and seasonality as the real creative challenge
- 5:16 – 6:44
How Dai Due started: supper clubs, local sourcing, and Texas seasonality challenges
Jesse explains Dai Due’s evolution from a 2006 supper club to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. He describes building menus around local farms and the unique difficulty of doing hyperlocal food in Texas’ extreme weather and inconsistent growing seasons.
- •Dai Due’s origin as outdoor farm dinners and weekly supper clubs
- •Early farm-to-table in Texas: local meats, fish, dairy, oils, and produce
- •Texas climate volatility and its effect on availability and planning
- •Local sourcing as both a limitation and an advantage for creativity
- 6:44 – 11:21
Jesse’s path into kitchens (no culinary school) and the “local cuisine” revelation
Jesse shares his nontraditional route into cooking—front-of-house work, then a pay cut to the kitchen—and why travel changed his view of food. Trips to Mexico and Europe highlighted how regional cuisines are built from local constraints rather than globalized supply chains.
- •Learning restaurants from the inside: FOH to BOH transition
- •Why culinary school is common but not required for success
- •Mexico/Europe travel: local ingredients as the foundation of cuisine
- •Critique of anonymous, out-of-season, global supply boxes in U.S. restaurants
- 11:21 – 16:34
The Venice lesson: respecting simplicity, sourcing, and relationships
A formative Venice experience shows Jesse how minimal, perfectly sourced ingredients can create exceptional food without over-manipulation. The conversation centers on restraint, precision, and how relationships with producers often matter more than flashy technique.
- •Gondola trip to a seafood market and ultra-simple sole preparation
- •Simplicity as a high skill: knowing what not to do
- •Hyperlocal sourcing and ingredient quality as the “craft”
- •Building trust with farmers, ranchers, and fishmongers
- 16:34 – 22:30
Teaching hunts and butchery: building food respect through hands-on experience
Jesse outlines his guided hunt/butchery/cooking weekends and why he started them in 2008. The goal is to reconnect people to the true cost of food—animal and plant—by making harvesting and utilization tangible.
- •Structure of the weekend classes: hunt, field care, butcher, cook, and eat
- •Why hunting can teach respect for all resources (including wasted produce)
- •Small-group format with guides and continuous instruction
- •Dispelling common myths about wild game (liver, “gamey” flavor, hog stigma)
- 22:30 – 28:20
Texas feral hogs 101: population explosion, history, and what “feral” really means
They open the “Pandora’s box” of feral hogs—how many there are, how fast they reproduce, and how they spread. Jesse explains the historical introductions and argues that “feral” can simply mean a domestic pig that got out.
- •Estimated U.S. and Texas hog numbers; why census estimates are hard
- •Reproduction: early breeding, frequent litters, and no strict season
- •Origins: explorers, intentional releases, and modern translocation
- •Definition: a feral hog is often “a pig without an address”
- 28:20 – 33:02
Wild pig biology and genetics: boars vs pigs, rapid physical changes, and “invasive” debates
Joe and Jesse discuss how quickly pigs change after going wild—shaggier hair, longer snouts, and nocturnal behavior. They cover Eurasian/Russian boar introductions, hybridization, and special cases like the pure Iberico-descended Ossabaw Island hog.
- •Same species (Sus scrofa): domestic pigs and wild hogs aren’t separate animals
- •Rapid feral adaptation: coat, snout changes, behavior and intelligence
- •Russian/Eurasian boar stocking, high-fence populations, and hybridization
- •Ossabaw Island hogs: Iberico lineage and insular dwarfism
- 33:02 – 50:35
Why some hogs taste bad: diet, boar taint, stress, and choosing the right cooking strategy
Jesse breaks down the biggest reasons for inconsistent wild hog eating quality: what they eat, hormonal factors like boar taint, and stress at death. A vivid anecdote contrasts a cleanly shot hog with a snared hog whose stress made the meat nearly inedible.
- •Diet as a major driver: acorns/pecans vs marsh/scrub foraging
- •Boar taint: strong, widely offensive odor linked to intact males
- •Stress effects on flavor and meat quality (shot vs snared example)
- •Categorizing hogs (size/sex/fatness) to decide best preparations
- 50:35 – 53:40
Processing and cooking feral hogs: yields, sausage, fat blending, and pork burgers
They move into practical utilization—how much meat you actually get from a large boar, and why sausage is often the best use for heavily flavored or lean animals. Jesse explains fat ratios, adding domestic fat, and why a well-made pork burger can be excellent.
- •Field-to-freezer math: dressing loss, deboning yield estimates
- •Sausage strategy: spice, grind, and managing lean meat
- •Adding fat: typical 20–25% fat target; pork fat vs beef fat + bacon blends
- •Underrated idea: pork burgers and thin, charred patties
- 53:40 – 1:05:51
Sous vide, slow-cooking tools, and the plastic-chemical concern
Jesse describes when sous vide is useful (turkey legs, ribs, long controlled cooks) and when he prefers traditional methods. Joe raises concerns about plastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, leading to a practical discussion of bag materials and personal risk tolerance.
- •Sous vide as a tool for long, controlled tenderization of tough cuts
- •Crockpot as the “classic” accessible version of the same concept
- •Plastic/leaching concerns; phthalates/BPA discussion and Shanna Swan reference
- •Restaurant choices vs home convenience; balancing technique and philosophy
- 1:05:51 – 1:18:30
Fire cooking and Dai Due’s open-kitchen concept: hearth, butcher rail, and cultural wood choices
They celebrate cooking over live fire as both primal and culturally specific—especially Texas post oak. Jesse describes designing Dai Due for transparency, with visible butchery and a central hearth so guests immediately understand the restaurant’s ethos.
- •Post oak coals and why wood (not charcoal) fits Dai Due’s style
- •Fire as an ancient human attraction and a central dining experience
- •Restaurant design: visible prep, carcass rail, and hearth as the “concept”
- •Regional wood traditions: oak/pecan/mesquite/hickory tied to place
- 1:18:30 – 1:31:46
Game care controversies: “cold and dry,” no direct ice contact, and extreme folklore practices
Jesse explains his most contentious advice: never put game meat directly on ice because moisture degrades texture and can promote spoilage. He recommends bag-wrapping carcasses, draining coolers, and prioritizing cold/dry handling—then shares wild stories of misguided practices.
- •Core principle: keep meat cold and dry; avoid soaking in meltwater
- •Technique: contractor bags as a barrier; cavity down; drain plug open
- •Evidence from processing: watery sausage trays and waterlogged loins
- •Folklore extremes: bleach in coolers; absurd postmortem “rituals”; electrostimulation discussion
- 1:31:46 – 3:08:29
Safety, regulations, and serving wild foods: gloves, parasites, and what’s legal in Texas restaurants
The conversation turns to disease prevention and legal pathways for getting wild meats into commercial kitchens. Jesse details cooking/freezing guidance for parasites, glove use during evisceration, and the regulatory differences between exotic “non-game” species and feral swine.
- •Risks: trichinosis and other pathogens; mitigation via time/temperature and freezing
- •Processing hygiene: gloves to reduce brucellosis exposure through cuts
- •Texas legality: exotics/non-game via ranch systems vs feral swine via live-trap + inspection
- •Commercial pipeline realities: stress in trapped hogs and tradeoffs for utilization
