Prime Cuts: The complete guide to choosing, understanding, and cooking meat

Whether you’re grilling steaks, roasting a joint, smoking brisket, searing chops, braising chuck, or cooking low and slow on the barbecue, Prime Cuts is the ultimate guide to meat. Organized cut by cut, it helps you understand meat, shop smarter at the butcher counter, and cook everything from beef and pork to lamb, chicken and more with confidence. Combining practical meat science with real kitchen and barbecue know-how, this is a one-stop handbook for choosing the right cuts, mastering essential techniques, and getting the best value and deepest flavor from every piece.

Inside you’ll find over 100 recipes alongside the grilling, barbecue, smoking, roasting, searing, and slow-cooking techniques – from quick weeknight dinners to impressive celebration roasts and smoked barbecue centerpieces, these recipes show you how to make meat truly shine. From shoulders, ribs, brisket, and shanks to an entire section devoted to every possible kind of steak, Prime Cuts breaks down classic cuts and shows you how to cook each one to perfection. You’ll also discover smart ways to use bones, fat, and high-value cuts for richer flavor, less waste, and more deliciousness for your dollar.

Packed with over 15 years of hands-on meat expertise and backed by real meat science, Prime Cuts is the ultimate cookbook and reference guide – giving cooks of every level the knowledge, recipes, and techniques they need to choose, prepare, and cook meat with confidence.

Jess Pryles is a cook, author, and television host recognized globally as a leading authority on meat and live-fire cooking. With a no-nonsense approach and deep technical expertise, she has built her reputation on mastering the craft of cooking with fire. Originally from Australia and now based in Austin, Texas, Jess has spent over a decade traveling the world to study meat from ranch to table, bridging the gap between the butcher shop and the backyard cook.

The Industry Expert

A Certified Meat Scientist with a Graduate Certificate from Iowa State University, Jess is the founder of the global lifestyle brand Hardcore Carnivore® and the co-founder of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance. Her expertise is sought after by the industry’s most prestigious institutions; she is a regular presenter at Texas A&M University’s famed Camp Brisket and has been a featured speaker for the American Meat Science Association.

Television & Media

Jess is a veteran of culinary media, known for her ability to break down complex "meatducation" into approachable, high-stakes cooking. She is the host of the hit series Hardcore Carnivore and Feast by Fire. Beyond her own shows, Jess has served as a co-host for Hulu’s BBQuest and is a regular fixture on major networks as a judge for MasterChef, Iron Chef Canada, Beat Bobby Flay, and Kids BBQ Championship. Her expertise has also been featured on The Today Show, SEC Nation, and The Cookup.

The Books

Jess is the author of the best-selling cookbook Hardcore Carnivore: Cook Meat Like You Mean It. Her highly anticipated second book, Prime Cuts, arrives in 2026. Designed to be as accessible to the "meat-curious" beginner as it is essential for the seasoned expert, Prime Cuts provides a comprehensive guide to the selection, butchery, and preparation of the world’s most prized proteins. Whether she is developing new seasoning profiles or teaching a masterclass, Jess’s mission remains the same: to strip away the intimidation of the grill and give every cook the knowledge and confidence to cook meat like they mean it.