Cosgrove enjoys grilling great food

Joel Cosgrove learned to cook through trial and error, experimenting over a grill, as his chicken and steak have become the most requested dishes by his family.

“I grill a lot of chicken, steak, pork chops, and Boston butts,” Cosgrove said.

He is married to Lindsey Cosgrove, and they have four children, Dean, Ella, Finn, and Hazel. Cosgrove works as the assistant baseball coach at Neshoba Central High School.

Cosgrove said that while his oldest daughter is only 10 years old, she has already started asking questions and showing an interest in the kitchen—and though he may be the grill master of the house, his wife also makes the best green beans he’s ever had.

Cosgrove considers brisket as his best dish, which he seasons generously with salt, black pepper, and garlic. He keeps the grill at 250°F, smokes the brisket for two to three hours, then wraps it in foil and lets it cook until it reaches around 200°F. After that, he allows it to rest for at least an hour.

“I’ll try random things if I come across something, but I try to keep it simple,” he said. “If I cook something I haven’t cooked before, I’ll watch YouTube videos to get ideas.”

Cosgrove said he does most of the cooking for family gatherings and holidays, either on the grill or griddle. He and his family attend Trinity Baptist Church.

Some of his favorite kitchen memories come from watching his grandmother bake cookies and cakes when he was younger, but these days, he enjoys cooking on weekends while watching Mississippi State baseball and football games.

His go-to seasoning brands for grilling include Meat Church, Killer Hogs, and Pickin’ N Grillin’, but Cosgrove said he mostly sticks to simple seasonings—salt, black pepper, and garlic.

Over the years, cooking has become a skill he has mastered. More than that, it’s something he enjoys—especially when he gets to see others appreciate his food.

GREEN BEANS

4 bags frozen green beans (I buy the ones in the microwave steam bag at Walmart and steam them in microwave 3 min per bag to soften them a little)

12 to 16 oz bacon cooked and drained

4 tbsp. brown sugar

-4 tbsp. soy sauce

Couple of shakes of Worcestershire

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. onion powder

Salt and pepper to taste

5 slices butter (about 1/2 tbsp. each)

Use whatever pan will hold it all. Put beans down first then just evenly sprinkle the seasoning, sugar, and bacon. Put your butter on top. Cook at 350° for 30-45 minutes.

Take it out after about 15 minutes and stir it all up. At 30 minutes, stir it again and taste it. Cook to desired tenderness.

SMOKED BRISKET

Brisket

Salt, pepper, and garlic to taste

Season generously with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Put on the grill at around 250°. Smoke for three to four hours (depending on size of brisket).

Wrap it in butcher paper or foil and return to grill. Pull it when the internal temp is around 200°. Leave wrapped and let it rest for a couple of hours.

CHORIZO TACOS

Tortillas

Chorizo

Shredded cheese

Cook chorizo sausage in a cast iron skillet on the grill until done. Adding onions and a bunch jalapenos will make it better. Drain some of the fat.

Completely top all the sausage with freshly shredded cheese and return to grill until it’s all melted. Warm up tortillas and make tacos.