Kirkland enjoys manning the grill

Zaus Kirkland learned to cook from an array of awesome family members growing up. The matriarch of the family, his grandmother Hattie Kirkland, instilled in him cooking habits and making sure the taste is right. 

His aunts, Arrenthia Kirkland, Kathy Kirkland-Lewis, Betty Kirkland and Ella Rea Day, were all very influential in teaching him the art of delivering a great meal.

He learned to grill from his stepfather, the late Jimmy Spivey. His mother, Joyce Kirkland Spivey, taught him hands-on how to make sure not to overcook.

“A lot of times I get in a hurry doing stuff as far as cooking. I want it to be done instantly, but they taught me patience,” Kirkland said. “They taught me about measurements, different spices, and baking pastries and different breads. I also picked up a lot of things on my own working at restaurants a lot as a youngster.”

Kirkland spent 20 years working in the oil fields before recently deciding to work from home. He started running “Oh Taste and See”, a successful mobile restaurant around three months ago to help keep him occupied when he’s not working.

“I started cooking and delivering, and it’s doing really well,” he said. “I do a lot of catering too.”

From Monday through Saturday Kirkland prepares a plethora of savory meals reserved for each day including pan-trout and catfish, seven styles of chicken wings, Philly cheesesteaks, turkey burgers, sandwiches, Polish sausage, ribeye’s, baked potatoes, bread, barbeque ribeye’s, baked beans, mac & cheese, salad, and spinach turkey wraps from scratch; however, his Sundays are reserved for church.

Kirkland and his family attend Jerusalem Temple Church where he is a deacon. He has been married 25 years to Winnie Triplett Kirkland, and they have five children.

“My faith in God has brought me this far,” Kirkland exclaimed.

His passion for cooking shines through in his favorite dish, a meticulously prepared ribeye steak soaked in Coca-Cola for 12 hours for tenderization.

“Coca-Cola will break anything up. It will even break a coon up if you throw it in there,” he said with a laugh.

His holiday turkey dressing and signature blueberry, apple, and peach crunches are cherished by family and patrons alike and he loves seeing people’s faces when they bite into his food.

“My dressing is so good, they want me to cook it other than the holidays,” he said. “Sometimes we cook it during the summer.”

Kirkland embraces his family’s tradition of cooking from scratch by making homemade seasonings, including salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and homemade ranch dressing.

“Any ingredients I put in my food has to be from scratch,” he said. “Throughout the years my grandmother used to do everything from scratch, and I adopted that.”

Kirkland encourages fellow cooks to prioritize preparation over speed, further echoing the wisdom passed down from his family.

BAKED PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SLIDERS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound beef top sirloin steaks (salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste)

1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

½ cup diced onions

10 mini sandwich rolls

2 ½ cups freshly shredded provolone cheese

½ cup chopped pickled peppers

½ cup cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steaks generously with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Cook steaks in hot oil for 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and add onions around steaks. Continue cooking until steaks begin to firm and are hot and slightly pink in the center, 5 to 6 minutes more. Push onions under steaks and cook until browned but still crunchy, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove steaks and sautéed onions to a plate.

Step 1 — Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. 

Step 2 — Place rolls on the prepared baking tray. Hollow out the top of each roll by cutting in at a 45-degree angle. Pinch off some of the bread inside to make room for the filling. 

Step 3 — Slice steaks into thin strips, then across into 1/2-inch pieces. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add sautéed onions and accumulated meat juices. Toss in 1 1/2 cups provolone, pickled peppers, cream cheese, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; mix until thoroughly combined. Taste and season with salt if needed. Spoon filling into rolls and top with remaining 1 cup provolone cheese. 

Step 4 — Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and the edges of rolls start to brown, about 15 minutes.

BARBECUE RIBS

BBQ SAUCE

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. ketchup

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 

RIBS

1/4 c. light brown sugar

1/4 c. smoked paprika

2 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 tbsp. ground cumin

1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb.) full rack baby back pork ribs, patted dry

BBQ SAUCE- 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic powder, paprika, Worcestershire, salt, and black pepper. Cook, whisking often, until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Let cool.

RIBS

In a small bowl, whisk brown sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and cumin.

Heat one burner on your gas grill to low, or preheat to 200°. (Or prep your charcoal grill with charcoal stacked on one side.) Place ribs on a large piece of foil and coat all sides with dry rub. Let sit 10 minutes, then tightly wrap in foil. 

Place ribs bone side up on cooler side of grill and cover. After 1 1/2 hours, rotate ribs 180° and cook 1 1/2 hours more. (Make sure grill temperature does not exceed 200°.) Once they’ve cooked 3 hours total, you should be able to see bones protruding from meat when you peek inside foil. Remove ribs from grill and transfer to a large baking sheet. Open foil and let ribs rest 10 minutes. 

Adjust grill to high heat or preheat to about 450°. (Turn on all burners or add more coals and spread them out evenly.) Remove ribs from foil and place directly on grill. Using a pastry brush, generously baste with BBQ sauce. Flip rack and baste other side with sauce. It helps to have 2 sets of tongs (or a set of tongs and a spatula) to flip the rack.

Grill until sauce is caramelized and meat has visible grill marks, 1 to 3 minutes. Flip again and continue to grill until sauce on other side is caramelized, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Let ribs cool 5 minutes. Slice and serve.