In 2022, Alex Belew won Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen, earning him the $250,000 grand prize and a head chef appointment at Caesars Atlantic City. And now he is making grilled magic with the help of Shinedown.
For anyone unfamiliar with Shinedown, they are a rock band that has made history with “the most #1 Billboard rock singles in history.” One of their recent mainstream hits is the single “A Symptom of Being Human.” Beyond that, it turns out that two members of the band are actually foodies themselves and even grill masters in their own right. (If you were wondering, those members are drummer Barry Kerch and guitarist Zach Myers.)
Together the band and the chef are creating something delicious. And how did that they do that? Belew got the chance to meet with Shinedown on the road and enjoyed a grilling experience together.
Alex Belew and Shinedown are making grilling magic happen together
Not only did we get a chance to see the video, but we even have the recipe of what the band and Alex Belew were able to make together. But first, let’s take a look at what both the chef and the band’s drummer had to say about this fun grilling team up.
According to Belew,
"Whoever said the phrase don’t meet your heroes never met the boys of Shinedown. As a chef and musician I know that the 2 universal love languages are food and music. And throughout life we all find music and artists that we connect with for one reason or another. Shinedown for me is one of those bands. Their music has gotten me through arguably some of my toughest and some of my best moments in life. When I showed up to cook for them I showed up as a stranger with little expectation other than feeding them. I couldn’t have asked for a better or warmer reception from a group of guys that have had a massive career for over 2 decades. Their grace and hospitality was honest and natural and the laughs and connection we had has been forever cemented in my mind. I came as a stranger and left as family and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Their music and integrity is a gift to this world and we need more men like this."
So what did Barry Kerch have to say about Alex Belew?
"Not only is Alex a talented chef, but he is a great hang and a genuinely good person. That being said, the food he prepared for us in a makeshift kitchen was absolutely delicious."
Now we need to get to the most delicious aspect of all of this…the actual recipe for ribs that Belew created for the band.
For fans of Spare Ribs, this will definitely be a must try, especially if you are cooking for a few people.
Spare Ribs Recipe:
What you need:
- Ribs
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 1 Tbsp. corn starch
- ⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp gochujang paste
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger root – a large thumb-size piece
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 Tbsp. Cherry preserves
First, we start with the ribs.
“Season with salt and sous vide for 18 hours at 156 degrees or Smoke at 225 until an internal temp of 202.
Once the ribs are fully cooked, increase the heat of the smoker to 425, brush with your Korean BBQ sauce and grill until the sauce is nicely caramelized.”
To make the Korean BBQ sauce, “Mix water and cornstarch together until well combined. Put all other ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and add cornstarch mixture. Boil for 1 minute and then let cool. Blitz with an immersion blender.”
Honestly, we love not only the recipe for the spare ribs, but also the fact that Alex Belew got the chance to meet the band and collaborate with them to make foodie magic happen.
We are big fans of Belew and what he brought to the table while on Hell’s Kitchen. And we love seeing his journey post win as well. Plus, we love learning new recipes from our favorites, so this will definitely be going into our cookbooks!
Check out the video of Alex and Shinedown here: