Q&A With Instagram Chef @_ivan_323
For my next Q&A session, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ivan Moran, from L.A. AKA @_ivan_323, who I have been following for a long time. Ivan is an amazing cook, full of passion, cooking daily mouth watering meals, and full of cooking recipes and tricks. He makes killer Tacos & Michelada's, and his Cachetes (Cow Cheeks) fall apart in your hand like hot butter. Definitely one of the creative cooks out there, I see having a lot of fun, and cooking from their heart, almost everyday, a variety of dishes, Seafood, Beef, Pork etc...
Ivan is brand Ambassador for: @caribeque (use promo code “IVAN”), @salsasinaloa, @octoforks, and Dragon Knuckles
Ivan also runs his Private Catering Service, Which you can occasionally experience in L.A. when he does a Pop Up BBQ. His Service is called Boulevard Street Food, and definitely recommended by the pictures I see.
Here goes:
Q. You are an amazing cook, and have an awesome Instagram profile. Can you please tell us a little bit of where you are coming from, and how you obtained your cooking passion and inspiration?
A. Thank you! I’m born & raised in east Los Angeles California. In my family most of the men do the cooking. My grandfather & uncles butchered whole animals and cooked for parties as they would in Mexico. I saw how cooking brought our family closer, and I wanted to be a part of that growing up.
Q. Tell us a bit of your Hardware: Grills, Thermometers, Smokers, Special gear…
A. I have a few Weber grills, pizza attachment & rotisserie attachment. I also have an offset smoker that I feed wood only.
Q. What is your favorite meat to cook, and why?
A. I’m definitely a surf & turf kinda guy. A nice medium rare rib-eye & garlic butter shrimp will do the job.
Q. What is your favorite way to cook, and why?
A. I’m a big fan of low & slow bbq. Charcoal & wood chunks or wood logs alone.
Q. Can you share your favorite dry-rub/marinade/sauce recipe? A. Lately I’ve been a big fan of salt, pepper & Italian herbs as a seasoning or rub.
Q. Can you share your #1 all-time favorite meat dish and recipe? A. Low & slow meaty beef ribs would have to be my favorite. (Editor's note: Beef Short Ribs are my favourite Asado cut)
Q. What non-obvious cooking tip can you share?
A. Always cook to temperature not time. Buying an expensive cut of meat only to realize you over or under cooked it can be discouraging. (Editor's note: The temperature probe is your best friend)
Q. Life Goals - What do you wish you could cook in the future? A whole cow? Crossed Lamb? Giant Paella…
A. I definitely want to cook a whole hog.
Q. What will you never ever cook or eat and why?
A. I’ve been able to tolerate food I once disliked. But I can’t bring myself to like liver. No matter how it’s cooked or what other ingredients are added.
Q. If you could take to an island with you a commercial sauce/dry-rub/marinade, which one will it be?
A. I’m a huge fan of @sucklebuster SPG. Goes good on anything.
Q. Must Have, can’t live without Grilling Accessory? Digital or non-Digital.
A. I’ve got to say my Weber iGrill 2. It fits up to four probes, it monitors my ambient temperature along with different parts of a cut or different cooks. Bluetooth capability allows me to check all my temps from my phone. (Editor's note: I own this same using, and highly recommend it along with an Ambiance Probe)
Q. Name 5 awesome inspiring cooks we must follow on Instagram and feel free to elaborate
A. The first would have to be @tony_and_maribel I actually started documenting my food journey on instagram because of Tony. He and his wife bring a variety of family style bbq.
Next would be @smoking_rays_backyard_bbq definitely bringing a good name to so-cal barbecue.
Speaking of so-cal barbecue @spangish_asadero has a Mexican touch to his barbecue which I can relate to.
@tonytone_409 is definitely doing his thing in Texas. Brisket game is on point!
Last but not least @_rublife_ is a must follow. Group of bbq cooks all with different backgrounds, passion & styles.