Sterling Ball on Guitars, BBQ, and his Partnership with BJ’s Restaurant

Occupying Sterling Ball’s busy life are guitar strings, BBQ, and pizookies. How does he do it all?

Take the son of a musical revolutionary. Sprinkle in expert business sense, a pinch of humor, and the best tasting grilling seasonings you’ve ever had. Don’t forget to preheat your Big Poppa smoker. When all’s said and done, what—or rather, who—do you have? None other than Sterling Ball.

He’s the CEO of Ernie Ball, the guitar strings company that has provided strings to the likes of Slash, Angus Young, Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, and a host of other guitar gods. Sterling Ball is also the founder of Big Poppa Smokers, which offers a huge selection of BBQ rubs, seasonings, sauces, marinades, grills, and smokers.

So how does this particular music scene fit with delicious smoked food? According to Sterling Ball, it doesn’t, not really.

“I don’t really think there’s a balance between my two passions, I just get less sleep than most people,” he said.

Sterling Ball took over the guitar business at age 22, and today the company has 415 employees in 110 countries. Now he’s made room for the next generation of leadership at the company and has turned his attention to his second record and continued domination of the BBQ circuit.

Before he became a champion and nationally ranked cook on the BBQ circuit, California—and the West Coast in general—was not respected on the national BBQ scene. But with a combination of his own rubs and seasonings and a hell of a lot of practice and attention to detail, his team has seen great success.

So what does it take to stay at the top of the smoked leaderboard?

“You gotta keep your eyes on the prize. One thing that everyone tells you is that intense focus will lead to success. I think that’s the worst advice you could give or get,” Sterling Ball said. “It’s all about immersion, and paying attention to what’s in your peripheral vision.”

An opportunity in Ball’s peripheral vision has helped both him and the Big Poppa Smokers’ brand gain national attention. And it started with what Ball called, “a great accident”.

Ball has a habit of cooking for his customers in the music scene. One fortuitous day, the CEO of BJ’s Restaurant, Gregory Trojan, was able to sample some of Ball’s award-winning ribs. He knew the restaurant could serve better ribs, and brought Sterling Ball in to work with his chefs.

“The chefs weren’t big fans of me to start—I walked into their professional kitchen in shorts. But we both cooked ribs, and they admitted that mine were better.”

BJ’s started using Big Poppa’s rubs and cooking them how Sterling Ball suggested. He also joined the executive board at tastings, providing his unabashed feedback. The self-appointed “Chief Instigator” has helped BJ’s revamp its menu, working in the test kitchen to build a unique, flavorful menu.

His Mediterranean chicken taco-pita is the number one selling lunch option for the restaurant. He came up with nearly 40 unique menu items in a two-day period. Be on the lookout for the monkey bread pizookie and the peanut butter s’mores pizookie on the dessert menu—they are some of Ball’s favorite creations.

And, on top of helping to transform the brand, Ball hasn’t charged BJ’s for his expertise.

“I work most times for free. The only time I charge is when I’m working with accountants and lawyers.”

Looks like Sterling Ball has more than a pinch of humor in his arsenal.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Sterling Ball has provided an impressive array of recipes to wow your loved ones.

Reverse-Sear New York Steaks

Type: Entrée
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30+ minutes

Ingredients/supplies:

• 2 New York steaks: Wagyu or prime
• Garlic olive oil
• Big Poppa’s Little Louie’s Garlic Salt with Black Pepper
• Big Poppa’s Double Secret Steak Rub
• Instant read thermometer
• GrillGrates or some kind of searing accessory (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to 250°F
2. Set steaks on counter to allow to come up in temperature.
3. Brush olive oil on to steaks.
4. Lightly dust both sides of steak with Little Louie’s Garlic Salt with Black Pepper.
5. Generously season both sides of steaks with Double Secret Steak Rub. Allow the large grains of salt to dissolve a bit.
6. Cook steaks over indirect heat until internal temp. reads 95°F; Flip steaks over.
7. Pull the steaks off when internal temp reads 110°F
8. Crank up to 500°F or as hot as it will allow for searing; keep steaks in warming dish while grill is heating up.
9. Once at searing temperature, sear steaks to desired doneness (pull steaks at 135-140°F for medium rare)
10. Let steaks rest for 5 minutes before cutting.

Fish – Jimbo’s Salmon Recipe

Type: Entrée
Difficulty: Easy-intermediate
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients/Supplies:

• Organic salmon fillets (2, nice thick ones)
• Melted butter (enough to cover both sides of salmon)
• Diced garlic (to taste)
• Capers (to taste)
• Juice from ½ of a lemon
• Big Poppa’s Desert Gold Seasoning (or fish seasoning of your choice)
• Big Poppa’s Non-Stick Cooking Mats

Directions:

1. Preheat grill/smoker to 400°F.
2. Season the salmon fillets (skin side down) with Desert Gold seasoning.
3. Mix melted butter, diced garlic, and capers in small bowl.
4. Spread half of the butter mixture over fillets; set aside remaining mixture.
5. Squeeze lemon over fillets.
6. Place salmon skin side down on Big Poppa mat/on grill/smoker (indirect heat).
7. Cook for 7 minutes at 400°F, turn over.
8. Peel off skin and pour remaining butter mixture over the salmon.
9. Continue cooking for 7 more minutes or until desired doneness.

Vegetarian – Steakhouse Mushrooms

Type: Side, or entrée if you serve larger portions
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 40-45 minutes

Ingredients/Supplies:

• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 1 Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• ½ stick of butter, cut into 4-5 pieces
• 2-3 tbsp of garlic olive oil
• Sliced white mushrooms
• Sliced Shitaki mushrooms (enough mushrooms to fill an 8×8” dish)
• ¼ cup of red wine
• Big Poppa’s Double Secret Steak Rub
• Glass 8×8” dish

Directions:

1. Preheat grill/smoker to 325°F.
2. Put mushrooms into dish, mix together.
3. Put onion and bell pepper in to taste.
4. Drizzle with garlic olive oil.
5. Pour ½ cup of wine over mushroom mixture.
6. Add sliced garlic.
7. Season with Double Secret seasoning.
8. Mix together in dish.
9. Add more Double Secret seasoning to any parts that were missed.
10. Distribute pieces of butter on top of mushroom mixture.
11. Put dish onto smoker (indirect flame) and cook for 40-45 minutes or until done.

Health Conscious – Spatchcock Chicken

Type: Entrée
Difficulty: Easy/intermediate
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (may vary)

Ingredients/Supplies:

• Whole organic chicken – 3-1/2 to 4lbs
• Garlic olive oil
• Big Poppa’s Desert Gold Seasoning
• Big Poppa’s Little Louie’s Garlic Salt with Black Pepper
• Instant read thermometer
• Sharp kitchen shears

Directions:

1. Preheat grill/smoker to 325°F.
2. Trim fat off the chicken and cut the backbone/spine out
3. Flip over, spread the chicken and push down between the breast meat to crack the breastbone.
4. Drizzle/rub olive oil all over chicken.
5. Lightly dust with Little Louie’s Seasoning.
6. Season with Desert Gold.
7. Put on grill/indirect heat for 1 hour or until internal breast temperature reaches 165°F.
8. Pull chicken when breast meat is at 165°F, let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Gluten Free – Tri Tip

Type: Entrée
Difficulty: Intermediate
Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour (may vary)

Ingredients/Supplies:

• Tri-Ttip (about 2-1/2 lbs)
• Organic olive oil spray
• Big Poppa’s Double Secret Steak Rub* (or beef seasoning of your choice)
• Big Poppa’s Little Louie’s Garlic Salt with Black Pepper*
• Instant read thermometer

*Big Poppa’s rubs & seasonings are gluten free

Directions:

1. Preheat grill/smoker to 325°F
2. Season tri-tip on all sides with Double Secret & Little Louie’s.
3. Spray with olive oil to help the seasoning stick.
4. Put tri-tip on the grill for 35 minutes at 325°F or until internal temperature reaches 120°F. Pull off grill and keep warm.
5. Increase grill heat to searing temps (450-500°F).
6. Sear outside of tri-tip until desired doneness (120°F for rare, 130°F for medium rare); pull off grill as soon as desired internal temp is reached.
7. Let rest for 10 minutes.
8. Slice against the grain and serve.

All Big Poppa’s rubs & seasonings, GrillGrates, and Big Poppa Non-Stick Cooking Mats can be found on www.bigpoppasmokers.com