At Eaglewood Golf Course and Event Center in North Salt Lake, Utah, Executive Chef and Kitchen Manager Justin Field brings a background in sausage-making and charcuterie to his culinary program.
“I had just gotten out of college,” Field recalls. “I was bumming it on my grandfather’s couch in Astoria, New York, and he gave me an ultimatum. He said, ‘You can stay here, but you have to get a job.’ … That’s how it started.”
Field would revive the skills he picked up at Joe’s Pork Store later, opening a brewery in Salt Lake City that featured sausage and barbecue—techniques he’s now brought to Eaglewood.
In fact, when he was hired, Field requested a custom smoker to support the club’s heavy tournament and event schedule.
“Given the amount of tournaments we were expecting,” he says. “I wanted to get as much food out of my convection oven and into the smoker as possible. … We don’t have a huge kitchen, so we have to be a little efficient on spacing.”
That investment has paid off. From 16-hour briskets to smoked chicken wings, the smoker is central to Field’s output. But he encourages chefs to experiment before committing to expensive equipment.
“Take a few weekends, smoke a whole bunch of ribs, try out different rubs, sauces, techniques, and just play around with it until you really get dialed in to where you want to go,” he says.
No matter the protein or vegetable, Field stresses the importance of intuition in cooking.
“This applies to a lot of cooking in general, but I think a lot of people don’t realize that they’re as much of a part of the cooking process as the recipe,” he says. “We have to constantly be checking what we’re doing and adjusting as we go. It’s not just the recipe.”
This becomes especially relevant when it comes to Field’s passion for whole-animal cooking. And as an avid hunter, he has a particular appreciation for all facets of the craft.
“A lot of people, especially in Utah, are a little intimidated by the whole animal,” says Field. “But I love it. I think the flavor is a lot better, and I’m getting a more intimate product from a local producer.”
Field often opts for Cuban-style whole pig roasts, pairing them with mole, fried plantains, and black beans.
“Any way I can work with the whole animal, I really take the effort to—if it’s a duck, a chicken, as big of cuts as I can get,” he says. “You save a lot of money doing it that way, too, at the expense of time. But if you enjoy doing it, I don’t see it as a waste of time.”
