Hardcore Carnivore.
Aussie-Made-in-Texas Steakhouse Profile.

Jess Pryles is an Australian-born BBQ pitmaster, cookbook author, and BBQ media personality based in Texas. She is one of the most prominent women in American BBQ, with appearances across BBQ Pitmasters, Bobby Flay, and BBQ Pit Boys, alongside her own cookbook "Hardcore Carnivore" published in 2017.

Hardcore Carnivore is her rub brand, built specifically around hardcore beef cooks. Three products cover the full beef-and-pork playbook: Black for steakhouse-style red meat (with activated charcoal for the signature ultra-dark crust), Red for competition brisket bark, and Sweet for pork and chicken.

The brand has a strong following in both the United States and Australia, partly because of the Australian connection through Jess Pryles, and partly because the rubs deliver the steakhouse-style results her name suggests.

Three different rubs for three different cooks.

Black: the flagship steakhouse rub built on activated charcoal. The activated charcoal gives Black its signature ultra-dark mahogany-to-jet-black bark. Profile is salt, pepper, garlic-forward, similar in DNA to Texas-style minimalist rubs but with the visual drama of the charcoal. Use on steak, beef ribs, lamb chops, smoked tri-tip, and picanha.

Red: the Tex-Mex competition brisket rub. Paprika, ancho chilli, garlic, and warm spice for a mahogany-red bark with proper heat layers. The Tex-Mex profile (paprika and ancho forward) makes Red distinct from a Texas-style salt-and-pepper rub like Meat Church Holy Cow. Use on brisket, beef ribs, chuck, and lamb shoulder.

Sweet: the pork and chicken rub. Brown sugar forward with paprika, garlic, and balanced spice for caramelised mahogany bark on ribs and pulled pork. Use on pork ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, and wings.

Activated charcoal is the signature ingredient that defines Hardcore Carnivore Black and gives it its name. The charcoal does not affect flavour, it is essentially neutral on the palate. What it does is give the rub its dramatic visual finish: the bark turns mahogany-to-jet-black during the cook, mimicking a steakhouse-grade Maillard reaction crust on cuts where you would not normally get one (like home-grilled steaks).

For dry-aged ribeyes, tomahawks, or any premium steak where you want the look of a high-end steakhouse char, Black delivers that crust visually without needing the 600°C live-fire setup that steakhouses use.

Activated charcoal is food-safe and used widely in food products (some breads, ice creams, beverages). The amount in Black is a minor component of the blend, the salt and pepper still do the seasoning work, the charcoal just handles the visual.

Both work brilliantly on brisket. The right pick depends on the flavour profile you are chasing.

Hardcore Carnivore Red is Tex-Mex inspired with paprika and ancho chilli forward. The bark colour is deep mahogany-red with proper warm heat layers underneath. Use Red if you want a brisket with character, not just beef flavour. Great for serving with smoked beans, jalapeños, or anywhere you want the brisket to hold its own against assertive sides.

Meat Church Holy Cow is traditional Texas-style, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. The whole point is to let the beef stay the hero with a clean salt-pepper crust. Use Holy Cow if you want pure unadulterated beef flavour with no chilli or competing notes.

Both are excellent. Red is the more flavour-forward pick, Holy Cow is the more minimalist pick. Some pitmasters keep both and switch based on the cook day and the company.

For steakhouse-style results with Hardcore Carnivore Black:

Step 1: Pat the steak dry with paper towel. Surface moisture stops the bark forming properly. Bring the steak to room temperature before seasoning (20 to 30 minutes out of the fridge).

Step 2: Apply Black liberally on all surfaces including the edge fat. Press gently to ensure adherence. Hardcore Carnivore Black is built to be applied aggressively, you want a visible coating, not a dusting.

Step 3: Sear hot. Direct heat on a kamado (BGE, Kamado Joe), cast iron, or sear plate at maximum temperature. The activated charcoal develops its mahogany-to-black colour fast at high heat, so a 90-second to 2-minute sear per side is usually enough.

Step 4: Rest, slice across the grain, serve. The bark on Black holds up to slicing without crumbling.

For reverse-sear: smoke the steak at 110°C with Black applied, until internal hits around 50°C, then sear hard on the finish. The smoke and the bark layer for steakhouse-grade results.

Yes. Across the Sydney metro area we offer same-day or next-business-day delivery on Hardcore Carnivore rubs. Orders dispatch from our Wetherill Park showroom in Sydney's west.

For the rest of Australia, Hardcore Carnivore ships through our standard parcel service. Bottles are light and cheap to freight, especially when combined with other orders. Pair Hardcore Carnivore with charcoal, pellets, or anything else and we will combine the delivery, no extra freight on the second item.

Pickup from the showroom is also available any business day. Call us on 0434 010 411 to confirm stock if you want to grab them for a weekend cook.