Photo by: Kevin Snyder/MSU Athletics
Grilling With Jeff Phelps
October 05, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – Life as an assistant coach in college football will take you down a lot of different roads.
Coaches will sometimes spend days at a time traveling throughout the country in search of their next big recruit. That time away from home also means their diet during those long treks comes from fast-food menus.
Mississippi State defensive line coach Jeff Phelps, however, grew weary of drive-thru and takeout orders and elected to start expanding his palate instead of his waistline.
"When you travel around recruiting, you get tired of eating at the fast-food places and you're putting on too many pounds," Phelps said. "So, I decided to try to find some really nice restaurants and find something good to eat.
"As you travel around, you really do see those diners, drive-ins and dives and that really speared my passion to try other things. You just have to step out of your comfort zone and try this because it might actually be good."
But just as Phelps began broadening his horizons to different types of cuisines, the country shutdown completely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stuck at home and missing the meal experiences he'd grown accustomed to on the road, Phelps pulled out a small portable Traeger pellet grill that he'd gotten as a bowl gift while at Washington State.
The first thing Phelps attempted on his new grill was a pork tenderloin.
"After tasting the smokey taste that it had, I was sold and I immediately upgraded to the biggest one they had," Phelps said.
Phelps' larger Traeger pellet grill was soon joined by a Blackstone griddle and a Weber Kettle so that he could grill with charcoal the same way his father did on holidays while growing up in Chicago.
After Phelps perfected his pork tenderloin, it was time to venture out and start trying new recipes and techniques. His wife, Tyla, is a fan of his ribeye steaks and beef ribs while his kids – Carsen and Harlyn - like when he makes lasagna.
However, Phelps's top thing to make isn't from the grill at all. His favorite food to cook is creating a taco salad using his mother's recipe.
"There's some trial and error but I try to have fun with it," Phelps said.
Some of the other beneficiaries of Phelps' backyard experimentations and overall love of grilling are his defensive linemen. Every spring, Phelps invites the entire D-line over to his house to prepare a meal for them.
"We definitely saw the passion that he has for cooking," said graduate defensive end Jordan Davis. "There were a lot of big boys there – all well over 200 pounds – and we could all tell he had a passion for cooking."
Last spring, Davis had the honor of receiving a tomahawk steak during the cookout – something Phelps only does for his graduating seniors.
"Boy, oh my god, that was my first time having a tomahawk and they were so big and so juicy," Davis said. "That bad boy was fire."
Davis' only request for the tomahawk steak is that his be cooked a certain way and Phelps complied.
"I like mine well done," Davis said. "Some people get on my case about that but I like mine well done. I don't need them mooing."
Redshirt senior defensive tackle Cameron Young has now been to multiple cookouts at Phelps' residence and enjoyed his filets and grilled shrimp. But he is looking forward to having his shot to have a tomahawk steak this spring.
"It was pretty good, I was impressed with (his food)," Young said. "I didn't get one of those tomahawks because they were for the seniors but I'll be waiting on my tomahawk this year. Coach put his hard work in cooking for us and that shows us that he cares. We really respect him for that."
And while most of the menu during Phelps' barbeques consists of meat and protein, he does try to give the defensive line some healthier options to put on their plates as well.
"They're carnivores no doubt," Phelps said. "But Ms. Pam (Bartz), our nutritionist, loves for them to have some vegetables so I try to get them to try some vegetables in a different way. One time I wrapped some asparagus in bacon."
Phelps sees his cookouts at the end of the season as a time to celebrate the seniors, but it also serves as a bonding experience for the defensive line he has coming back. That time of fellowship and camaraderie has drawn them tighter as a team.
"It was cool because we were able to bond as a D-line," said sophomore defensive tackle Jevon Banks. "We got closer. During that time, a lot of us were just getting to know each other and that brought us together. I feel like that helped us get to where we're at now."
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Coaches will sometimes spend days at a time traveling throughout the country in search of their next big recruit. That time away from home also means their diet during those long treks comes from fast-food menus.
Mississippi State defensive line coach Jeff Phelps, however, grew weary of drive-thru and takeout orders and elected to start expanding his palate instead of his waistline.
"When you travel around recruiting, you get tired of eating at the fast-food places and you're putting on too many pounds," Phelps said. "So, I decided to try to find some really nice restaurants and find something good to eat.
"As you travel around, you really do see those diners, drive-ins and dives and that really speared my passion to try other things. You just have to step out of your comfort zone and try this because it might actually be good."
But just as Phelps began broadening his horizons to different types of cuisines, the country shutdown completely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stuck at home and missing the meal experiences he'd grown accustomed to on the road, Phelps pulled out a small portable Traeger pellet grill that he'd gotten as a bowl gift while at Washington State.
The first thing Phelps attempted on his new grill was a pork tenderloin.
"After tasting the smokey taste that it had, I was sold and I immediately upgraded to the biggest one they had," Phelps said.
Phelps' larger Traeger pellet grill was soon joined by a Blackstone griddle and a Weber Kettle so that he could grill with charcoal the same way his father did on holidays while growing up in Chicago.
After Phelps perfected his pork tenderloin, it was time to venture out and start trying new recipes and techniques. His wife, Tyla, is a fan of his ribeye steaks and beef ribs while his kids – Carsen and Harlyn - like when he makes lasagna.
However, Phelps's top thing to make isn't from the grill at all. His favorite food to cook is creating a taco salad using his mother's recipe.
"There's some trial and error but I try to have fun with it," Phelps said.
Some of the other beneficiaries of Phelps' backyard experimentations and overall love of grilling are his defensive linemen. Every spring, Phelps invites the entire D-line over to his house to prepare a meal for them.
"We definitely saw the passion that he has for cooking," said graduate defensive end Jordan Davis. "There were a lot of big boys there – all well over 200 pounds – and we could all tell he had a passion for cooking."
Last spring, Davis had the honor of receiving a tomahawk steak during the cookout – something Phelps only does for his graduating seniors.
"Boy, oh my god, that was my first time having a tomahawk and they were so big and so juicy," Davis said. "That bad boy was fire."
Davis' only request for the tomahawk steak is that his be cooked a certain way and Phelps complied.
"I like mine well done," Davis said. "Some people get on my case about that but I like mine well done. I don't need them mooing."
Redshirt senior defensive tackle Cameron Young has now been to multiple cookouts at Phelps' residence and enjoyed his filets and grilled shrimp. But he is looking forward to having his shot to have a tomahawk steak this spring.
"It was pretty good, I was impressed with (his food)," Young said. "I didn't get one of those tomahawks because they were for the seniors but I'll be waiting on my tomahawk this year. Coach put his hard work in cooking for us and that shows us that he cares. We really respect him for that."
And while most of the menu during Phelps' barbeques consists of meat and protein, he does try to give the defensive line some healthier options to put on their plates as well.
"They're carnivores no doubt," Phelps said. "But Ms. Pam (Bartz), our nutritionist, loves for them to have some vegetables so I try to get them to try some vegetables in a different way. One time I wrapped some asparagus in bacon."
Phelps sees his cookouts at the end of the season as a time to celebrate the seniors, but it also serves as a bonding experience for the defensive line he has coming back. That time of fellowship and camaraderie has drawn them tighter as a team.
"It was cool because we were able to bond as a D-line," said sophomore defensive tackle Jevon Banks. "We got closer. During that time, a lot of us were just getting to know each other and that brought us together. I feel like that helped us get to where we're at now."
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