How Allrecipes Allstar Justin Rowland Turned Middle Schoolers On to Grilling

Allrecipes Allstar Justin Rowland has gained a devoted following on Instagram account @grubwithjus for his fun, approachable cooking videos that feature the home cook and middle school counselor grilling seafood and barbecue on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. We caught up with Rowland on his lunch break from the Annapolis, Maryland middle school where he works to find out more about his grilling club, his passion for content creation, and his experience sharing cheesesteak egg rolls on The Drew Barrymore Show. 

You can find where to watch Justin on The Drew Barrymore Show in your area HERE. The Drew Barrymore Show is also available for streaming on Paramount Plus.

Tell me about the grilling club you offer at your school.

I decided to start a grilling club with my students for them to learn a craft. The school funded the grill and charcoal, and Wegmans donated gift cards for us to use for the food. Each week, we cook something different. It’s crazy because they actually come back to the school in the summertime to learn the craft and hang out with me. If they have the courage to do that and have the interest in doing that, that just makes my whole entire day. 

Do you have any tips for grilling with kids?

Number one, you have to supervise them. You have to have structure, and you have to let them know that this is serious—you’re dealing with high heat and knives, and everybody has to be on the same page. They have to actually want to learn how to cook. And number two, ask them what they like, because it means more to them if they can suggest something versus if you just pick for them.

Did you start cooking when you were a kid too? 

I started cooking when I was around five years old. My mom, my grandmom, and my dad, they all know how to cook. I didn’t start really cooking until I was in high school to help out my mom.  

You cook so many different types of things on Instagram. What’s your process like? How do you choose what to cook?

For most of my recipes, I just go to the grocery store and look. I work so much better at thinking of stuff on the spot, so I don’t plan. With the Seafood Egg Rolls for example, I was thinking about what I could make into an egg roll, and I saw all this seafood, and I thought a seafood egg roll would be awesome. Honestly, it feels like therapy—I just go to Harris Teeter and I think of an idea just by looking at something.

How did you attract such a big following (118K) on Instagram?

I’ve been studying the algorithms of other influencers. When I first started, I would literally send DMS to chefs on Instagram and ask them for tips, and they helped me a lot. I had a couple videos go viral. I know a lot of my crab videos and seafood videos usually go viral because of the aesthetic on the water, so I try to lean towards that. But I would honestly say it’s all from practice, learning the algorithm and just praying and being consistent and disciplined. 

What was going on The Drew Barrymore Show like for you?

I was extremely excited. I couldn’t wait. I was telling my close friends and my close coworkers beforehand, because I didn’t even think it was real. But as soon as I got on stage for the first time, it was smooth. All my anxiety just went away. And when I got on stage the second time in the segment, it was just, it was like I was natural at it. It was just a moment where all that hard work that I did for something that I wanted actually went extremely well, and it was all worth it.

Tell me about the Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls you shared on the show.

I did the Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls with shaved ribeye, fried onions, and ketchup and mayonnaise as a sauce. And that’s really a signature Philly cheesesteak. A lot of people add a lot of extra stuff, but the official Philly cheesesteak is just those ingredients.

I know you lived in Philly and loved the food scene there. What spots are at the top of your list?

Angelo’s Pizzeria probably has one of the best cheesesteaks in Philly. Max’s Steaks has really good cheesesteaks. Larry’s Steaks and Ishkabibble’s have really good ones too.

And what makes a good cheesesteak in your mind? What’s the differentiator? 

What makes a good cheesesteak is ribeye meat. The best type of cheesesteaks are the ones that add the cheese in and let it melt with the meat when the meat is done cooking. A lot of times in Philly, people will say Cooper sharp cheese is the best cheese to use. I like Cooper sharp, or you can even do a little provolone in there. The bread quality is extremely important. There’s some places outside of Philly that have great cheesesteaks, but the bread is horrible. So if you have like Amoroso’s  roll or some soft, good quality bread, that’s extremely important as well.