The BBQ Beat Podcast

Fire and wine make for amazing food pairings, a fact that's confirmed and celebrated in this conversation with Mary Cressler and Sean Martin of Vindulge.com. 

Mary's sommelier-level training and Sean's passion for cooking with live fire are evident in their recently released book, Fire + Wine: 75 Smoke-Infused Recipes from the Grill with Perfect Wine Pairings. I've known these two for some time, and you won't find a more gracious pair of hosts anywhere. 

Follow the adventures of Sean and Mary over on their website and on their Instagram channel @vindulge. 

Few people speak to family traditions, hard work, loyalty, and taking care of your community like John Scharbauer of Scharbauer Cattle Ranch and Midland Meat Company. 

I put the phrase "Riding for the Brand" in this episode title because that's exactly what John, his family, and his staff do each and every day.

Their Number 5 brand is more than an identifier of ownership. The brand stands for the 138 years of hard work and effort poured into the Midland, Amarillo, and surrounding areas of Texas. It also stands for the progress being made with the Scharbauer Cattle Company's ranching efforts in terms of land management, genetics, and overall meat quality. 

Together with their retail shop, Midland Meat Company, and their new restaurant in Midland, the MMC Half Acre, the Scharbauers, and their loyal staff members continue to put God, Family, and Community front and center in all they do. 

In this episode, you'll get a fantastic history lesson on the Scharbauer family as well as a behind-the-scenes look at their storied cattle business. 

You'll also be treated to some bonafide American truisms and a few stories I guarantee will stay with you long after listening to my conversation with John. 

To learn more about what John and his staff have going on, visit them online: 

Midland Meat Website

https://midlandmeatco.com/

Midland Meat on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/midlandmeatco/

Scharbauer Ranch on Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/scharbauerranch/

Celebrating 35 years of sanctioning World Class competition BBQ events across the globe is a big deal, and the Kansas City Barbeque Society wants you to join in the fun! 

KCBS CEO Emily Detweiler and Rick Wagner, KCBS Board President sit down with me for an information-packed discussion you do not want to miss! 

Topics covered include the organization's reaction to the pandemic, a renewed sense of fellowship and camaraderie among competitors, new developments regarding CBJ training, and the plans that are in store for the 35th Anniversary Awards Banquet and World Invitational BBQ competition to be held Nov. 12 – 14, 2021 at the Firelake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.

In this episode, I talk with 9-time World BBQ Champion Chris Marks of Three Little Pigs Rubs and Sauces. With a wealth of competition BBQ experience and knowledge dating back to the mid-1980s, Chris dishes out some great information here. 

Chris has won more than 50 national barbeque championships, and over 600 individual awards including the Jack Daniel’s World Championship BBQ Sauce Championship, and the Grand Daddy of them all the American Royal in Kansas City Grand Championship 8 times.

Topics Covered Include: 

• Awesome facts about KCBS History and The American Royal
• Rub and Sauce Marketing Tips (Chris Leaks Some Oil Here!)
• The Value of Catering to the Backyard Griller Market 
• Choosing the Right Cooker for the Right BBQ Results 
• Stepping Away from the Gadgets and Just Cooking

Connect with Chris Marks and Three Little Pigs 

• Website: https://three-little-pigs-bbq.com/

Connect with Kevin at the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• BBQ Beat YouTube Channel
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews

Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of The BBQ Beat Podcast, I’m your faithful host, Kevin Sandridge – bringing you great stories from the world of BBQ, grilling, and live-fire cooking as told by the people who live them.

Today’s show features a great conversation I had with Jason Hardee of Elite BBQ Smokers out of Conway, SC.

Jason shares some of his early BBQ memories, some life lessons, and his mission to share the love of Jesus Christ through his work hosting and attending Cook’s Church meetings hosted at various BBQ competitions.

We’ll also get into the details behind the KCBS-sanctioned Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown Series as well as the regional BBQ Shoot Outs that Jason and organizer Bob Johanns put together. These events have been a real lifeline to BBQ competitors and judges during the past year who have been able to continue doing what they love in the face of the many pandemic-related contest cancellations.

I think you’ll really enjoy this conversation with Jason. He’s a guy that’s super humble, letting his actions speak for themselves. And trust me, by the time you’ve listened to this episode through to the end, your love of BBQ competitions and all the communal goodwill they bring about will be stoked to the max.

Connect with Jason Hardee and Rufus Teague: 

• Rufus Teague BBQ Throwdown Main Site
• Search for Rufus Teage Events 
• Find Jason on Facebook

Connect with Kevin at the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• BBQ Beat YouTube Channel
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews

We’re delving just a little bit into the world of BBQ and Grilling influencers – in this case as the topic pertains to a company called Meat District.

Understanding the word influencer can sometimes be interchanged with ambassadors, people who companies ask or sometimes contract and pay to promote products or services. I’m sure I don’t need to go into any more detail about what influencers are, but it might be worth considering who they are.

I talk with Zack Phillips, BBQ and Grilling Enthusiast and social media influencer for Meat District. It's a great audio ride through Zack's journey with live-fire cooking, providing some lessons along the way! 

Connect with Zack and Meat District

• Zack Phillips on Instagram 
• Meat District Website 

Connect with Kevin at the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• BBQ Beat YouTube Channel
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews

How much do you know about the business of BBQ?

When I started out judging BBQ back in the early 2000s, it was pretty easy to get a handle on what companies made different grills and smokers.

Today, it’s a bit more confusing, with mergers and buyouts clouding the ownership picture a bit for those who don’t do a little digging.

And… I get it. You may care very little about the ownership structure or corporate-level decisions made by these companies. But sometimes, the stories that play out at the higher levels of the BBQ Business can prove to be interesting.

Today, I’m talking with Derrick Riches, a long time author of BBQ and Grilling related media. Some of you know him from the many years he served as the BBQ and Grilling Expert for the About.com network.

As a true industry insider, Derrick now heads up his own website, DerrickRiches.com. If you navigate there today, you’ll see a very extensive write up he did about Traeger Grills and the pending litigation surrounding two utility patents they own.

While you may understand that parts and components are commonly patented, these utility patents are a bit different in that they provide Traeger with control not over hardware, or even software, per se. These patents provide control over the cloud-based communication, storage, and Wi-Fi features used by nearly every major BBQ or Grill manufacturer today.

We'll discuss all of this and more! 

LINKS: 

Connect with Derrick Riches: 

• DerrickRiches.com 
• Derrick Riches on Instagram 
• Derrick Riches on YouTube

Connect with Kevin at the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• BBQ Beat YouTube Channel
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews

Grillmaster Randy Watson of BBQGuys.com is on FIRE!!!

In this podcast episode, Randy talks about his early days in the Baton Rouge, LA bartending and fine dining hospitality industry and how he landed his dream job with BBQGuys.com.

Randy shares some insider tips on his favorite grills, including the very cool Nuke Hand-crafted Argentinian Grill line. I even get him to lay out his ultimate "blank check" outdoor kitchen design and share some of his favorite beef, poultry, and pork dishes! 

With recent yearly revenues of $130 million, BBQGuys.com is winning hearts and minds by helping people realize their live-fire cooking dreams! 

Randy talks about why the company's early days, its pathway to success, and the focus BBQGuys.com maintains on providing customer service excellence. 

Connect with BBQGuys.com 

• Website: https://bbqguys.com
• Instagram: @bbqguys
• BBQGuys YouTube Channel

Connect with Kevin at the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• BBQ Beat YouTube Channel
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews

With 20 years in the food business and a work ethic founded on the lessons learned on his Grandfather's farm, New Jersey native Ray Sheehan of BBQ Buddha knows what it takes to craft creative BBQ Flavors and promote a BBQ brand. 

The Secret Ingredient(s) to Ray's Success... 

Ray's story here covers lessons and key issues anyone serious about flavor creation and hard-won brand promotion needs to understand. I'd go so far as to say that you'd be flirting with disaster by not doing so. 

Connect with Ray Sheehan: 

• Website: https://bbqbuddha.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/awardwinningbbqsauce/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbq_buddha/
• Buy Ray's Book Here: https://amzn.to/34LNufG

Connect with Kevin at the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• Join the BBQ Beat Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bbqbeat/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews

Talking with Robert F. Moss, BBQ Editor for Southern Living Magazine on the tenth anniversary of his book Barbecue: The History of an American Institution.

Now in its second edition, the 2020 version provides expanded information and gives us an even deeper understanding and appreciation for this uniquely American way of cooking. 

In addition to this book, Robert posts monthly editions of The 'Cue Sheet, which you can find here:  http://robertfmoss.com/. 

More On This Episode: 

Further show notes on this episode can be found here: https://bbqbeat.com/robert-moss/.  

Watch the video of this conversation over on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/sarnpr91OBQ

Follow the BBQ Beat: 

• Website: https://bbqbeat.com/
• Join the BBQ Beat Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bbqbeat/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbqbeat/
• Get the Newsletter: http://bit.ly/bbqbeatnews