MEAT, INC Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 6

Aaron Black finds himself down a rack of ribs. Chicken and ribs finish getting prepped. Cory is irresponsible when it comes to managing the turn in boxes. Aaron's wife and kids stop by while he gets teased at the cooks meeting. Stay tuned to find out if MEAT, Inc. can make it through the night.

Total Shenanigans,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 5

They start out the day loading up the truck with all the gear. They arrive at the Wildomar BBQ Competition and make sure they let everyone know. Cory slacks off, while Aaron starts prepping the MEAT's for competition. He explains how they cut their pork butt and St. Louis style ribs. Dan leads them to believe he knows how to remove the membrane off a rack of ribs. Stay tuned for more episodes next week.

Live, Love, MEAT!!!
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

MEAT ME: LIVE at Stagecoach 2013 with Meat, Inc.

Aside from the American Royal in Kansas City, I can't think of a better competition than Stagecoach. Seats are limited to 32, first come first serve, teams. Thousands upon thousands of people literally run through everyday. You have intense adrenaline pumping competition from Friday to Sunday combined with alcohol, half naked, non stop, party goers officially making this competition like no other. It's a ADD'ers worst nightmare.

On Friday, April 26th you have the ICS Chili Home Style cook off starting at 2pm. I personally will be judging this event so I can not wait to see what people have to offer up in an attempt to take home the $1,000 prize. On Saturday the 27th you have the ICBA Texas Style Competition for Half Chicken, Spare Ribs, and Beef Brisket. People will be competing for a solid $4,000 prize. Finally on Sunday you have your standard KCBS contest for Chicken, Ribs, Pork Butt, and Brisket and that Grand Prize will receive $5,000.

As well as judging, I will be there to continue filming Aaron Black and his team Meat, Inc. as they compete starting from load in all the way to the awards ceremony on Sunday. You get a chance to see what it's like to do back-to-back competitions. The fun, frustration and multiple competitions are bound to present a whole new set of challenges.

I look forward to seeing you all there. I appreciate everyones support these last few episodes have really turned out to be quite the success. I will be on site in the new MOBILE MEAT ME van, so if you see me please feel free to say hello.

Due to popular demand I will be making an appearance in the HOT DOG suite.

Get ready for some BBQ, Boots, and Bikini's,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME


You can get LIVE Updates from me at:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/meatmeblog
Twitter @meatmeblog
Instagram @meatmeblog

You can follow MEAT, INC. at:
Blog - http://meatinc.blogspot.com/
Twitter - @meatinc
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/meatinc

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 4

Finally Aaron and Cory finish unloading the car. Cory challenges Aaron to a cooler packing competition while testing his patience. Dan Stutts shows up to help with absolutely nothing. Cory learns how to make tags and Aaron struggles with being the best "Barbecue Dad" in the world.

They're just getting started,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Extras. Here you see a little behind the scenes and what I have to deal with. It is a never ending fight for good content.

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 3

Aaron and Cory put all of the employees at Smart & Final through hell in order to get them all of the supplies they need. Cory learns the definition of "squeezable mayonnaise". Finally arriving at home, with beers in hand, it takes them forever just to start packing up the ice chest with all of the food they purchase. In the next episode find out if they ever finish unpacking their car.

You never know what's next,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Extras. Here you see a little behind the scenes and what I have to deal with inorder to put out these videos. I get a lot of crap from Aaron Black and Cory Brown of MEAT, Inc.

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 2

In this episode I meet up with Cory Brown Captain of Peoples Choice for team Meat, Inc. we catch up with Aaron Black as he gets off work to shop for the rest of the items needed for competition. They run into budget problems as Cory brings out Aaron's lack of patience.

Stay tuned for more Meat, Inc.
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME Extras.

Here you see a little behind the scenes and what I have to deal with inorder to put out these videos. I have to put up with a lot of crap thanks to Aaron Black and Cory Brown of MEAT, Inc.

MEAT, INC. Wildomar BBQ Competition: Episode 1

In this episode I follow Aaron Black; Captain of Meat, Inc. BBQ Team as he prepares for the Wildomar BBQ Competition East vs. West. In this episode we encounter problems with the chicken order and find out that the hero brisket may have been misplaced. Follow along as I show you what goes on deep in the heart of Meat, Inc.

Stay tuned for more Meat, Inc.

Sean Rice

aka MEAT ME

Next week you can find me at the Stagecoach BBQ Competition. I will be giving you an inside scoop on that as well as what it's like to be a judge.

The American Royal featuring El Fuego Fiasco - Day 6

And so here it is... The very final and last episode of The American Royal featuring the California BBQ Team El Fuego Fiasco. I am truly sad that it is over. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my entire life. Like all of us who struggled last year they were one of the ones who didn't quit, no matter what.

They came all this way with monstrous obstacles coming at them left and right, and not for a single moment did they say, "forget it". Aside from the challenge of competing in the biggest barbecue competition in the United States they were faced with; a trailer hitch that was too low, the trailer almost got stuck in the airport parking lot, the hotel told them to park in a garage that didn't allow trailers risking a tow, being on time to pick up Josh and Chris, they had no storage containers, they had never cooked in 30º weather, someone was parked in their spot, they didn't order a port-a-potty, they had no way of washing dishes, one of the turn in boxes was built upside down, the chicken wasn't completely thawed when they needed to start cook it, the fire went out 20 mins before turn in's, the briskest and pork shoulders were an hour behind schedule, and they used a fucking inflatable mattress blower to finish the chicken in time so they could come in 35th in the Nation. 

In 5 years I won't remember who the fuck won The American Royal in 2012, I'll remember who came together as a team and made sure that not one man would let the other one down.

I don't know about any of you, but I know if I had the chance to do this all over again but had to choose between Big Poppa Smokers or El Fuego Fiasco, with out a doubt I would have gone "El Fuego"!!!

There is no WRONG in team,

Sean Rice

aka MEAT ME

The American Royal featuring El Fuego Fiasco - Day 5

What better way to start off the New Year than with the 5th episode of The American Royal featuring barbecue team El Fuego Fiasco. This episode they battle with chicken, ribs, pulled pork and brisket as they struggle to get them in on time to avoid disqualification. How would you have done things differently?

As we all get ready to launch our resolutions for the new year I plan on being more consistent in providing you with new content. It's a fresh start and I look forward to bringing you another year of crazy intense MEAT on MEAT action.

Party On!!!
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

The American Royal featuring El Fuego Fiasco - Day 4

Yes, the long awaited episode 4 is finally here. Day 4 with the BBQ Team El Fuego Fiasco as they set up at The American Royal, prep their meat, enjoy a little party time with the thousands of people, and actually come to realize that their dream of competing in The American Royal invitational is finally coming true This is a short documentary that gives you and in site into what it's like to be a BBQ team competing on the largest BBQ stage in the US. Come join me as we embark on this amazing adventure.

I would like to THANK YOU all for your continued support. Things are looking up and getting better.

Stay tuned,
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME

Harry Soo's Barbecue 101 Class: An Overview

If you have come to this blog post in hopes of learning all of Harry Soo's secrets... You are going to be disappointed. You still have to take his class. I'm just giving you an in depth look into what I enjoyed and a summary of all of the information that Harry covers. 

I love to BBQ, I am no professional by any means but I do like to consider myself an avid novice. One day I make amazing ribs that I would compare to some of the top 10 I have tasted at competitions; and some days it's bland undercooked mishmash. I have seen and been told some of the best ways to BBQ by the best teams in the US and I still can't get it right. I try to BBQ when I can but like many of you, I still struggle with consistency in my final product. 

I think of it like bowling; it looks like you're just rolling a ball down a lane. How hard can it be, right? You won't know until you try it. This is one of the aspects that I enjoyed about Harry Soo's class. It's very hands on. Your not just watching him do it, you get to try it yourself with real time feed back. 

The class cost $349 per student for each class, so Harry squeezes in tons of information. You meet at 7:45 am at his home and are there till about 3 to 5 pm. You can't put a time on BBQ, it's done when it's done. Here is a list of what Harry covers in his class:

How to light a fire
How to make your own rubs and sauces
How to prepare chicken, ribs, pork, brisket, and tri-tip
How to prepare injections and marinades
Detailed instructions on cooking methods
Equipment and Accessories
Overview of BBQ contests and judging
Cooking long-haul Brisket and Pork Butts
Cooking spareribs, St. Louis Ribs, and Baby Back Ribs
Cooking Tri-Tip Santa Maria Style
Cooking Half Chickens and Chicken Thighs
Cooking Sausages and Links
Answering your grilling and BBQ problems and questions
Certificates and Conclusion

What's special thing about Harry is no matter where he is, he is always experimenting. Today Harry smoked a red wattle pig raised at Cooks Pig Ranch - one of the pig producers featured right here on MEAT ME. Raised locally and supplied to nearby restaurants and cooks like Harry Soo.

This particular class, we had the opportunity to be joined by Harry's fiancé, Donna, from the Professional BBQ Team "Butcher's Daughter". Along with Harry's expertise, we got to hear Donna's technique on the same process. Here Donna talks about temperature and what type of bark color to look for.

Harry goes over the details of what to look for when smoking a whole hog on a Daniel Boone Deluxe Pellet Smoker. He is giving away this particular model on his site. I would look for it on his giveaways page.

After discussing different types of smokers Harry goes over the specifics of barbecue safety and food handeling. Harry gets right into it with how to make the perfect rub to use on your meats.

After a quick taste test, we're off to sampling different sauces that Harry uses with his barbecuing and how each effects the final flavor.

Without missing a beat we are mixing the injection we will be using on both the brisket and pork butt. Since the brisket takes longer to smoke than the class allows we check in on one that was started the night before to get an understanding of where your bark is at and what to look for when it's finished.

Before injecting the meats, Harry discusses the different ways to trim the 2 meats; one that he would recommend for backyard smoking and one that he uses in competition.

Once the injections are mixed and sampled we each take turns injecting each piece of meat so we know exactly what to look for when we are do it on our own. Harry has a list of recommended products to use on his website which help with the learning curve.

After injections, it is time to start applying the rub to the meat. Harry covers the various ways in which to apply the rub as well as what to avoid. We all take turns using Harry's technique.

Donna is working on a special lamb recipe that she is using for a competition where you aren't allowed to use any modern day products. I don't mind the extra meat. I'll take whatever I can get. It was delicious.

You can't barbecue without a fire. Harry covers that too. From the type of coals and wood to keeping the fire burning for a whole 16 - 18 hours.

Once the meat is prepped it is ready to go on the the Weber Smokey Mountain where he talks about various ways of keeping the fire up to temperature.

The brisket is ready to be wrapped so everyone takes turns using Harry's technique. Sauce the meat, then wrap it. You have to make sure to keep the air out.

Trimming spare ribs is done in a very specific manner. Each person gets a chance to cut as well as remove the membrane.

Tri-Tip not to be confused with Bi-Tip (just kidding - there's no such thing) is then smoked differently with a piece of wood on the grill as opposed to a traditional smoker.

Harry and Donna have different styles of trimming chicken and they both show you the right way. There is no wrong way - each is unique to the cook.

After everyone gets a chance to cut chicken, it's time to season and prepare it to go in the smoker.

The epic pig is done and delicious. Stuffed from head to toe - it really is a delicious treat.

Harry also sears up some sashimi grade tuna, that is also seasoned with the rub we created at the beginning of the day. After preparing all that food it is finally time to eat.

Delicious and perfectly cooked try-tip side by side with some pork butt. Harry makes sure everyone taste the "Money Muscle"!

Brisket, done! I always look for the jiggle test. Shake the table and if the top of the brisket moves in the opposite direction of the bottom, 9 times out of 10 it's perfect.

The chicken is done and ready to be sauced, along with the ribs.

Finally after all that information we stuff our faces and talk shop about what we just learned compared to what we thought we knew.

It's official: my Certificate Of Completion. I did it! Now lets see if I can put it to good use. That will come next month.

As you can see, everyone in the class is pretty happy with their barbecue experience. Harry covers so much information it's impossible to write it all down. He does supply you with a note book that contains all the information that he covers in the class. When ever there is subjective material, he does expect you to write down what your prefer.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome class and when I was finished I was pretty overwhelmed with all the information I had just taken in. If I had any criticism it would be that Harry covers too much information in a barbecue 101 class, but then again I am sure if he covered less people would complain that were wasn't enough.

People come from all over to take his class so he has to make it worth it. One man rode out from Maryland on a motorcycle so you know his class is to be taken seriously.

You can find out more about Harry Soo's class at: http://www.slapyodaddybbq.com/classes-2/

DON'T MISS OUT! The first week of October is the American Royal and I will be doing a traveling documentary with El Fuego Fiasco as they embark on thier first trip out to Kansas City, MS. I will be launching videos and photos daily with exciting updates.

Look out - for what I believe - to be one of the most exciting adventures to hit MEAT ME!

Barbecue is No Joke!
Sean Rice
aka MEAT ME