May 15, 2025 • 23 mins
The central focus of this podcast installment is the introduction of Meathead's newly released publication, "The Meathead Method." This discourse features Meathead from AmazingRibs.com, where we delve into the intricacies of his latest culinary insights and methodologies regarding barbecuing. We explore the evolution of barbecue techniques and the scientific principles that underpin the art of grilling. The dialogue is enriched by lighthearted banter that highlights the personalities of the hosts, JT and Leanne, while maintaining a serious tone regarding the subject matter at hand. As we navigate through various questions and anecdotes, we emphasize the passion for barbecue that unites us, offering listeners a profound understanding of both the craft and its cultural significance.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Painted Hills Natural Beef
- AmazingRibs.com
- Amazon
- Barnes and Noble
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
Welcome to Barbecue Nationwith JT and Leanne After Hours, the
conversation that continuedafter the show was done.
Hey, everybody, it's JT andthis is a special version of Barbecue
Nation.
It is brought to you in partby Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Beef you can be proud to serveyour family and friends.
That's Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Hey, everybody.
Welcome to After Hours.
(00:32):
This is the part of the showwhere anything can happen, including
Meathead taking a bathroom break.
But we don't show that on film.
Anyway, we've got meatheadfrom AmazingRibs.com today.
His new book, the MeatheadMethod, we talked about in the show.
I've come up with somedifferent questions for you.
(00:54):
They're a little different,but I think you'll find them entertaining.
I hate this part of the show.
Oh, this is the fun part.
The quiz.
The quiz.
Okay.
Very simple.
What's your favorite flavor of Lifesaver?
(01:15):
Wow.
You know, I haven't hadLifesavers in a long time, but I
was always a cherry.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
Leanne, what did you say wasthe green ones, the lime ones?
No, I like cherry, too.
I like cherry, too.
The ones I don't like are the.
The pineapple.
Pineapple, yeah.
(01:36):
In any candies, the watermelon flavor.
I love watermelon, but thewatermelon flavor just doesn't resemble
watermelon.
Yeah, that's true.
Okay, when you're butteringtoast, do you go to the edges or
you cut the crust off?
Oh, you have to go to theedges all the way.
I mean, I am meticulous thatthere are no.
(01:59):
And not.
Not just out of being somesort of neatnik, but want it to toast,
and I want the flavor everywhere.
Absolutely.
You know, my wife'sgrandmother told her.
Told Shelly that I was the guyshe should marry because I buttered
Grandma's toast clear to the edges.
(02:21):
That's a good test.
That's a good test.
If you.
It's essential for doingthings like garlic bread.
Yeah.
Because if you don't get thecrust, it's going to burn.
That's right.
Yeah.
When you get the chance tosplurge on yourself, what do you
do?
What do you splurge on?
(02:47):
My wife and I are theatergoers, and we.
We live in Chicago, andthere's no shortage of great theater.
Right.
Almost every week we findourselves in a theater, and either
before or after, we go out todinner and we usually eat nicely.
We, you know, not McDonald's.
(03:09):
So theater and a dinner aresplurges Although, as I mentioned
earlier, we are thinking abouttrying this vacation thing.
Yeah.
Make sure your insurance ispaid up.
What's the weakest part ofyour self control?
(03:33):
Oh, sugar, sugar, sugar.
And my wife's a baker andshe's always.
She did some biscottiyesterday and she does it beautifully.
And they'll all be gone in acouple of days and she'll be lucky
if she gets two or three.
I'll get them all.
If there's cookies, cake,candy, anything sweet around the
(03:55):
house.
I can't control myself.
I have.
People don't believe you're.
You can be addicted to sugar,but there's no question.
Oh yeah, you can.
I'm addicted to sugar.
Leanne, what's your weakestpart of your self control?
Well, as it relates to food orjust in life.
Anything.
Anything in know that I'm a terrible.
(04:17):
Procrastinator, so I'm veryweak when it comes, you know, to
getting things done.
Right now.
Right now.
And my famous motto isprocrastination pays.
And almost invariably becauseof my procrastination, something
good comes of it, really.
And I just blew it on Amazonbecause I bought a piece of furniture
and it was broken and insteadof dilly dallying around, I decided
(04:41):
to get it off and ship it away.
And then I get an email, youcan keep it.
You know, it's like the onetime I did things right away and
then it.
You know what I mean?
But yeah, I find thatprocrastination for sure pays for
me, that is.
I think Amazon is doing a lotmore of that now.
I think they've just decidedthat the process of shipping back
(05:01):
and then fixing.
Thing, you know what I mean?
And if it's broken, what arethey going to do?
Take it apart and figure outwhich part it is and put it back.
It's cost them more than thepiece of furniture.
Yeah, it's like the old saying.
So for all you Amazon people,don't rush to return.
Go ahead and put the returnthrough, but don't take it.
Give it a couple days.
(05:21):
Yeah, that's the old saying.
It's cheaper to keep her, youknow, there.
Okay, Meathead, if I gave youa box with all the lost, everything
you've lost in your life is inthis box, what's the first thing
you would reach for?
I told you these were new.
I know exactly what I reach for.
(05:42):
Well, you're going to tell us.
I'm going to give you the leftfield answer.
I've lost people.
Old college friends, used tobe a Chinese restaurant that my wife
and I went to when we were recording.
And the couple who ran it weremarvelous, and they took marvelous
(06:02):
care of us, and they cookedfor us, and they had two little girls,
and they would crawl aroundunder the table, and they would practice
their English on us.
And they called me Toyo ya,which meant smelly feet.
And one day they closed therestaurant and moved, and I.
I can't find them.
(06:23):
And I miss them.
They were so sweet.
I've had other friends who.
Who've moved or.
You lost track.
I just lost track of.
And I want them back.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Leanne, what about you?
What would you reach for?
I'd reach for my dad's watch,because my dad and I were.
(06:46):
We were parking our littleChris Craft into the dock, and he
took his watch off, you know,and he wanted me to hand it to him
as we're getting off the dock,and I went to hand it to him, and
it fell down in the water, andit was like his prized watch.
And we never found it, eventhough it was, like, within reach,
but we never found that watch.
(07:06):
So that would be one thing.
And then another one was I hada solid gold pig charm, and I used
to perform in water ski shows,and I took it off before the water
ski show and put it on a blanket.
I lost that.
So I'd reach for both of those things.
Performed in water ski shows.
Oh, yeah.
And the Poconos.
I was in the Seahawk.
I was thinking Weeki Wachee Springs.
(07:29):
So you were one of the hotbabes in a bathing suit on the water.
Baywatch, we're mistaken here.
This is a ski Hawks.
And I was, like, 12.
Because I, I, I, I, as a youngman, I would go to Weeki Watchee.
And those young ladies.
Oh, yeah, they were.
They were things of fantasy.
(07:50):
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
You weren't thinking aboutChinese food.
No.
Now, Jeff, you answer this question.
What would I.
What would I reach for?
Yeah, what did you.
My dad.
Oh, my dad.
He was a very cool guy, veryfunny man.
(08:13):
You had to kind of listen tohim to get the philosophy, if you
will, because he would saystuff like you didn't really know
what it meant or you didn'tcatch on to it in conversation, and
then you thought about itlater and you went, wow, okay.
And I just miss him because hewas fun to pal around, pal around
(08:33):
with.
He and I had our favoriteChinese place.
My family, my wife, mydaughter and I, we still go there
on occasion.
But he turned me onto thatwhen I was in college, and he would
say, come on, let's go to lunch.
Leave my mom at dad.
A retail store.
Leave my mom at the store for,like, two hours by herself, and we'd
(08:53):
go have this fantastic lunch.
So, yeah, I would.
I would reach for my father.
What is.
Wait a minute.
I gotta jump back in here.
Yes, we.
I know we've done the roundson this, but I know how close Leanne
was to her father.
Yes.
And.
And I know she would want himback, too.
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
And when you.
When you started talkingpeople, I'm like, boy, I sound kind
(09:16):
of shallow.
I just picked out twomaterialistic items.
No, but the watch.
The watch symbolized your father.
I gotta.
That's exactly right.
Yeah.
And.
And your.
And your dad is the guy whocreated pig powder.
Yep.
And your dad.
That's the reason why I'm in barbecue.
I think you know this, but my.
For my first judging at theJack Daniels, your dad was our table
(09:39):
captain.
No, I don't.
I don't.
He was my table.
That's how I met your dad.
He was my table.
My first table captain.
Isn't that something?
How about that?
I didn't know that.
Okay, meathead, what is onething that you regret that you did
in school can be, you know,regular school, college, whatever.
(10:00):
I did so much bad stuff.
There has to be something thatquickly popped into your head.
Come on.
Yeah.
Well, nothing specific.
I mean, hey, the statute oflimitations is long expired, okay?
So you can say anything.
(10:21):
Well.
I fell in love too easily.
That was those water ski girlsor what?
Yeah.
No, no, I was a photographer.
I was interested inphotography, and I did a lot of sports
(10:42):
photography.
I photographed concerts and.
Yeah.
Janis Joplin from backstage and.
But the Florida alligatornewspaper, the sales reps came up
with the idea of, let's do acenterfold once a week where we have
six or eight different campusgirls dressed in outfits supplied
(11:05):
by the local stores.
And the stores would buy thelittle sections that they were featured
in.
Yeah, yeah.
And they hired me as thephotographer, so I would spend a
lot of time during the weekdriving around campus, walking around
campus, saying, hey, you'rereally good looking.
(11:26):
Would you like to be a modelfor the Florida.
No.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, my God.
And.
And that.
That was a great way to meet girls.
And I did some nicephotography, which, by the way, I
don't know if you know this,but years later, when I sold my wine
(11:46):
and booze magazine, I thoughtI'd try my hand at being a professional
photographer.
And the first Gig I got was Playboy.
Really?
I shot virtual reality forPlayboy for their Internet site.
(12:07):
You could look at the prettygirl and turn her around or undress
her.
And that was my.
Wow.
That was my first gig as aprofessional photographer.
And it was all downhill afterthat, huh?
Well, you know, I, I get thegig and I come home and I say, well,
you know, I sold, I sold mybusiness just a few weeks ago and
(12:28):
I have a new gig.
Do you mind if I shoot naked ladies?
And there was a moment ofhesitation and she looked at me and
she said, go right ahead.
Those 23 year olds wantnothing to do with you.
Yeah, yeah.
(12:49):
Leanne, what about you?
Let me think on it.
How about you?
Oh, you know what?
There was one thing in school.
I started a food fight.
It was like everyone was kindof razzing everybody about which
one to throw the initial food.
And I got conned into beingthe first one.
And I was immediately.
(13:09):
I mean, I felt like I wasarrested in front of the entire cafeteria
and then of course, had to domy after school duties and all that.
So a little thing.
But I do remember thatstanding out as a regret.
When I was in school, highschool, I was a freshman and they,
we had a wonderful cafeteria.
(13:30):
The, the school system that Iwent to, where I grew up, they got
money from the power companybecause the dams were on the Clackamas
River.
And so part of the deal to putthe dams in was the local schools
would get a small percentageof money that would support the school
(13:51):
systems.
They don't do this anymore.
That was taken away years ago.
But what they did was we hadthese marvelous cafeterias.
I mean, both of you wouldenjoy the food that was served there,
I can guarantee that.
Well, then they switchedbecause we had a lot of low income
people in the area.
So they went to some sort ofgovernment subsidy and the food turned
(14:15):
to crap.
It was just awful.
So I called a food strike.
Little did I know years laterI would be so involved in the food
business, but I called a foodstrike and got hauled into.
The principal and thesuperintendent were there because
they had been football coachto my brother and track coaches to
my sister, and they knew myparents and all this stuff.
(14:39):
And so I got my ass handed tome on that deal.
So that wasn't any good.
Okay, Meathead, two morequestions here for you.
Name something you did notlisten to your mother about.
There's a very specificincident comes to mind.
(15:00):
I was really into football injunior high and I was reasonably
decent.
I was average size then.
I'm small now.
My classmates all grew biggerthan me, and I was a defensive back,
and we had a good team.
And when spring training camearound for the high school, they
(15:22):
came down to the junior highand plucked three of us and said,
come on up and train with thehigh school varsity because we think
you'll make the team next year.
And so I got up there and Ipracticed with them for about three
or four weeks.
Had a ball, did pretty well.
They were much bigger than meat that time.
(15:43):
Sure.
And then I got in sometrouble, and I don't remember what
I did.
I got in some trouble at home.
I was.
I was.
I was a difficult kid.
I was not always obedient.
And my parents grounded me fora week, which included the spring
game, and I was grounded.
(16:04):
And I.
I sneaked out the night of thespring game and went and watched.
I couldn't.
I didn't dress, but I went and watched.
And I would.
To this day, I wish I hadgotten to play that spring game and
I had been a good boy.
I don't.
And I don't remember.
I tell you something funny, though.
It's fun.
When I got in trouble, when Iwas a bad boy, my dad had a pair
(16:28):
of boxing gloves he'd give me,and he had a pair of boxing gloves.
And my bed in the bedroom wasin the corner, and he would not take
off the belt.
He would not beat me or spankme, but he'd tell me, lace him up,
and I'd put my gloves on.
He'd put his gloves on, andI'd stand on the bed and we'd box.
And of course, he'd beat theshit out of me.
(16:51):
But it was.
It was.
It was boxing gloves.
Wow.
So I was never badly hurt, butI was embarrassed, and I did.
Yeah, I got banged up andbruised and knocked against the wall
and stuff, but at least I hadthe opportunity to defend myself.
You know, when you're bentover a knee and they bring out the
strap, you can't defend yourself.
You're hopeless.
(17:12):
I thought it was a prettyclever technique he had.
I'll.
I'll tell you this.
My mom was more of thedisciplinarian, but she was a small
woman, and she would alwayssay the classic, wait till your dad
gets home.
Well, off the old farmhouse,we had what we called the woodshed.
(17:32):
And so we would have to go outin the woodshed, and my dad would
say, pick out a stick.
A switch.
They call it a switch.
It's like a willow switch or something.
Right.
He would close the door and hewould say, just stand over there.
And he would.
We had our barn coats hangingin the woodshed.
(17:55):
And he would hit the coats andhe'd go, I want you to yell like,
every time I, Every other timeI hit.
Well, we were doing it, and webusted out laughing, and we got in
trouble because my mom camethrough the door because she could
hear us laughing out there.
I was supposed to be, like,crying or screaming or something
like that so that we got awaywith that for a while.
(18:17):
But that's funny.
Eventually we got busted.
Leanne, you probably never did anything.
I was just gonna say, I can'tthink of anything that I did wrong,
but I was the good daughter.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
(18:37):
I don't buy that crap as much.
Let's, let's put a littlereality on.
You're a beautiful woman.
Thank you.
And when you were teenagecollege age, you must have been drop
dead gorgeous.
You were always in trouble.
No, actually, I was a good girl.
I'm not kidding.
(18:58):
I really didn't do a whole lot wrong.
So are you blaming your sister?
Yeah.
No.
She made up for all the lost ground.
Yeah.
She is the opposite of me.
If I ever meet her, I'm goingto tell her that story.
She's a lot more fun.
I've met her.
I, I, I, I think you have.
(19:20):
In Chicago, maybe.
Pardon?
I think in Chicago.
Is she.
Yeah, I think so.
Is she still here?
No, she's in la.
She lives in la?
Yeah.
Okay, last question.
If you were born in anothertime, what would the time be?
And what would you be?
(19:45):
Do you ever see the movieMidnight in Paris?
It's the story of an Americanwriter, and he's wandering around
the streets of Paris, and allof a sudden he finds a car.
Come, an old car comes by andpicks him up, and the car's got Hemingway
(20:06):
and all the, all the, thepaint, Picasso, and all the artists.
And there was a period, thegolden age of Paris, where Paris
was, where all the greatpainters and writers and Right.
Authors were there.
And that, that, that period,you know, the creativity, the excitement
(20:35):
and the freedom, they werelustful, lusty, party, drinking,
eating.
And in Paris, which to thisday is the greatest city in the world.
So I'd go back to the, thegolden age of Paris and hang out
(20:55):
with Picasso.
And hanging out with Hemingwaywas no easy task.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, Leanne, what about you?
Planet of the Apes, maybe?
You know, and everything wassimple, nothing to worry about.
(21:20):
Just hang out all day.
I actually really like the erathat I grew up in.
And, you know, I enjoyed the70s and the 80s and rock and roll,
and I.
I wouldn't even have mindedmaybe another 10 years earlier, you
(21:41):
know, when it was more aboutthe flower children and all that,
you know?
Yeah, Yeah.
I don't know.
That's a great point.
You know, I.
I, too, came of age.
I graduated high school in 67,went to college, got out in 72, 73,
and, yeah, that was the flower age.
(22:04):
Hate Ashbury, which I visited.
And.
Yeah, that was a good age.
There was a good era.
Good music.
Yeah, that's what I mean.
I like.
I don't know.
Yeah.
Kind of laid back, you know.
Yeah.
And that's.
That was good.
I would.
I would go to Hollywood whenHollywood was.
(22:26):
Hollywood.
Oh, you know, the classic eraof Hollywood.
Frank Sinatra, kind of.
Yeah.
John Wayne, the Rat Pack.
Yeah.
Even.
Even before that, back with,like, Robert Taylor and Barbara.
30S.
Yeah.
Yeah, that would.
I agree.
Maybe during Prohibition.
(22:47):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because there wasn't any in Hollywood.
No, but you think that, andyou think of those classic movies
and when they.
Errol Flynn and Basil Rathboneand those guys, because when they
showed up, they were usuallyin a limo or a classic car.
(23:09):
You know, people wore tuxes toHollywood parties.
You know, that type of.
I've just always beenfascinated with that stuff.
So, anyway, that's it.
Okay.
We're done.
Meathead.
Thank you.
Don't forget, folks, his newbook, the Meathead Method.
A Barbecue hall of Famer.
Secrets and Science.
Congratulations.
Yes.
(23:30):
Get your presale on Amazon and Apple.
And Barnes and Noble is on the 13th.
Yeah, it's out there.
There you go.
Well, thank you, my friend.
Leanne, thank you as always.
Thank you.
We'll be back again withanother edition of Barbecue Nation.
I know you can't wait.
Neither can we.
So go out, have some fun, cooksome great food, and remember our
(23:52):
motto, turn it, don't burn it.
Take care, everybody.
Welcome to Barbecue Nationwith JT and Leanne After Hours, the
conversation that continuedafter the show was done.
Hey, everybody, it's JT andthis is a special version of Barbecue
Nation.
It is brought to you in partby Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Beef you can be proud to serveyour family and friends.
That's Painted Hills Natural Beef.
Hey, everybody.
Welcome to After Hours.
(00:32):
This is the part of the showwhere anything can happen, including
Meathead taking a bathroom break.
But we don't show that on film.
Anyway, we've got meatheadfrom AmazingRibs.com today.
His new book, the MeatheadMethod, we talked about in the show.
I've come up with somedifferent questions for you.
(00:54):
They're a little different,but I think you'll find them entertaining.
I hate this part of the show.
Oh, this is the fun part.
The quiz.
The quiz.
Okay.
Very simple.
What's your favorite flavor of Lifesaver?
(01:15):
Wow.
You know, I haven't hadLifesavers in a long time, but I
was always a cherry.
There you go.
There you go.
There you go.
Leanne, what did you say wasthe green ones, the lime ones?
No, I like cherry, too.
I like cherry, too.
The ones I don't like are the.
The pineapple.
Pineapple, yeah.
(01:36):
In any candies, the watermelon flavor.
I love watermelon, but thewatermelon flavor just doesn't resemble
watermelon.
Yeah, that's true.
Okay, when you're butteringtoast, do you go to the edges or
you cut the crust off?
Oh, you have to go to theedges all the way.
I mean, I am meticulous thatthere are no.
(01:59):
And not.
Not just out of being somesort of neatnik, but want it to toast,
and I want the flavor everywhere.
Absolutely.
You know, my wife'sgrandmother told her.
Told Shelly that I was the guyshe should marry because I buttered
Grandma's toast clear to the edges.
(02:21):
That's a good test.
That's a good test.
If you.
It's essential for doingthings like garlic bread.
Yeah.
Because if you don't get thecrust, it's going to burn.
That's right.
Yeah.
When you get the chance tosplurge on yourself, what do you
do?
What do you splurge on?
(02:47):
My wife and I are theatergoers, and we.
We live in Chicago, andthere's no shortage of great theater.
Right.
Almost every week we findourselves in a theater, and either
before or after, we go out todinner and we usually eat nicely.
We, you know, not McDonald's.
(03:09):
So theater and a dinner aresplurges Although, as I mentioned
earlier, we are thinking abouttrying this vacation thing.
Yeah.
Make sure your insurance ispaid up.
What's the weakest part ofyour self control?
(03:33):
Oh, sugar, sugar, sugar.
And my wife's a baker andshe's always.
She did some biscottiyesterday and she does it beautifully.
And they'll all be gone in acouple of days and she'll be lucky
if she gets two or three.
I'll get them all.
If there's cookies, cake,candy, anything sweet around the
(03:55):
house.
I can't control myself.
I have.
People don't believe you're.
You can be addicted to sugar,but there's no question.
Oh yeah, you can.
I'm addicted to sugar.
Leanne, what's your weakestpart of your self control?
Well, as it relates to food orjust in life.
Anything.
Anything in know that I'm a terrible.
(04:17):
Procrastinator, so I'm veryweak when it comes, you know, to
getting things done.
Right now.
Right now.
And my famous motto isprocrastination pays.
And almost invariably becauseof my procrastination, something
good comes of it, really.
And I just blew it on Amazonbecause I bought a piece of furniture
and it was broken and insteadof dilly dallying around, I decided
(04:41):
to get it off and ship it away.
And then I get an email, youcan keep it.
You know, it's like the onetime I did things right away and
then it.
You know what I mean?
But yeah, I find thatprocrastination for sure pays for
me, that is.
I think Amazon is doing a lotmore of that now.
I think they've just decidedthat the process of shipping back
(05:01):
and then fixing.
Thing, you know what I mean?
And if it's broken, what arethey going to do?
Take it apart and figure outwhich part it is and put it back.
It's cost them more than thepiece of furniture.
Yeah, it's like the old saying.
So for all you Amazon people,don't rush to return.
Go ahead and put the returnthrough, but don't take it.
Give it a couple days.
(05:21):
Yeah, that's the old saying.
It's cheaper to keep her, youknow, there.
Okay, Meathead, if I gave youa box with all the lost, everything
you've lost in your life is inthis box, what's the first thing
you would reach for?
I told you these were new.
I know exactly what I reach for.
(05:42):
Well, you're going to tell us.
I'm going to give you the leftfield answer.
I've lost people.
Old college friends, used tobe a Chinese restaurant that my wife
and I went to when we were recording.
And the couple who ran it weremarvelous, and they took marvelous
(06:02):
care of us, and they cookedfor us, and they had two little girls,
and they would crawl aroundunder the table, and they would practice
their English on us.
And they called me Toyo ya,which meant smelly feet.
And one day they closed therestaurant and moved, and I.
I can't find them.
(06:23):
And I miss them.
They were so sweet.
I've had other friends who.
Who've moved or.
You lost track.
I just lost track of.
And I want them back.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Leanne, what about you?
What would you reach for?
I'd reach for my dad's watch,because my dad and I were.
(06:46):
We were parking our littleChris Craft into the dock, and he
took his watch off, you know,and he wanted me to hand it to him
as we're getting off the dock,and I went to hand it to him, and
it fell down in the water, andit was like his prized watch.
And we never found it, eventhough it was, like, within reach,
but we never found that watch.
(07:06):
So that would be one thing.
And then another one was I hada solid gold pig charm, and I used
to perform in water ski shows,and I took it off before the water
ski show and put it on a blanket.
I lost that.
So I'd reach for both of those things.
Performed in water ski shows.
Oh, yeah.
And the Poconos.
I was in the Seahawk.
I was thinking Weeki Wachee Springs.
(07:29):
So you were one of the hotbabes in a bathing suit on the water.
Baywatch, we're mistaken here.
This is a ski Hawks.
And I was, like, 12.
Because I, I, I, I, as a youngman, I would go to Weeki Watchee.
And those young ladies.
Oh, yeah, they were.
They were things of fantasy.
(07:50):
Yeah.
Oh, yeah.
You weren't thinking aboutChinese food.
No.
Now, Jeff, you answer this question.
What would I.
What would I reach for?
Yeah, what did you.
My dad.
Oh, my dad.
He was a very cool guy, veryfunny man.
(08:13):
You had to kind of listen tohim to get the philosophy, if you
will, because he would saystuff like you didn't really know
what it meant or you didn'tcatch on to it in conversation, and
then you thought about itlater and you went, wow, okay.
And I just miss him because hewas fun to pal around, pal around
(08:33):
with.
He and I had our favoriteChinese place.
My family, my wife, mydaughter and I, we still go there
on occasion.
But he turned me onto thatwhen I was in college, and he would
say, come on, let's go to lunch.
Leave my mom at dad.
A retail store.
Leave my mom at the store for,like, two hours by herself, and we'd
(08:53):
go have this fantastic lunch.
So, yeah, I would.
I would reach for my father.
What is.
Wait a minute.
I gotta jump back in here.
Yes, we.
I know we've done the roundson this, but I know how close Leanne
was to her father.
Yes.
And.
And I know she would want himback, too.
Oh, yeah, absolutely.
And when you.
When you started talkingpeople, I'm like, boy, I sound kind
(09:16):
of shallow.
I just picked out twomaterialistic items.
No, but the watch.
The watch symbolized your father.
I gotta.
That's exactly right.
Yeah.
And.
And your.
And your dad is the guy whocreated pig powder.
Yep.
And your dad.
That's the reason why I'm in barbecue.
I think you know this, but my.
For my first judging at theJack Daniels, your dad was our table
(09:39):
captain.
No, I don't.
I don't.
He was my table.
That's how I met your dad.
He was my table.
My first table captain.
Isn't that something?
How about that?
I didn't know that.
Okay, meathead, what is onething that you regret that you did
in school can be, you know,regular school, college, whatever.
(10:00):
I did so much bad stuff.
There has to be something thatquickly popped into your head.
Come on.
Yeah.
Well, nothing specific.
I mean, hey, the statute oflimitations is long expired, okay?
So you can say anything.
(10:21):
Well.
I fell in love too easily.
That was those water ski girlsor what?
Yeah.
No, no, I was a photographer.
I was interested inphotography, and I did a lot of sports
(10:42):
photography.
I photographed concerts and.
Yeah.
Janis Joplin from backstage and.
But the Florida alligatornewspaper, the sales reps came up
with the idea of, let's do acenterfold once a week where we have
six or eight different campusgirls dressed in outfits supplied
(11:05):
by the local stores.
And the stores would buy thelittle sections that they were featured
in.
Yeah, yeah.
And they hired me as thephotographer, so I would spend a
lot of time during the weekdriving around campus, walking around
campus, saying, hey, you'rereally good looking.
(11:26):
Would you like to be a modelfor the Florida.
No.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, my God.
And.
And that.
That was a great way to meet girls.
And I did some nicephotography, which, by the way, I
don't know if you know this,but years later, when I sold my wine
(11:46):
and booze magazine, I thoughtI'd try my hand at being a professional
photographer.
And the first Gig I got was Playboy.
Really?
I shot virtual reality forPlayboy for their Internet site.
(12:07):
You could look at the prettygirl and turn her around or undress
her.
And that was my.
Wow.
That was my first gig as aprofessional photographer.
And it was all downhill afterthat, huh?
Well, you know, I, I get thegig and I come home and I say, well,
you know, I sold, I sold mybusiness just a few weeks ago and
(12:28):
I have a new gig.
Do you mind if I shoot naked ladies?
And there was a moment ofhesitation and she looked at me and
she said, go right ahead.
Those 23 year olds wantnothing to do with you.
Yeah, yeah.
(12:49):
Leanne, what about you?
Let me think on it.
How about you?
Oh, you know what?
There was one thing in school.
I started a food fight.
It was like everyone was kindof razzing everybody about which
one to throw the initial food.
And I got conned into beingthe first one.
And I was immediately.
(13:09):
I mean, I felt like I wasarrested in front of the entire cafeteria
and then of course, had to domy after school duties and all that.
So a little thing.
But I do remember thatstanding out as a regret.
When I was in school, highschool, I was a freshman and they,
we had a wonderful cafeteria.
(13:30):
The, the school system that Iwent to, where I grew up, they got
money from the power companybecause the dams were on the Clackamas
River.
And so part of the deal to putthe dams in was the local schools
would get a small percentageof money that would support the school
(13:51):
systems.
They don't do this anymore.
That was taken away years ago.
But what they did was we hadthese marvelous cafeterias.
I mean, both of you wouldenjoy the food that was served there,
I can guarantee that.
Well, then they switchedbecause we had a lot of low income
people in the area.
So they went to some sort ofgovernment subsidy and the food turned
(14:15):
to crap.
It was just awful.
So I called a food strike.
Little did I know years laterI would be so involved in the food
business, but I called a foodstrike and got hauled into.
The principal and thesuperintendent were there because
they had been football coachto my brother and track coaches to
my sister, and they knew myparents and all this stuff.
(14:39):
And so I got my ass handed tome on that deal.
So that wasn't any good.
Okay, Meathead, two morequestions here for you.
Name something you did notlisten to your mother about.
There's a very specificincident comes to mind.
(15:00):
I was really into football injunior high and I was reasonably
decent.
I was average size then.
I'm small now.
My classmates all grew biggerthan me, and I was a defensive back,
and we had a good team.
And when spring training camearound for the high school, they
(15:22):
came down to the junior highand plucked three of us and said,
come on up and train with thehigh school varsity because we think
you'll make the team next year.
And so I got up there and Ipracticed with them for about three
or four weeks.
Had a ball, did pretty well.
They were much bigger than meat that time.
(15:43):
Sure.
And then I got in sometrouble, and I don't remember what
I did.
I got in some trouble at home.
I was.
I was.
I was a difficult kid.
I was not always obedient.
And my parents grounded me fora week, which included the spring
game, and I was grounded.
(16:04):
And I.
I sneaked out the night of thespring game and went and watched.
I couldn't.
I didn't dress, but I went and watched.
And I would.
To this day, I wish I hadgotten to play that spring game and
I had been a good boy.
I don't.
And I don't remember.
I tell you something funny, though.
It's fun.
When I got in trouble, when Iwas a bad boy, my dad had a pair
(16:28):
of boxing gloves he'd give me,and he had a pair of boxing gloves.
And my bed in the bedroom wasin the corner, and he would not take
off the belt.
He would not beat me or spankme, but he'd tell me, lace him up,
and I'd put my gloves on.
He'd put his gloves on, andI'd stand on the bed and we'd box.
And of course, he'd beat theshit out of me.
(16:51):
But it was.
It was.
It was boxing gloves.
Wow.
So I was never badly hurt, butI was embarrassed, and I did.
Yeah, I got banged up andbruised and knocked against the wall
and stuff, but at least I hadthe opportunity to defend myself.
You know, when you're bentover a knee and they bring out the
strap, you can't defend yourself.
You're hopeless.
(17:12):
I thought it was a prettyclever technique he had.
I'll.
I'll tell you this.
My mom was more of thedisciplinarian, but she was a small
woman, and she would alwayssay the classic, wait till your dad
gets home.
Well, off the old farmhouse,we had what we called the woodshed.
(17:32):
And so we would have to go outin the woodshed, and my dad would
say, pick out a stick.
A switch.
They call it a switch.
It's like a willow switch or something.
Right.
He would close the door and hewould say, just stand over there.
And he would.
We had our barn coats hangingin the woodshed.
(17:55):
And he would hit the coats andhe'd go, I want you to yell like,
every time I, Every other timeI hit.
Well, we were doing it, and webusted out laughing, and we got in
trouble because my mom camethrough the door because she could
hear us laughing out there.
I was supposed to be, like,crying or screaming or something
like that so that we got awaywith that for a while.
(18:17):
But that's funny.
Eventually we got busted.
Leanne, you probably never did anything.
I was just gonna say, I can'tthink of anything that I did wrong,
but I was the good daughter.
Wait a minute, wait a minute.
(18:37):
I don't buy that crap as much.
Let's, let's put a littlereality on.
You're a beautiful woman.
Thank you.
And when you were teenagecollege age, you must have been drop
dead gorgeous.
You were always in trouble.
No, actually, I was a good girl.
I'm not kidding.
(18:58):
I really didn't do a whole lot wrong.
So are you blaming your sister?
Yeah.
No.
She made up for all the lost ground.
Yeah.
She is the opposite of me.
If I ever meet her, I'm goingto tell her that story.
She's a lot more fun.
I've met her.
I, I, I, I think you have.
(19:20):
In Chicago, maybe.
Pardon?
I think in Chicago.
Is she.
Yeah, I think so.
Is she still here?
No, she's in la.
She lives in la?
Yeah.
Okay, last question.
If you were born in anothertime, what would the time be?
And what would you be?
(19:45):
Do you ever see the movieMidnight in Paris?
It's the story of an Americanwriter, and he's wandering around
the streets of Paris, and allof a sudden he finds a car.
Come, an old car comes by andpicks him up, and the car's got Hemingway
(20:06):
and all the, all the, thepaint, Picasso, and all the artists.
And there was a period, thegolden age of Paris, where Paris
was, where all the greatpainters and writers and Right.
Authors were there.
And that, that, that period,you know, the creativity, the excitement
(20:35):
and the freedom, they werelustful, lusty, party, drinking,
eating.
And in Paris, which to thisday is the greatest city in the world.
So I'd go back to the, thegolden age of Paris and hang out
(20:55):
with Picasso.
And hanging out with Hemingwaywas no easy task.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, Leanne, what about you?
Planet of the Apes, maybe?
You know, and everything wassimple, nothing to worry about.
(21:20):
Just hang out all day.
I actually really like the erathat I grew up in.
And, you know, I enjoyed the70s and the 80s and rock and roll,
and I.
I wouldn't even have mindedmaybe another 10 years earlier, you
(21:41):
know, when it was more aboutthe flower children and all that,
you know?
Yeah, Yeah.
I don't know.
That's a great point.
You know, I.
I, too, came of age.
I graduated high school in 67,went to college, got out in 72, 73,
and, yeah, that was the flower age.
(22:04):
Hate Ashbury, which I visited.
And.
Yeah, that was a good age.
There was a good era.
Good music.
Yeah, that's what I mean.
I like.
I don't know.
Yeah.
Kind of laid back, you know.
Yeah.
And that's.
That was good.
I would.
I would go to Hollywood whenHollywood was.
(22:26):
Hollywood.
Oh, you know, the classic eraof Hollywood.
Frank Sinatra, kind of.
Yeah.
John Wayne, the Rat Pack.
Yeah.
Even.
Even before that, back with,like, Robert Taylor and Barbara.
30S.
Yeah.
Yeah, that would.
I agree.
Maybe during Prohibition.
(22:47):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Because there wasn't any in Hollywood.
No, but you think that, andyou think of those classic movies
and when they.
Errol Flynn and Basil Rathboneand those guys, because when they
showed up, they were usuallyin a limo or a classic car.
(23:09):
You know, people wore tuxes toHollywood parties.
You know, that type of.
I've just always beenfascinated with that stuff.
So, anyway, that's it.
Okay.
We're done.
Meathead.
Thank you.
Don't forget, folks, his newbook, the Meathead Method.
A Barbecue hall of Famer.
Secrets and Science.
Congratulations.
Yes.
(23:30):
Get your presale on Amazon and Apple.
And Barnes and Noble is on the 13th.
Yeah, it's out there.
There you go.
Well, thank you, my friend.
Leanne, thank you as always.
Thank you.
We'll be back again withanother edition of Barbecue Nation.
I know you can't wait.
Neither can we.
So go out, have some fun, cooksome great food, and remember our
(23:52):
motto, turn it, don't burn it.
Take care, everybody.
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