I don’t know if BBQ season actually ends in Texas. We have mild enough winters most years, that I would clearly call upon the pit masters to weigh in on the matter, but feel safe declaring it a year round festivity. And, for all intents and purposes, please know that there is definitely a difference between grilling and BBQ’ing. I can grill a couple of burgers pretty quickly on my trusty Weber Mastertouch. But BBQ is about smoke, time and that low and slow kind of preparation and cook.

Like many of you, I found myself looking for things to occupy my time when I started working my corporate job from home during the pandemic. I used the search engine strength of a few instagram reels to get sucked into the rabbit hole of cooking videos. I have a hard time pinpointing which series may have been my gateway, but somewhere between watching cooking in the wild (or at least at campsites in a Cast Iron Pan over an open flame) or some home chefs giving pointers on their set ups, I stumbled into Matt Pittman’s videos. The production quality stood out to me, well above many other social media cooking channels. It is relatable as well as the practical kind of cooking that I imagine I could perform for a family function in the future. And the content just carries a wholesome feel to it. It feels like family in a way, in the jokes they candidly make with one another.

Pittman and the Meat Church Team have built a brand that is true to Texas; offering various seasoning blends, apparel, lifestyle accessories but also valuable instruction for the most novice of aspiring pitmasters like myself to get out there and try it. They have wisely partnered with plenty of other Texas brands who supply their store or even distribute the Meat Church brand merchandise.

Home base for Meat Church BBQ Supply is in otherwise unassuming Waxahachie. I want to spell it with a T every time, but doing so is wildly incorrect. The shop boasts plenty of great things to get the pit master in your life, or even anyone (like myself) just rooting for Pittman’s continued success working his custom built portable competition grade Millscale Metalworks grill hauled by trailer. It’s a thing of beauty, even to the less than competition grade smoke roller like me.

Stop by and say hey if you’re ever in the neighborhood, though be aware that the shop is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

The song this week is by none other than Boots Randolph. It’s “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” from the “Yakety Sax” LP. Initially, I bought the album for the title track, often associated with Benny Hill. Yet, the more I listened, the more that the rest of the album spoke to me. I imagine that preparing BBQ is somewhat of the same kind of conversation. The more fine tuned your dial to listen and respond, the better the outcome overall.

I’m sure that the more I practice (and pay attention to those Meat Church lessons), the less my brisket will potentially double as a paperweight. However, in personal news, we bought a home this week! So, the opportunity to practice feels more real than ever in current apartment living.

Until our next adventure, take care of one another.