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Something very hot is coming to the Lone Star State. San Antonio-area pitmaster Al Frugoni is bringing together more than 90 barbecue-lovers — both pitmasters and content creators — for an "Open Fire Meat Up" on October 26 in Hondo, about 40 miles west of the Alamo City and four hours from Houston. This is the fourth edition of the large gathering.
As an Argentinian living and working in Texas, Frugoni has not just the worldliness needed to draw international talent, but a unique mix of experience from two of the strongest open-fire cooking cultures there are. (That's thanks to a Texas girl who won his heart and drew him here, according to a release.)
"This is going to be the biggest open fire event in the country. We have pitmasters flying in from all over the world for this," said Frugoni in the release. "No other event has this many pitmasters, cooks and influencers all gathered in one place ... cooking more food than you could possibly eat."
Frugoni is well-known online, with YouTube videos that sometimes garner hundreds of thousands of views . According to the pitmaster, when he launched the event he only meant to invite a few other camera-ready friends, but he found a lot more interest than he expected.
"I initially invited six or seven other barbecue content creators from different parts of the country to come to Texas, but then the word started spreading and we ended up with 25 guys," said Frugoni. "We took the internet by storm! We cooked so much food and had so much fun, we just had to keep it going."
Among this year's internet-famous attendees are Houston recipe-maker Breanna Stark of Married to BBQ; "fire cooking enthusiast" and cookbook author Derek Wolf of Over The Fire Cooking; former physical education teacher and Season 2 Next Level Chef competitor Matt Groark; and Season 4 BBQ Brawl finalist Chuck Matto of Chuck's Flavor Train. Pitmasters are coming in from Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Chile, England, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Scotland.
It's all going down at The Barn at Quail Crossing, where guests can taste tons of barbecued meats and sides. Matching the worldly participants are sometimes exotic meats; there will be whole steer, brisket, whole hogs, and even alligator, plus Texas specialties like chili. Guests can vote on their favorite dish for a People's Choice award at the end of the day; a panel of celebrity judges will also choose a favorite.
The family-friendly event also includes live music and kids' activities, and raises funds for Medina County first responders via GoMedina.
Its $25 ticket price sweetens the deal. It sold out in a few weeks in 2023, according to a release, so interested parties should get tickets ASAP. There are also early bird discounts ($5 off).
"In Argentina, we would call this an asado, which refers to the traditional method of barbecuing meat over wood or charcoal embers, just like the gauchos, or cowboys of old, used to do," said Frugoni. "But it also refers to the social gathering that takes place after the meat is cooked. So, basically, this is going to be one giant barbecue party."
