By Meathead Goldwyn

We have had some cancellations so there are seats available if you act now!

Memphis, home of great barbecue, blues, soul, and rock & roll. Hang out and toss a few back with the experts. And no, you do not have to be a member of our Pitmaster Club. Here's the overview. Scroll down for details.

• THURSDAY August 26, 2021: Arrive, check into the Peabody.
• FRIDAY August 27: Mark Lambert's whole hog prep two ways. Kickoff dinner at Rendezvous.
• SATURDAY August 28: Seminars and Product Expo in the Peabody Grand Ballroom. Compart Duroc pork lunch and whole hog dinner.
• SUNDAY August 29: Taste of Memphis BBQ in the Ballroom. Party at Silky O’Sullivan’s in the evening.
• MONDAY August 30: Check out.

The Meat-Up will be based in the famous historic grand Peabody Hotel, just around the corner from Beale Street. Things will kick off with a a whole hog cooking demonstration Friday afternoon followed by a welcome dinner Friday evening at the famous Rendezvous. Saturday we will have a day of pork centric seminars in the hotel, with special porky meals because Memphis is most famous for pork. The hotel's kitchen is highly regarded and we have ordered their best meal packages. Sunday we will board buses and visit four or five BBQ joints for a deep dive into the historic tastes of Memphis barbecue before concluding the weekend with a bash on Beale Street!

We will also be providing all attendees with a Meat-Up gift bag and will also have drawings for cool giveaways throughout the weekend. And if you have a copy of the book “Meathead, The Science Of Great Barbecue And Grilling” bring it and Meathead will personalize and sign it!

The ticket price, which includes all events and meals, is only $687. Hotel rooms, adult beverages, and parking are extra. To guarantee your space, make a $100 deposit now. The balance is not due until March 31, 2021 and payments are fully refundable until then. If we are forced to postpone or cancel because of the COVID, we will fully refund your payments. Hotel reservations can be canceled up to 72 hours before your first night's reservation without penalty. If you are buying more than one ticket you need to fill out the form for each person.

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT

Don't forget to reserve a room at the Peabody. They will accept cancelations up to 72 hours before your first night's reservation without penalty. At the Peabody you will be mere steps from all of the action including Friday's whole hog cooking demo and welcome dinner at the Charlie Vergos Rendezvous; all of the Saturday sessions; access to our product Expo area; the whole hog dinner; the bus pickups; the Beale Street bash; and more! The Peabody is offering us a deeply discounted rate (nearly 50% off) on the first 200 rooms booked. Single or double occupancy is $245 per nite including all taxes (subject to change), fees, internet, and a newspaper. Rates for rooms for 3 to 4 people are $20 additional. Use the button below to book online or call 1-800-PEABODY and tell them you are booking for the AmazingRibs.com Meat-Up. If you plan to come in early or stay after and want the special rate, you must call on the phone for your reservation. They have promised to extend the discounted rate to you.

Reserve A Room At The Peabody Online

If you have booked, let us know if your plans have changed. You will also need to notify the hotel separately at 1-800-PEABODY.

I Booked But I Can't Make It And I Need A  Refund

After March 31, 2021 we can only make refunds if there is someone on the wait list to replace you.

Click here to send us an email if you would like to exhibit at the Expo

Contact Us If You Have Any Questions

Watch the video from our last Meat-Up i​n the Bahamas

Prime Sponsor:

Here is the Itinerary

(Details are subject to change)

Thursday, August 26, 2021

4:00 p.m. Check-in at the Peabody opens. Dinner on your own.

Friday, August 27, 2021

6:00 a.m. Complimentary coffee or tea in the hotel’s Deli. Explore some of Memphis' top attractions while out on the town by visiting here.

11:30 Corky's BBQ food truck out front.

1:00-3:00 p.m. "Whole Hog Demo" sponsored by BBQGuys.com. Watch Mark Lambert prepare three whole hogs for our dinner Saturday night. He will butterfly/spatchcock two and do one "running style" (standing upright like it is running). Mark is a Memphis in May Champion and former president of the National Barbecue and Grilling Association and he is justly famous for his hogs. Mark also owns Sweet Swine ‘O Mine, producer of award winning rubs and sauces and will have them on hand as well as his Red Box Smoker.

3:00-10:00 p.m. Conference Registration, Product Expo, and cash bar in Grand Ballroom. The Product Expo will feature things you can't find at your local hardware store. Cash bar. Here is a list of exhibitors at this time:

5:00-6:30 p.m. Dinner at Rendezvous sponsored by Hasty Bake. We kick things off is style with the first of two seatings for a welcome dinner at the most famous BBQ restaurant in the world, Charlie Vergos Rendezvous. A Memphis landmark since 1948, it is just a few steps from the hotel. Meathead, Malcom Reed and our team will be there and we will be greeted by a member of the Vergos family who will explain their novel cooking methods and their fascinating history. Because seating is limited, we will have to split into two groups, the first seating at 5:30, second at 7:30. Conference registration will be at the restaurant. That's the late great Nick Vergos in the picture above. Cash bar.

7:00-8:30 p.m. Second seating at Rendezvous.

10:00 p.m. Last call. Product Expo closes for the night.

10:00 p.m. - Whenever. Hang around the hotel bar or walk a block to Beale Street and the many famous night clubs and juke joints (BB King's is right on the corner).

Saturday, August 28, 2021

6:00 a.m. Complimentary coffee or tea in the hotel’s Deli.

8:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Product Expo.

8:00 a.m. Breakfast buffet, Conference Registration, Grand Ballroom.

9:00-9:30 a.m. "Welcome" from Meathead.

9:30-10:45 a.m. "The Story of Memphis Barbecue" with Memphis residents Clint Cantwell, Malcom Reed, and other local experts.

10:45-11:00 a.m. "The New KCBS" with Candy Sue Weaver.

11:00-11:45 a.m. Break with refreshments in the Product Expo.

11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. "All About Non-Commodity Hog Breeds" with Jim Compart from Compart Family Farms.

12:30-1:45 p.m. Buffet lunch with Compart Duroc Pork chops served in the Product Expo. Cash bar.

1:45-2:30 p.m. "The Future of Pork and the Future of Cooking" with Chef James Murray of the National Pork Board. Chef Murray is is a Certified Executive Chef by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) in Paris and the American Culinary Federation. He will talk about new breeds of hogs, heritage hogs, and how temperature controlled cooking will change how we cook.

2:30-3:00 p.m. Break with refreshments in the Product Expo. Cash bar.

3:30-4:30 p.m. "Boar Session and Q&A" with Meathead, Clint, Malcom, David, Max, Huskee, Spinaker, Jerod, Candy.

4:30-7 p.m. Reception with refreshments in the Product Expo. Cash bar.

5:00-5:15 p.m. The Peabody is famous for their ducks who, every morning at 11, march from the elevator to the fountain in the lobby, hang out in the fountain all day and head back to the roof at 5 p.m. where they overnight in the penthouse. Today, Huskee will serve as Honorary Duck Master.

6:00-7:00 p.m. Reception in the Product Expo. Cash bar.

7:00-10:00 p.m. Dinner featuring Compart whole hogs cooked for us by Mark Lambert. Buffet served in the Product Expo. Cash bar.

10:00 p.m. Last Call. Product Expo closes.

10:00 p.m. - Whenever. At liberty on Beale Street or in the hotel bar.

Sunday, August 29, 2021

6:00 a.m. Complimentary coffee or tea in the hotel’s Deli.

8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Breakfast buffet served in the Parisian Room.

10:00 a.m. Expo opens.

12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Taste of Memphis Barbecue. Stroll around the Grand Ballroom and enjoy samples of the signature dishes from about 10 of the best BBQ joints in Memphis. A coplete list will be announced soon. 

NOTE: We had originally announced that we would take buses to see four barbecue joints, but we changed our minds. This way you can taste more of the specialties of the best places and get to "visit" twice as many in the comfort of the Ballroom. They will have their rub, sauce, book, hats, aprons for sale. Pick your favorites and stay over Monday and visit them on your own!

12:00 - 4:30 p.m. Expo and cash bar or hang out and shoot the breeze or go see Memphis or take a nap.

5:00 p.m. Duck March with Meathead as honorary Duck Master.

5:15 - 7:00 Go see Memphis or take a nap.

7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Beale Street Bash. Party at Silky O'Sullivan's on Beale Street. They have live music, but bring your instruments and let's have a jam session when the band is on break! It is a very short walk from the hotel, but bring an umbrella just in case! Cash bar.

Monday, August 30, 2021

6:00 a.m. Complimentary coffee or tea in the Deli.

11:00 a.m. Visit Memphis and the BBQ joints you liked best Sunday on your own or checkout and head home.

Speakers & VIPs

MEATHEAD. Founder and publisher of AmazingRibs.com, author of the New York Times bestseller "Meathead, The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling" called “One of the 100 Best Cookbooks of All Time” by Southern Living.

JIM COMPART. Compart Family Farms is on its fourth generation of pork producers. What initially started as a 4-H project, has now grown to one of the largest family-owned swine genetics businesses in nation. Jim heads the family effort and he will share his experiences with breeding for improved flavor.

CLINT CANTWELL. Senior VP, named one of the "10 Faces of Memphis Barbecue" by Memphis Magazine, winner of Travel Channel's "American Grilled: Memphis.”

MAX GOOD. VP of Product Reviews & Keeper of the Flame. Max is the man in charge of finding the best products for our readers.

DAVE JOACHIM. VP and Editorial Director, author and collaborator on more than 50 cookbooks, four of them on barbecue and grilling, his Food Science column has appeared in "Fine Cooking" magazine since 2011.

MARK LAMBERT. Mark is the pitmaster for the Memphis in May World Champion Team “Sweet Swine O’ Mine” and operates a BBQ products business, Sweet Swine O’ Mine Distributing. With Malcom Reed, he runs one of the premier competition BBQ classes in the country, barbecuelive.com.

CHEF JIM MURRAY. Chef Murray is the chef for The National Pork Board, he is a Certified Executive Chef by the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) in Paris and the American Culinary Federation. He will discuss the future of pork and the culinary arts.

MALCOM REED. Malcom is one of the most respected men in barbecue and a genuine YouTube Star. He is also pitmaster of the Killer Hogs BBQ team. 

CANDY SUE WEAVER. Candy Sue is one of the best known and most respected people in the world of barbecue. She is President of the Kansas City Barbeque Society and is President of BBQr's Delight, maker of food grade wood pellets.

AARON “HUSKEE” LYONS. Huskee is the manager of our Pitmaster Club and Moderato answering reader questions. A KCBS Certified Barbeque Judge (CBJ), he experimented for a few years with a cheap Brinkmann cabinet charcoal smoker before graduating to a Yoder Wichita offset smoker. His arsenal has since expanded to nine cookers and counting.

JEROD BROUSSARD. Jerod is a Moderator answering reader questions and maestro of the drum smoker and Texas barbecue in general. Born and raised in Southwest Louisiana on a rice farm, Jerod earned a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science and moved to Texas where he has been a food inspector since 2002. Don't be shy with your questions regarding chicken, Jerod inspects about 15,000 a day prior to them being chilled and processed. He's an enthusiast who can't stop smokin'.

JOHN “SPINAKER” BOWLSBY. Spinaker serves as a Moderator and answers a lot of reader questions. Spinaker grew up in the BBQ starved state of Minnesota where people are more likely to be eating lutefisk than brisket. In addition to his love of outdoor cooking, Spinaker is also an expert on cast iron cookware and how to restore it.

More to come...

More things to do in Memphis

If you want to bring family or friends there is plenty for them to do in Memphis. Heck you might want to come in early or stick around a few days and visit Elvis’ Graceland mansion, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King was shot, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame, Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum on Beale St., Sun Studio, the Pyramid of Memphis, Mississippi riverboat tours, the Memphis Zoo, Brooks Museum of Art, Belz Museum of Asian & Judaic Art, Memphis Botanic Garden, Children's Museum of Memphis, learn the story of cotton in the historic Cotton Museum at Memphis Cotton Exchange, Mirimichi Golf Course founded by Justin Timberlake, concerts at FedEx Forum, Go Ape Shelby Farms treetop adventure, the original Gus's Fried Chicken, Memphis Redbirds AAA baseball is right across the street from the hotel, and more. Not to mention the many other BBQ joints that you won't have tasted on our Sunday tour and the many juke joints on Beals. The hotel will extend the discount for you.