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from the cover In The World Of BBQ, It’s The People You Meet By: Mark & Gretchen Noordsy Certified Judge KCBS, SCA, EAT mnbbq@outlook.com Photos Courtesy of Meathead Goldwyn and Mark Noordsy This event always sells out and this year was no excep- tion. As we started chatting, I felt like I was talking with a long-time friend because he is so genuine. With Meathead, he is what he is. My recent interview, or really a conversation with him, went long and covered a lot of ground. If it had been in person, I can imagine us sitting on a deck with the smoker going and a cool refreshment in one hand as we hashed over every topic I could think of. I was curious how he got the moniker “Meathead”. Its ori- gin took me by surprise as it came from the “All in the Fam- ily” television show in the 1970s and the son-in-law that Archie nicknamed “Meathead”. An enduring nickname and iconic brand was started and, ironically, pre-dated his rise in the BBQ world. Meathead’s dad had a long career in the food industry. He was a food technology major at New York University, a USDA food inspector, restaurant owner and owned a butcher shop. He also cooked a mean flank steak, so it is This month I want to intro- duce you to a person in the BBQ world that willingly shares his knowledge and ex- pertise so any cook can learn and improve. Meathead Goldwyn is the founder of AmazingRibs.com and the author of “Meathead, The Sci- ence of Great Barbecue and Grilling”, a New York Times Best Seller. Last year he was nominated to the Barbecue Hall of Fame. I first met Meathead at the Minnesota Barbeque Society’s Spring Training in April where he was the keynote speaker. easy to understand Meat- head’s passion for food. It was in college while watching Julia Child on TV that really fostered his interest in cook- ing. He could often be found on the patio by the grill sur- rounded by his college bud- dies wondering what he was cooking. Food brings people together with families sitting around the table, a romantic dinner for two, a business meeting and a myriad of tra- ditions. “The only thing that is more important than what is on the plate is who is in the chairs around the table” ... Meathead While in college he worked part-time in a liquor store and became their “wine expert” and one thing led to another as his wine knowledge grew. Meathead studied journalism and photography which led to a master’s degree in Fine Arts. His education would serve him well as he continued his career. It wasn’t long before the Chicago Tribune asked him to write a weekly column about wine. That led to a weekly column in the Washington Post and being the owner and editor of a wine magazine and founder of the Beverage Testing Company. Meathead doesn’t stand still when he senses opportunity. Soon came the World Wine Championships, World Beer Championships and the World Spirit Championship – all designed to grow the exposure of their featured beverage. Being entrepreneurial, he saw the potential of the infant internet and his growing wine knowledge. Soon he was tapped to be the Wine/Food Director for AOL running their Food and Wine Network. Around 2000, he married his in- terest in wine and BBQ and his focus became more BBQ. Left to right: Meathead Goldwyn and Mark Noordsy OCTOBER 2019 BarbecueNews.com - 33