💀 Does this count as a holiday?

And the war for charcoal just got hot

May 15, 2025

Hello Dead Meat Society,

Welcome back to the Dead Meat Spam newsletter. Every week, we’ll bring together BBQ news, killer recipes, expert tips, and a first look at badass gear. Let’s see what’s on the menu today…

Every week, we crown the champion of BBQ from the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for? Join now!

👑 This Week’s Champ

This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Barry Saadatmand via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group

🥈 Honorable Mention #1

Honorable mention to Dexter Ryan via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group

🥉 Honorable Mention #2

Honorable mention to Rus Livingood via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group

Have a Smoke Show submission? Stop wasting your time posting on all those other sites and share it with the group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society.

Here’s what’s on the menu today…

  • Are we celebrating Traeger Day?

  • One store-bought BBQ sauce to rule them all. Plus, the charcoal grill wars are so on.

  • This week’s menu features a spicy buffalo chicken burger, grilled whole fish for the adventurous griller, and, to drink, a grilled lemonade. Plus, smoked whipped cream on strawberry shortcake for a dessert to die for.

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That one story that will make you infinitely more interesting than your know-it-all brother-in-law. Seriously, wtf is that guy’s deal?

The Holiday We Deserve

Happy (almost) Traeger Day to all who celebrate. Well, technically, it’s this Saturday, May 17th, but maybe that makes this Traeger Week. And, to those who don’t celebrate… are you sure you’re not just jealous? Be honest.

Since Traeger seems to be going all-out for their made-up holiday, we figured we should hit on some of the highlights of a holiday that we can get behind.

First things first. Even if you aren’t specifically a Traeger-brand guy or gal, you’ve at least got to admit that a holiday for smoking meats is a helpful excuse to get out and feast. Plus, this weekend is the perfect warm-up for the real griller’s holiday, Memorial Day (only one weekend away, soldiers!)

In other words, time for a practice run.

Make sure your skills and recipes are airtight before your whole reputation is on the line.

Ok, so now that the Traeger-haters are on board, let’s talk about it. Looks like the smoking kings are holding contests, demos on new products, featured recipes, tips, and even some pretty good deals. Ya know, just in case you really are just jealous that you don’t have one.

The 3-Smoked-Meal Traeger Day Challenge

We’d say no matter what kind of smoker you’re firing up on Saturday, Traeger does have some good advice for how to spend this special holiday season. For breakfast, you could always fire the family up with some smoked deviled eggs, then plan on some ranch buttermilk chicken wings for lunch. But save room for the main event: Traeger’s 321 ribs (duh).

By the way, if anyone takes on this 3-smoked-meal Traeger Day challenge, don’t you dare forget to post your pics in the Dead Meat Society group.

And if your wallet is feeling a little frisky on Saturday, maybe you could take a grilling break to stop by your local Traeger dealer for a demo (and maybe free food?) and to check out what deals the top smoke dogs are offering.

For instance, a little birdy told us that the Woodridge Pro Pellet Grill is $150 off for the holiday. In case you didn’t know, that’s the 970 sq. in., WiFIRE tech-enabled, 8 rib rack roaster with a 24 lb hopper that can just smoke for days and days and… sorry, started daydreaming.

But as the fair and impartial journalists that we are, the truth is this fake holiday is for everyone: Traeger believers and deniers alike.

Just as long as something charred and smoky makes its way to your family’s table, you’ve embraced the spirit of this magnificent, ancient holiday.

Like the memes you send back and forth in your group chat, except these won’t get you canceled. Oh, and lots more grill marks.

🥩 VATI-CAN WE HAVE A BBQ: Things that just make sense: the Pope showin’ em how a Chicago dog is made 👇 Also, (not a joke) Portillo’s named a sandwich after Leo.

🥩 BBQ WALK OF FAME: In case you missed it, Cedric the Entertainer and Anthony Anderson (of AC Barbeque sauces & rubs) just opened a sit-down BBQ spot in LA. Road trip?

🥩 GIFTED: This gift was the Mother’s Day winner. Bird visitors for her, another grill for him 👇

🥩 STORE-BOUGHT: 6 pitmasters admitted that there is one store-bought BBQ sauce that holds up, and yeah, it’s probably the one you’re thinking of…

Bonus: If you’re ashamed of buying sauce from the store, here are 15 tips for improving store-bought sauce.

🥩 SMASH OR PASS: Add the Western Smash Burger to your weekend plans 👇

🥩 CHARCOAL WARFARE: High-end pot and pan brand “Made In” just dropped its new charcoal grill to compete with Weber. The Made In Grill rings in at $499 without the griddle, $679 with it. And honestly… it’s kinda cute.

🥩 BEARDED: The 2025 James Beard Award Finalists list is out (and, honestly, I can’t believe we aren’t listed under best food newsletter…)

🥩 SHREDDED: Let’s appreciate the simple yet elegant pleasure of pulled pork 👇

Did we miss something? Submit a link for next week’s Feed.

Meat & Greet

Dead Meat Society is all about community. We’re here to support and uplift the pursuit of delicious meats and the people and brands who are doing it right.

Today, let’s Meat and Greet…

Bud Sauce is the delicious brainchild of (who else?) Bud, a North Carolina boy obsessed with a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce that embodies the spirit of NC BBQ. 

Bud, we salute you and your pursuit. Dead Meat Society, show the NC boy some love: budsauce.com

Know someone who deserves to be featured? Send us their info for next week’s Feed.

Tips, tech & gear that’ll help you beat your friend’s meat. Wait, that came out wrong…

🥓 FLAME ON: Be honest, are we worried about mold on charcoal? Shouldn’t the fire kill it? Anyway, the comments section got HEATED about this 👇

🥓 BBQ BUT MAKE IT KOREAN: Need some homemade Korean BBQ in your life? Then you might need this list of tools.

🥓 SO TOXIC: You deserve at least one non-toxic relationship with your life. How about making that relationship with your cookware?

🥓 GRIDDLED: With this griddle insert, you might never have to cook inside ever again, you manly man, you.

🥓 FEAST ON THIS: A few tips from Chuds on how to cook for a LOT of people (aka the best way to cook) 👇

Did we miss something? Submit a link for next week’s Bar-b-IQ.

Like a Paula Deen cookbook, but with less butter and more BBQ sauce.

One thing everyone in the family can agree on: buffalo chicken is the best chicken.

Come on. Push your skills and your palate. I admit it… you might need to make some chicken nuggets for the kids.

Just keeping you on your toes. Apparently, you can grill lemons. And whipped cream.

Have a recipe you want to share? Submit it for next week’s Butcher’s Block.

A happy ending just for you.

That’s it for this week. If you make any of the recipes above, you’re legally obligated to send us a picture and give feedback so we can feature it next week (sorry, we don’t make the rules).

And since the only thing that is better than grill marks and ice-cold beer is grill marks and ice-cold beer with a side of dad jokes, we’ll leave this right here…

At DMS we believe grilling isn’t just about cooking—it's about community, which is why we developed the Dead Meat Society Commandments. These principles define our culture, unite us through the flame, and guide how we honor the art of grilling while fostering community, creativity, and giving back.

DMS Commandment #8:

Thou Shalt Feast with Family and Friends. Grilling isn’t just about food; it’s about creating moments and memories with the people who matter most.

So, what’d you think? Let us know how we did. Reply directly to this email with feedback.