This time of year always brings us back to the same things: family, friends, and food made with intention. So show us what you’re cooking for your crew this holiday season in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.

Now, here’s what we’ve been cooking up all week…

First up, Barbecue Bible’s holiday lineup proves Christmas dinner doesn’t have to be oven drudgery. It’s time to make Christmas a BBQ holiday. Also, Costco pulling A5 Wagyu feels like holiday generosity. Plus, some must-try recipes for pastrami crusted beef strip loin, hot buttered rum cocktail, and candied nuts with smoked almonds that will expose those who have no self-control.

Every week, we crown the DMS champion of BBQ. And there are only two ways to enter: 1) Submit a pic to the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group 2) Tag us on Instagram. If you aren’t sharing (and competing), what the hell are you waiting for?

This week’s Smoke Show Champ is Rus Livingood for professional level cooking on his braised beef short ribs. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Dexter Ryan for his smoked pork loin. Cherry wood was the right call here. Shared via the Dead Meat Society Facebook Group.

Honorable mention to Brandon Seier for the perfect crust and lacy edges in his smash burgers. Shared 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 Facebook group that gives a damn: Dead Meat Society. Or just tag us on Instagram.

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?

Before we talk meat, a quick pause.

The holidays are about people. Family, friends, chosen family, neighbors who wander over when the smoker’s running. And if there’s one thing this community understands, it’s that cooking meat is how a lot of us say “I care.”

Dead Meat Society exists because of that instinct. Feeding people well. Taking your time. Showing love the only way pitmasters really know how. So as the year winds down, consider this a genuine thank you for showing up, firing pits, sharing cooks, and keeping the spirit alive all year long.

That said… let’s talk about Christmas dinner.

For years, Christmas cooking meant one thing: the oven does all the work, and the grill gets ignored until spring. That idea is finally dying, and honestly, good riddance.

Across backyard pits, butcher counters, and restaurant menus, Christmas is becoming a live-fire holiday.

If you’re cooking for Christmas this year, there’s no rule saying it has to happen indoors.

Beef roasts, hams, lamb, ribs, and even seafood all thrive in cold-weather smoke. Low-and-slow cooks love cool air, and you don’t have to fight for oven space while juggling sides.

According to seasonal cooking trends, more people are choosing beef, pork, and alternative proteins for Christmas dinner than ever before. Translation: nobody’s mad if the turkey sits this one out.

Barbecue Bible’s seasonal grilling lineup makes one thing clear. Cold weather isn’t a reason to stop. It’s a reason to cook bigger.

If you’re looking to break tradition in the best way possible, these cold-weather grill-friendly recipes prove Christmas and live fire are a natural match:

Smoked Camembert with Chili Jam and Pecans: A warm, smoky cheese board upgrade that sets the tone early.

Festive Crown Rack of Ribs: This is your Christmas centerpiece. It looks dramatic, eats like a celebration, and doesn’t require explaining how to carve a turkey to six different relatives.

Smoked Mushroom Bread Pudding: It works as a side, a vegetarian option, or the dish everyone unexpectedly asks for seconds of.

Smoked Crème Brûlée: Because if you’re hosting Christmas and the smoker’s already hot, dessert should get the same respect as the meat.

These are meals built for gathering. The kind of food that earns a long rest and a sharp knife. If you’re already planning Christmas dinner, here’s the nudge: let the grill or smoker be the centerpiece, not the backup plan.

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.

🥩 LATKE LEVEL: These aren’t awkward pancakes from amateur brunch. They’re legit fried spuds built for smoke season. See if these deserve a spot at your Christmas dinner.

🥩 PORK STACK: Juicy meat, crunchy exterior, perfect balance. It’s not complicated, it’s just better. Don’t skip over this Peruvian sandwich.

🥩 FESTIVE COOKING: Turkey fatigue is real. Bon Appétit’s line-up proves you can mix classics and curveballs without looking clueless.

🥩 COOKIE CLAUSE: Santa gets a bite. The pitmaster gets the rest. That’s in the fine print 👇

🥩 BONUS FEED: Last week’s post was all about the ham. One of our proud DMS members, Walker Stockley, pointed out some interesting history regarding spiral slicing 👇

Harry Hoenselaar, the founder of Honey Baked Ham Co., invented the spiral ham slicer.

The slicer was patented in the late 1950s and later improved, so the patent protecting the spiral ham slicer didn’t expire until 1981. Hams were spiral-sliced in the back of Honey Baked Ham stores. But after 1981, other ham processors gained access to spiral slicers and began selling their own spiral-sliced hams at grocery stores once the patent expired. With the benefit of vacuum packaging, these spiral-sliced hams could be sold nationwide in grocery stores.

Later, The Honey Baked Ham Company decided to farm out the production of their hams, using their recipe, along with slicing, to various meat plants across the country instead of relying on a single ham plant and in-store slicing. This reduced labor at Honey Baked Ham stores, where employees only needed to glaze the hams at that point.

So, before 1981, the only way to buy a spiral-sliced ham was from a Honey Baked Ham store. The spiral slicer was key to protecting the business, along with their unique curing and smoking recipe and a proprietary sugar-and-spice glaze that was caramelized onto the ham’s surface with a blowtorch.

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

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

🥓 WAGYU DEAL: Costco’s not just for toilet paper and rotisserie chickens anymore. Now you can snag true A5 Wagyu at a price that doesn’t require selling a kidney. Read what that means for your December grill.

🥓 GREASE UPGRADE: Speaking of wagyu… olive oil is canceled. Wagyu tallow spray is here to save us from Pam once and for all.

🥓 WRAP SMARTER: A smart nanosensor wrapper that tells you when your meat is safe to eat? That sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Learn what this means for spoilage and safety.

🥓 BARK BENEFITS: Steakhouse dry-aging means controlled evaporation and flavor concentration that deserves respect (and a temp probe). This is how pros handle the crusty magic.

🥓 GLAZE GAME: A ham worthy of Christmas dinner 👇

Did we miss something? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

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

It’s a roast with pastrami ambition and zero apologies.

Because adult beverages should match weather severity.

Not your average nuts.

Have a recipe you want to share? Share it in the Dead Meat Society Facebook group or tag us on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

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 share pics on the DMS Facebook Group or tag us on Instagram so we can feature them 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…

Dead Meat Society Merch in the wild.

They’re finally here. The tools of the trade. Your weapons of choice.

After months of planning, the first edition Dead Meat Society OG Toolkits are for sale on the site. We couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.

They’ll ship immediately, and anyone who buys the full kit will get the exclusive Dead Roll Tool Carrier!

As part of our commitment to community, 10% of net profits are donated to charities that matter.