Remember when “meathead” was a slam Archie Bunker aimed at his son-in-law? Now the meatheads have their own club, of sorts: ManBQue. The brainfart, er, brainchild of 34-year-old Chicagoan Jesse Valenciana, ManBQue evolved over 6 years from a handful of friends getting together, to a nationwide organization with chapters in Boston, Connecticut, Nashville, Los Angeles, and Texas, to name a few. Members get the lowdown on monthly ManBQue “meatings” via their page on Facebook. They’ve got a great website at www.ManBQue.com, with some hilarious posts about charring meat, brewing beer, and other manly pursuits. Think of this as the next evolution of guy-centric groups like the Elks…except that now you eat the elk.
At ManBQue, the meat’s the thing.
The weekday gatherings are for dudes only, but gals can go to the weekend events. According to the official Manbque rules, “weekends are for Coed B Ques where there is a slight chance of actually going home with a woman.” Other rules include the following gems:
- Vegetarians are not allowed at Man B Que. (Unless they bring us meat…or allow us to throw tomatoes and eggs at them).
- You must also bring enough beers to share. Trading of beers is only allowed if beers being traded are of equal value and taste. Be aware that your beer is a reflection of you and you will probably be judged based on your selection.
-
Hmm. Sharp objects, fire, and lots of booze. What could go wrong?
Swords and power tools are encouraged to be on hand at Man B Que, but not necessary.
- No emotions shall be present at Man B Que*. This being said, insults, false accusations and any other derogatory comments aimed at Man B Que invitees are strongly encouraged.
*Accepted emotions: Euphoric happiness and enjoyment brought on by mass alcohol and/or meat consumption, hate and disgust.
These Meatings look like a hell of a lot of testoterone-charged and alcohol-fueled foodie fun. Here’s a video montage that pretty well says it all:
ManBQue doesn’t end with grilling orgies, however. There’s a catering division in Chicago, and their site has some great recipes (some even involve vegetables…so you know the chicks can’t be far behind). Here are a couple of those recipes, for homemade bacon vodka, which you serve in meat shot glasses. Seriously. Thanks to ManBQue for the recipes and photos.
Homemade Bacon Vodka
1 lb. Maple cured bacon
1 liter of Absolut vodka
1.Cook bacon, I used a microwave with paper towels to absorb the excess fat.
2. Place bacon into vodka. Seal and let sit for 7-8 days.
3. Place vodka into the freezer for 2 hours, to allow the fat to coagulate.
4. Strain vodka through a cheese cloth to remove fat.
5. Strain vodka 1 or 2 more times through a coffee filter
If you’re too damn lazy to make this yourself, get a bottle of Bakon Vodka.
Meat Shot Glasses
Equipment:
Stainless steel shot glasses with no logos or designs on them (unless you don’t mind toxic fumes).
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef, 80/20, ask the butcher for double ground (should yield 8 shot glasses)
2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. arbol chile powder
Steps:
1. Blend all of your ingredients together in a medium bowl.
2. Make 8-1/8 lb. balls of your mixture (heh, heh, we said ‘balls’).
3. Gently pack the meat around the shot glass, make sure it gets around the whole glass and has no punctures or breaks.
4. Place on the grill, open side down.
5. Evenly sear the meat around the glass then place them on the top rack of the grill for about 7 minutes.
6. Fill your shot glasses with homemade bacon vodka, or use the vodka to make a bloody Mary.
Lois Manno
Latest posts by Lois Manno (see all)
- DIY Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas - 07/24/2018
- Green Chile Enchiladas - 07/23/2018
- SW Chocolate & Coffee Fest: A Caffeine Fiend’s Dream - 03/26/2013
