This is Barbecue Nation After Hours.

The conversation that took place after the show ended.

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That's Painted Hills Natural Beef.

Hey, everybody.

Welcome to After Hours here on the Nation.

This is the part of the show where Leanne swears.

No, she doesn't.

I think I've only heard her say something as strong as Shucky darns in my.

In my association with her.

But we've got Rich Fragola here from Burgerlicious Barbecue, and he's going to jump in and do the lightning round with us.

How about that?

Are you ready, Rich?

I'm ready.

You sure?

Mm.

Okay, here we go.

I'm always ready.

We'll start off with more of a serious type thing here.

What would you say your success to failure ratio is when creating a new seasoning, a new dish, a new method for what you're going to do in comps?

I would probably say that at the beginning, it was probably a pretty low, like, more failure than it was success.

I think now at this level, I know exactly what I'm looking for.

I would compare what your question is to me when I go shopping.

Like, when I go shopping, I know exactly what I want, I know exactly where it is, and I know how to get it.

That's how I am now when it comes to doing those kind of things.

I know exactly what I'm looking for, and I can make it happen pretty quick.

Right.

Okay.

If you started your career all over again, would you do anything different?

I don't.

I don't think I would.

I mean, I think we are what we are today because of how we started.

You know, we went through the fire, went through the trials and tribulations, and I think it definitely helped us get to where we are now.

There you go.

If you could cook for, then dine with a historical figure, who would it be?

Cook for and dine with?

Yeah, you're gonna make a dinner.

You're gonna make them dinner.

A historical figure.

And what would the menu be, by the way?

Holy crap.

Well, I kind of feel like I kind of already did it.

Johnny Trigg is kind of was always kind of a guy that I looked up to, and.

And we did the Barbecue League Big 12 thing together that Leanne did with us this year.

A few years ago, I got to make him pork briskets, which he had never had.

Here's a guy From Texas, who.

First of all, they don't do a lot of pork in Texas.

And then when I said pork brisket, his ears perked up, and he was like, what is this?

And so I literally cooked it in front of him and then made him a pork brisket taco.

And he thought it was.

He thought it was awesome.

So I think I've kind of accomplished that one.

There you go.

That's great.

And dine with.

Well, I dined with Leanne last year at the Golden Ox here in April.

That was fun.

There we go.

There you go.

What is the.

If you'll allow the term, hottest new thing that you've seen out there that help people in competition?

I'll give you an example.

You know, thermometers, digital thermometers, have come a long way, especially in the last, like, five years.

So, you know, maybe it's a tool or a piece of equipment.

Maybe it's a new temperature change.

You know, that's up to you, but give us your insight on that.

I think the thing that I've seen probably out there, that's being used a lot right now, that's a new thing.

I don't personally use one, but they have this thing called a brisket caddy, and you actually put your brisket flat inside of it to keep it all together and cook straight.

And there's.

There's several different versions of them out there.

But that's kind of been a thing that's been really popular over the last year and a half.

I have.

Like I said, I don't use one.

I haven't tried one, but I do see a lot of people using that in competition.

Barbecue.

There you go.

Have you ever smoked a penguin?

No.

Okay, good.

That'd be some chewy stuff, I'm afraid, right there.

If you have some people after me.

Yeah, you could.

If you could work with one of your barbecue heroes outside of Leanne, like, for a weekend, just hang with him and do stuff.

Who would that be?

Well, like I said, I earlier in the interview, we used to watch barbecue Pitmasters all the time.

And of course, you know, that was early years with Leanne and Johnny and Tuffy and Myron.

And I've been fortunate enough in my career to cook and be with all those people, so it's been awesome.

I got to cook with Johnny.

I mean, at this year's Memphis in May, I actually had Tuffy Stone walk up to me with a younger kid and ask me to autograph this kid's shirt.

So that kind of blew My mind a little bit when I had Tuffy Stone asking me to do that.

I mean, it was just, you know, admiring.

I cook on his smokers.

I've been.

I've been to his plants.

I've been to his house.

I've been, you know, so, I mean, those are all the people that, when I was coming up into this game around, you know, 2011, 2012, that I watched.

So I just, like I said, I've been blessed to be able to do things with every one of them, so.

And including Mo, too.

So I think that entire cast of the first season of Barbecue Pitmasters I've got to cook with multiple times.

There you go.

If you were declared supreme ruler of barbecue for a week, what would you decree as supreme ruler of barbecue?

Man, everybody.

Love everybody.

Like Jackie Moon from Semi Pro.

I think barbecue has gotten to a point where, I mean, it's pretty serious game, you know, And I think there's sometimes some people out there take it too seriously.

I just think I'd figure out a way to get everybody together.

That's kind of my thing is with barbecue is I do a good luck shot on Saturdays at 9:22, and that's my favorite time at a contest because I get to see everybody in one spot and I get to high five everybody.

And I just would try to decree or figure out some way to have more of that happening.

There you go.

What's your least favorite food to cook?

It doesn't have to be for comp, either.

It's just anything.

My wife made me smoke cauliflower and brussels sprouts once, and I wrapped the brussels sprouts and bacon just to get rid of that horrible smell.

And the cauliflower.

I hit it with one of my rubs.

I didn't eat either one of them, but, yeah, that wasn't my favorite.

They probably look good, though.

They look great.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Do you remember the first thing that you ever grilled or smoked?

It was rib, and it was terrible.

Okay.

All right.

That's an answer we get fairly often.

Yeah.

Yeah, fairly often.

If we could put your skills to music and Leanne could be your background singer, what music would it be?

Oh, it would have to be frugalicious.

Okay.

Okay.

If you were an animal, what animal would you be and why?

I would probably.

I mean, I'm born in August.

I'm a Leo, so I would have to say I'm a lion.

I don't know.

I'm pretty aggressive.

I'm.

I'm pretty.

I'm pretty pushy.

And persistent.

And I try to, you know, try to be the best.

I try to be the king of the jungle.

So that's.

I think that's where my Leo.

My Leo attitude comes out.

There you go.

What does a fantasy day look like for Rich Fragola?

A fantasy day?

Yeah.

You can do anything you want.

But remember, this is a family show, so.

Oh, I got you.

I got you.

My wife and family and I on a beach somewhere where I don't have to cook, and somebody's making us food and bringing us drinks, and we don't have to worry about anything.

It's all done for us.

That would be fantastic.

There you go.

Where's the worst place you ever had to cook, Rich?

Worst place.

The worst place I've ever had to cook.

Yeah.

Wow.

Man.

I don't know if there's a particular place.

I mean, I've cooked in some pretty bad weather before.

I've cooked in potential tornadoes and snow and those kind of things.

But I don't know if.

I mean, every place that I've cooked has always been fine.

I've never really complained about a place when I left.

All right, we're gonna stack you up against Chris Lilly on this question.

Have you ever cooked in the snow?

Your underwear?

Well, I can say this.

I have cooked in a contest in the snow, and I was in the trailer changing my clothes.

So at one point, I was in my underwear.

That's a little.

Judges, do we get an answer on that?

Yeah, we'll give it to them.

We'll give it to them.

If you could.

If you could erase one mistake from your past, what would it be and why?

But if there's any pending litigation, you don't have to talk about it.

I could erase one mistake in my life.

And why, man, I've made a lot of them.

I've made a ton of them.

Boy, I don't know.

I don't even know how to answer that one.

There's so many answers.

There could be.

Okay.

Yeah.

I just don't even know where to begin on that one.

That's.

That's the thing about learning, man.

You make a lot.

You make a lot of mistakes.

You learn from them.

Well, you always have the option on this show to play or pass, so it's okay.

Okay.

You'Re on death row.

What would your last meal be?

On death row, what would my last meal be?

I would probably have to say probably tacos.

Wow.

My wife sitting here next to me, and she said tacos before I said it.

Wow.

Okay.

Sweatshirts or formal wear?

Sweatshirts.

Okay.

Boxers or briefs?

Boxers.

Okay.

Would you describe yourself as corn fed or grass fed?

I would probably say grass fed.

Wow.

You don't fit on my side of the microphone then.

That's for sure.

Dire Straits, AC dc or Billy Ray Cyrus?

Oh, I have to go with acdc.

I just saw an ACDC cover band at the contest I was at in Iowa this weekend, and they were awesome.

Fun.

I like that.

Remember, it's a long way to the top if you want to run.

That's right.

My daughter actually bought me a.

A keychain with that on it that I use, so.

Oh, cool.

What's one thing you miss about your 20s?

One thing I miss about my 20s?

Yeah.

Yeah, probably.

Probably when I was into my 20s, I can get up out of bed in the morning and not take 30 minutes to warm up.

You know, I.

I just turned 50 last month.

And I tell you, after 20 some years of wrestling, when I get up in the morning, it, you know, I.

You know, I gotta limp for a little bit.

I gotta.

I gotta get warmed up.

So I get.

It takes me about a half hour to get all the moving parts headed in one direction.

You know, exactly.

That type of thing.

What's your favorite movie?

Oh, well, I've got a top three, but I'd have to say Rocky.

Okay, cool.

Cool.

Do you have a favorite event you like to compete in, One you've been to multiple times and done well, or you just like the area that it's in and the people, or what have you?

Oh, man.

Yeah, I got quite a few of those.

I'd have to say that our home contest here in Gardner, where we live, started about six years ago, and it's called Smoke on the Trails.

Really love that contest because it's literally two minutes from our house.

But I cooked one in Hammond, Louisiana, one year.

That was a beautiful, awesome contest.

Actually, Johnny Trigg cooks that contest every year.

And we got third there, got four calls.

It was a great.

I mean, the hospitality there was off the hook.

I've never seen anything like it.

Cool.

What's the.

What's the worst concert you ever attended?

You know, thinking back on it, it's probably the first contest or first concert I ever attended, which was striper in, like, 1986.

I've been to a ton of concerts.

This one was pretty.

That was pretty bad.

Pretty bad.

Okay, Rich, what's the dumbest thing you've ever seen done with a grill or a smoker?

The dumbest when I'm at Arrowhead And I'm watching guys across from me tailgating, using the same grill I'm using, and they're.

They're literally dumping bottles of water fluid on it.

Oh, you should.

You should call the authorities on that one.

Get Carolyn come out of retirement and lock them up.

I go over there and I actually take it.

Use it as a.

As a teaching moment, you know, because I'm like, guys, man, you got.

Your food's not gonna be good.

Yeah, you can't drink enough to get rid of that taste.

Nope.

You cannot.

You can't.

What's the biggest mistake you ever made during a competition that you're willing to share with us?

Biggest mistake during a competition.

Have you ever been DQ'd?

I have.

Well, I haven't been DQ'd.

I did this year, just this year in March at a double on day one.

Missed my first ever turn in.

I missed a pork turn in.

That's the first time it's ever happened in almost 160 contests.

And obviously, we finished last that day, but the next day rebounded and got fifth.

So, you know, it's a.

It's a learning moment, you know, Even if it can happen, it can happen to the best of you.

Okay, here's a fairly serious question.

I know we're not very good at that on this end, but what's the biggest change you think, if any should be made regarding barbecue competitions?

I.

You know, I was on the board, KCBS board for the last three years.

I'm not on it now, but.

And that was always, you know, a topic of conversation.

And I think.

I think it's.

I can't tell you what it is or what it looks like, but just getting more people involved and, you know, growing the sport of barbecue.

And that's what I try to do every.

Every day through my classes, through interviews with, like, this.

Just anytime that I have an opportunity or a platform to grow the sport of barbecue, that's what I try to do.

And I think there's so much more of that that we could do.

Whether it's at a contest or not at a contest is growing the sport of barbecue and getting more people involved, because it's.

I think barbecue is hotter than it's ever been.

And I've been.

I've been in this sport for 10 years, and it just keeps getting hotter every year.

So it's there.

The product is there.

It's a good product.

We just need more people pushing it, you know, so that's.

That's what I try to do.

Okay, two Last questions here.

Rich, what do you think is the best barbecue book out there?

Oh, there's lots of.

Yeah, I say I got a couple.

I think one is the Operation Barbecue Release recipe book we were at.

We actually have a recipe in that, too, but I just think it's great because it's got tip masters from all over the world in it.

And then my boy Smitty from Loot and Booty, he's actually got two.

Two books out.

One sauces, one's recipes, and he did a really good job of that book.

I'm also in that one as well, and I didn't pick those because I'm in them, but I just thought they did a really good job at the book.

No worries.

That's good information.

Last question.

Have you ever eaten haggis?

No.

Do you want.

I don't even really know what it is.

Oh, it's where they.

They cook stuff in a sheep stomach.

Oh, yeah, no, I'll pass.

Okay.

Hard pass on that.

So.

Yeah, yeah, hard pass.

If.

If you're ever overseas, especially in the, you know, in the uk, on the islands there, and you hear somebody say, I gotta go prick the boil run, because they're letting this run.

They're letting the steam out.

So anyway.

Oh, boy.

Yeah, I'll pass.

We.

I did a couple classes in.

In the Netherlands a few years ago, and their food was a little different there, too.

Yeah.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

They.

They.

They have room for improvement on a lot of things there.

Exactly.

Richard Fergola from Fergalicious Barbecue.

Man, you've been a good sport, and I, Leanne, and I really appreciate you taking the time to be with us, and good luck at the Royal and the Jack and everything you've got coming up.

I appreciate you guys.

Thanks for having me on.

And.

And I appreciate the.

The good luck.

Thank you.

No problem.

We'll see you soon.

We'll see you soon.

All right, we will.

Thanks, everybody, for listening.

And we'll be back next week with another edition of After Hours here on Barbecue nation.

So for Ms.

Leanne and myself and Richard, we thank you for listening.

And remember our motto, turn it, don't burn it.

Take care, everybody.