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Something very hot is coming to the Lone Star State. San Antonio pitmaster Al Frugoni is bringing together more than 90 barbecue enthusiasts — pitmasters and content creators alike — for an “Open Fire Meat Up” on Oct. 26 in Hondo, about 120 miles southwest of Austin. This is the fourth annual gathering.

An Argentinian living and working in Texas, Frugoni not only has the global outlook needed to attract international talent, but also a unique blend of experience from two of the strongest open-fire cooking cultures around. (That’s thanks to a girl from Texas who captured his heart and lured him here, according to a press release.)

“This is going to be the largest open fire event in the country. We have pitmasters coming from all over the world,” Frugoni said in the press release. “No other event has this many pitmasters, chefs and influencers in one place … cooking more food than you could ever eat.”

Frugoni is well-known online, with YouTube videos sometimes racking up hundreds of thousands of views. According to the pitmaster, when he launched the event, he only wanted to invite a few other camera-ready friends, but he found far more interest than he expected.

“I initially invited six or seven other barbecue content creators from different parts of the country to come to Texas, but then word started spreading and we ended up with 25 guests,” Frugoni said. “We took the internet by storm! We cooked so much food and had so much fun, we just had to keep it going.”

This year’s internet-famous contestants include “fire cooking enthusiast” and cookbook author Derek Wolf of Over The Fire Cooking; former physical education teacher and season 2 Next Level Chef competitor Matt Groark; Season 4 BBQ fight finalist Chuck Matto of Chuck’s Flavor Train, and Houston recipe creator Breanna Stark of Married to BBQ. Pitmasters hail from Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Chile, England, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Uruguay and Scotland.

It all happens at The Barn at Quail Crossing, where guests can sample tons of barbecued meats and sides. The world’s competitors are sometimes joined by exotic meats; there will be whole steer, brisket, whole pigs and even alligator, plus Texas specialties like chili. Guests can vote on their favorite dish for a People’s Choice Award at the end of the day; a panel of celebrity judges will also pick a favorite.

The family-friendly event also features live music and children’s activities and raises money for Medina County first responders through GoMedina.

At $25 per ticket, it’s considerably cheaper than most BBQ events. According to a press release, it sold out in a few weeks for 2023, so those interested should grab tickets ASAP. There are also early bird discounts ($5 off).

“In Argentina, we would call this an asado, which refers to the traditional method of barbecuing meat over wood or charcoal, just like the gauchos, or cowboys of old, did,” Frugoni said. “But it also refers to the social gathering that happens after the meat is cooked. So, basically, this becomes a giant barbecue party.”

Tickets and more information are available at openfiremeatup.com.