Israeli team to bring kosher Wagyu to Texas ‘Open Fire Meat Up’ barbecue competition

An Israeli team will compete for the first time this year in the Al Frugoni Open Fire Meat Up, an annual live-fire barbecue competition in Texas featuring at least 40 teams from across the United States, as well as Argentina, Guatemala, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

The Israeli team consists of 14 people who will use open flames to prepare kosher Wagyu beef shawarma on a custom-built 200-kilogram spit mounted on an iron structure. An Israeli craftsman living in Miami will provide the team's cooking equipment, while a kosher Jewish supplier in Texas will provide the beef.

Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the three-day, festival-style event, which will culminate in the competition on Oct. 24. Entries will be judged by professional chefs and meat connoisseurs based on technique, presentation and flavor, while festival guests will also have an opportunity to vote for their favorites.

Israeli team captain Ruben Maislos currently has 600,000 followers on Instagram, where he regularly shares his grilling and meat-preparation techniques.

“This is a great opportunity to represent Israeli and Middle Eastern cuisine,” he said. “Our twist is kosher Wagyu, because they’re not familiar with that there. Half of the team keeps kosher, so we wanted to respect them and the occasion because we’re representing Israel.”

“In the United States, anything kosher is considered higher quality, and with meat that’s critical. You don’t want to end up with low-quality meat. We have to plate it Michelin-style, because you can lose points on color and appearance too. It has to look like a photograph. Everything has to look like a million dollars. It’s not only about whether it tastes good.”

In addition to the locally purchased beef, the Israeli team plans to use spices brought from Israel, including tahini, amba and zhug. Side dishes accompanying the shawarma will also be available for guests to sample.

The presentation of foods and spices associated with Israel has sometimes drawn accusations of “cultural appropriation,” particularly regarding dishes and ingredients that have long been used by various peoples across the Levant and wider Middle East.

When asked how he would respond if such accusations were raised at the event, Maislos said, “First of all, we’re a Levantine country, and Israel is made up of people who came here from many different countries. We also have an Arab chef on the team. Shawarma became part of Israeli culinary identity a long time ago, even if the Turks or Greeks tell a different story. The Turks will say it’s theirs and the Greeks will say it’s souvlaki. Everyone says something. There are arguments about asado too, and in South America everyone thinks it belongs to them.”

Maislos also spoke about his plans to attract members of the local Jewish community to the event.

“I’ll start a campaign in America telling people to come buy kosher shawarma. This isn’t just another version of what they already know. What we’re bringing is completely different from the other teams, which are making steaks, wings, lamb cuts and sweet sauces.”

He said he attended last year’s festival and competition as a visitor.

“I didn’t compete last year, but I visited the festival and competition, and I saw how warmly everyone received me and how impressed they were that I had come from Israel,” he said. “So from my perspective, we need to amaze them with our food and everything will be fine.”

Maislos said he was also aware of the possibility of an anti-Israel protest at the event.

“Maybe someone will come and say something, because we’re going to put our Israeli flag everywhere. But it’s Texas. They like us there, and I hope they like Mediterranean flavors too. I just hope there won’t be a protest, but whatever happens, we’ll deal with it.”

The Open Fire Meat Up is organized by Argentine pitmaster and open-fire cooking expert Al Frugoni, who has been based in Texas for the past decade. Frugoni is known for combining Argentine asado traditions with Texas barbecue and has nearly 3 million social media followers.