Many things in life are not as simple as they appear. That goes for sausage. And hogshead cheese. And hearts, bellies, snouts, stomachs and every part of an animal you could butcher that ends up in a meat product or on a smoker.

Chris Roos (aka The Rooster) is a meat broker. A meat middle man whose company Holton Meats can hook you up with those fresh or frozen pork feet you’ve been dreaming about for a good price. Even though you may not have heard of Chris’s company there’s a fair chance if you buy meat in New Orleans he’s supplied the store you’re buying it from.

And when he’s not selling meat he’s smoking it on his 35 foot long smoker aka The Big Nasty.

You can catch The Big Nasty at events all over the city, from the Newman Friday night football game to Hogs For the Cause to Thanksgiving outside The Rooster’s house (35 smoked turkeys for the neighbors).

The Rooster’s +1 is a person with the unlikely German/Irish name of Tave (short for Gustave)Fitzpatrick. Tave is a member of Chris’s smoker team and a self described Geek of Meat.

This show is guaranteed not to turn you into a vegetarian. Except for the bit about the smell of hogshead cheese manufacture.

Recorded live at The NOLA Brewing Tap Room (try the poutine).