Happy Hour: Getting “Meat Drunk” with The McLemore Boys

Summary

Kennedy Saves the World: "Happy Hour: Getting “Meat Drunk” with The McLemore Boys" (June 26, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this lively "Happy Hour" edition, Kennedy is joined by Big John and John Boy McLemore—collectively known as The McLemore Boys—celebrating the launch of their Fox Nation show. Instead of sipping cocktails, they “drink meat,” digging into the art of barbecue, reverse searing, their family’s new cookbook, and the communal joys of grilling. Packed with hands-on meat tips, playful banter, and heartwarming stories, the episode is equal parts meat masterclass and ode to food’s power to unify.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Cooking for TV and Studio Challenges

• Studio Grilling Realities ([01:14]–[02:12]):
  The McLemores share the hurdles of hosting food segments at Fox, detailing struggles with permits and how logistical workarounds led to grilling in unexpected places, like near the FedEx building—"the breezeway is where a lot of people come and smoke reefer."
  • "It's hard to get permits for Fox because Fox just thinks differently. So they wouldn't give us a permit...so we cooked everything yesterday." —Big John [01:59]

Reverse Sear & Smoking Techniques

• Reverse Sear Method ([02:21]–[06:44]):
  The group delves into the reverse sear process, internal temperatures, the importance of resting meat, and the difference between prepping steak and brisket.

  • "A basic reverse sear is you're cooking initially...smoking and then searing." —Big John [02:36]
  • "Let your meat rest. A lot of people will take it off the grill and eat it immediately. When you let a steak rest, you've got to..." —John Boy [05:34]

• Personal Preferences & Scientific Debates ([03:32]–[04:00]):

  • "Taste is subjective. So medium—we always like medium rare. And if you like it medium well, we ask you to leave." —Big John [03:52]
  • "It still contains an enzyme that helps you digest the meat." —Kennedy [03:57]

• Brisket and Rubs:
  The boys discuss the "no perfect answer" debate: foil vs. parchment, subjective application, and family preferences.

• Meat Types & Temperatures:

  • Pork tenderloin secret: pull at 120°F, sear to finish at 140°F for maximum juiciness ([07:24]–[07:49]).
  • "The mistake people make with pork tenderloin is they think they've got to get it to 160 degrees...and it's dry." —John Boy [07:25]

Secret Sauce: “Comeback Sauce” Recipe

• Making the Famous Sauce ([08:07]–[09:47]):
  • Ingredients: Duke's mayo, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, salt, pepper, butter powder.
  • "So it's very simple. You can easily make it at home. We also bottle it." —Big John [09:22]
  • "I'm gonna put these in my pockets, and I'm gonna walk around New York..." —Kennedy [08:23]
  • The sauce is sold as part of a “red, white, and blue” trio: sweet (red), savory (blue), comeback sauce (white).

BBQ Philosophy—Rub, Sauce, and Simplicity

• Simple Rubs Are King ([10:17]–[11:18]):

  • "Salt, pepper, garlic is the base...This is salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and butter powder." —Big John [10:52]
  • Parsley’s inclusion confessedly for color and to round out the "high five" ingredient list.

• Naming High Five/Comback Sauce ([11:46]–[11:59]):

  • "You know why they call it comeback sauce? ...It makes you come back for more." —Big John [11:51]
  • "We wanted salt, pepper, garlic, and butter powder. We're like, what else...We need five ingredients for high five. So we put parsley in there." —Big John [11:31]

Family, Connection, and the Culture of Grilling

• Barbecue as Unifier ([16:53]–[19:15]):

  • Kennedy and guests reflect on meat’s universal appeal and its role in bringing people together, transcending politics and culture.
  • "People are longing...for connection. What connects people more than food...food that is cared for...in bulk?" —Kennedy [16:53]
  • "Food without great people is just plain old food." —Paula Deen, quoted by John Boy [17:25]

• Memorable Food Moments ([18:10]–[18:40]):

  • "Most people can't remember the random hot dog, but they remember the hot dog they had at the ballpark or with family. It ain't about the food. It's the experience and the people you do it with." —Big John [18:27]

• Personal Heritage ([19:15]–[19:48]):

  • Kennedy describes her family’s Eastern European roots, emphasizing that, world over, meat represents family, comfort, and celebration.

NASCAR, TV, and Bartending Dreams

• Fox Nation Show & NASCAR ([13:04]–[14:13]):

  • The McLemores are the official pitmasters for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and cook for teams at races.
  • "We're the official pitmasters for RCR." —Big John [13:22]
  • Kennedy shares she’s engaged to a "NASCAR Rain Man," leading to playful discussion and invitations to events.
  • "No president has ever had an official barbecue cabinet. And America would love that." —Big John [15:59]

• Cookbook & Celebrity Friends ([22:19]–[23:36]):

  • Their new cookbook includes recipes and stories from Fox personalities and entertainers like Flo Rida and Travis Pastrana.
  • "Every recipe has a personal story and pictures from when we either created that recipe or did the recipe." —Big John [23:07]

• Travels & Stunts:

  • Unique moments, like Travis Pastrana planning to jump over the McLemores’ “Freedom Bus" ([23:55]–[24:20]).

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Reverse Sear:
  "You want to. You're bringing the internal temperature of that meat up slowly...So you know when you pull it, you're at an almost rare, rare plus state." —Big John [02:46]

• On Meat Preferences:
  "If you like it medium well, we ask you to leave." —Big John [03:52]

• On Barbecue Bringing People Together:
  "It was this unification of food. And you're not thinking politics...It was this unification of food...It was this unification of food." —Big John [20:21]

• On Comback Sauce:
  "I'm gonna put these in my pockets, and I'm gonna walk around New York…” —Kennedy [08:23]

• On the High Five Rub:
  "We wanted salt, pepper, garlic, and butter powder. We're like, what else...We need five ingredients for high five. So we put parsley in there." —Big John [11:31]

• On Family, Food, and Culture:
  "Meat is comfort and party. It is universal. It is family. It is like, how can I give you the very best that I can afford and prepare it in a way that will make you feel so special and so loved.” —Kennedy [19:33]

• On Parent Paradox:
  "It's crazy. It's always shocking as a first-time parent. You're like, really? I can leave with this?" —Kennedy [27:52]

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Timestamps for Major Segments

• Opening banter, cooking logistics: [00:40]–[02:13]
• Reverse sear deep dive: [02:21]–[06:44]
• Tenderloin, pork, and beef secrets: [07:03]–[08:00]
• Making comeback sauce: [08:07]–[09:47]
• Rubs and seasoning wisdom: [10:17]–[11:18]
• Barbecue, culture, and philosophy: [16:53]–[20:01]
• Celebrity & Fox Nation show stories (NASCAR, cookbook): [13:04], [22:19]–[23:36]
• Ribs, tips and 3-2-1 method: [24:24]–[25:32]
• Family and the parenting paradox: [27:47]–[28:18]

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Style, Tone, and Atmosphere

Maintaining Kennedy’s witty, conversational style, the episode is both intimate and raucous. The McLemore Boys’ Southern warmth and self-deprecating humor shine throughout, fostering an inviting, storytelling-rich environment. Discussions about food are mixed with playful ribbing, competitive banter, and genuine camaraderie.

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For Listeners: Why This Episode Stands Out

If you love barbecue, crave tips from the experts, or want to understand why grilling is about more than just food, this episode offers accessible advice, flavorful anecdotes, and a celebration of food as America’s favorite common ground. The hands-on explanation of sauces and rubs, behind-the-scenes TV cooking challenges, parenting quips, and the ever-present “meat drunk” joy make this hour with Kennedy and the McLemore Boys a true happy hour for the ears.

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Find The McLemore Boys on Fox Nation and at their website for more recipes and the new cookbook.

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High fives all around. God bless America, and go grill some meat.

Transcript

[Commercial Narrator]

I wrote a little song to remind you. Choice hotels get you more of the experiences you value. The Cambria Hotel's got it all. A rooftop bar. Have a ball. Cocktails up here feel just right. It's Cambria.

[John Boy McLemore]

Amazing.

[Commercial Narrator]

All right, Bring a date, your teen, or even your mom. Book [e-mail] See you on the roof.

[Kennedy]

Welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. This is very exciting because normally for happy hour, we. We drink alcohol and sometimes mocktails. Today, we are drinking meat because the McLemore boys are here. They are. They have unleashed their incredible Fox Nation show upon the universe.

[Big John McLemore]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

So, big John. John Boy.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

Welcome to Kennedy St.

[John Boy McLemore]

Thank you for being here.

[Big John McLemore]

We're big fans.

[Kennedy]

Oh, I am a big fan of all that you do. I cannot believe that you are here in Studio because your products are in very high demand, especially in this building.

[Big John McLemore]

Absolutely.

[Commercial Narrator]

Well.

[Big John McLemore]

And people don't realize how hard it is to cook inside of a building. Inside of a building.

[John Boy McLemore]

We begged you do it. We begged them to let us bring the grill.

[Big John McLemore]

How real? Studio.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, yeah. Be real.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

Break it down.

[Big John McLemore]

So people don't realize how hard it is to do Fox segments. Right. They always see us outside cooking on the. On the square. Well, the building is under construction, so they put us back here in the corner by the FedEx building.

[Kennedy]

Right.

[Big John McLemore]

So we did the Fox segment yesterday.

[Kennedy]

By the way, the breezeway is where a lot of people come and smoke reefer.

[Big John McLemore]

Yes.

[John Boy McLemore]

And our. Yeah, we were smoking, and everybody's like, yeah, your smoke smells a little bit different than everything we normally smell around.

[Kennedy]

We thought there were wild skunks here in Manhattan.

[Big John McLemore]

So. Because Manhattan is of certain maybe political beliefs.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah. It's hard to get permits for Fox because Fox just thinks differently. So they wouldn't give us a permit for today to cook. So we cooked everything yesterday.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. So it is all cooked. And then we heated it up this morning.

[Kennedy]

Beautiful.

[Big John McLemore]

In the microwave.

[Kennedy]

You have to do it. You have to do it. I'm a big believer in MacGyvering a meal.

[Big John McLemore]

We have MacGyver this now.

[Kennedy]

We did.

[Big John McLemore]

We did reverse sear this. Okay, so reverse search.

[Kennedy]

So I have just learned about the reverse sear on the smoker. Yeah. I have not perfected it because I don't know what to do between 250 and 500. Like, do you leave the meat in there? Are you supposed to take it out and put it on a plate? Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah. So a basic reverse sear is you're cooking initially, so you're Reverse. Searing. Smoking and then searing.

[Kennedy]

Yes. So I started. I start slow and low.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

Yep. And you. You want to. You're bringing the internal temperature of that meat up slowly. So you're controlling it. So you know when you pull it, you're at a, like almost a rare, rare plus state.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

So when you. You pull it off the grill, then you take your grill.

[Kennedy]

Are you supposed to wrap it in foil?

[Big John McLemore]

No, because it'll continue cooking it.

[Kennedy]

To me, that's what I.

[John Boy McLemore]

Not a steak. A brisket. A brisket you can.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, but not.

[Kennedy]

Okay, quick question about brisket. Yes. Do you do parchment or do you do foil on your brisket?

[John Boy McLemore]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

And the reason I say there's no one.

[Kennedy]

Right answer. No.

[John Boy McLemore]

The reason I say yes is because we'll be on location. Sometimes we're like, we forgot one or the other.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

And we. I wrap it in aluminum foil. Sometimes I'll wrap it in parchment paper.

[Big John McLemore]

So there's. There's like all these scientific theories about which one's better and this and that. I mean, honestly, we've put off good barbecue in a lot of different things.

[Commercial Narrator]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

You can. I can cook a mean steak on a cast iron skillet. I think application sometimes is subjective to like what you like. How do you like your steak? Let me ask you that question.

[Kennedy]

Medium rare.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. Well, if I cooked you a medium steak.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Jay (Videographer)]

He.

[Big John McLemore]

My videographer, Jay, he might. He might love it.

[Kennedy]

Right.

[Big John McLemore]

Sometimes taste is subjective.

[John Boy McLemore]

Right.

[Big John McLemore]

So medium. We always like medium rare as well. And if you like it medium well, we ask you to leave.

[Kennedy]

It still contains an enzyme that helps you digest the meat.

[Big John McLemore]

That's correct.

[Kennedy]

That I have heard.

[Big John McLemore]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

And I think it just tastes better.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, it does.

[John Boy McLemore]

There's a lot of reasons that we smoke and then reverse sear. And more than just one reason. 1. It allows us to get the internal temperature to be perfect. So that's a three pound tomahawk steak right in front of me.

[Kennedy]

That is absolutely beautiful.

[John Boy McLemore]

So we smoke that.

[Kennedy]

I would like to play lacrosse with it and then eat it and.

[John Boy McLemore]

And you can pick it up and gnaw on it if you'd like.

[Big John McLemore]

I wouldn't.

[John Boy McLemore]

We'll let you.

[Kennedy]

All right.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah, you go right ahead.

[Big John McLemore]

Is it cold?

[Kennedy]

That's.

[John Boy McLemore]

What's up, girl. Let's go.

[Kennedy]

That's delicious.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, it's. I mean, it's cooked perfectly.

[John Boy McLemore]

Oh, it really is.

[Kennedy]

Look at that.

[Big John McLemore]

All right, so we're looking at the. The tomahawk. Right. What you just bit out of is called the spinalis so that's the spinalis. That's the most tender part of a ribeye. It is so good.

[John Boy McLemore]

You need to dip it in that comeback sauce right there.

[Big John McLemore]

So take time.

[John Boy McLemore]

Dip. Oh, there you go. There you go now.

[Big John McLemore]

Oh, my goodness.

[Kennedy]

I love you. That is fantastic.

[John Boy McLemore]

This is my new favorite show. So there's like, more than one reason that we will reverse sear that is in shame.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

What a surprise. They call me nerve damage because I always have leftovers on my face.

[John Boy McLemore]

We smoke that yellow pepper. We smoke that to an internal temperature.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

You got a little bit right here.

[Big John McLemore]

You still got some pepper.

[Kennedy]

I don't care.

[John Boy McLemore]

So we reverse for later or smoke that to an internal. Internal temperature to about 120. The thicker the steak is, the more we'll get it to about 120. Okay, then pull it. It is very, very important to let your meat rest.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

A lot of people will take it off the grill and eat it immediately. When you let a steak rest, you've got to.

[Kennedy]

I made the mistake, like, years ago, but I learned the hard way, like, it's not as delicious. And I am an impatient person.

[John Boy McLemore]

I'm an impatient person, too. So if you, you smoke it, you pull it, you let it rest, and it literally don't put it, don't cover it. Just let it sit out on its own. And if you've done it right, you'll see the juices just kind of bleeding out of that steak. Get your grill to 700 degrees.

[Kennedy]

My smoker only goes up to 500.

[John Boy McLemore]

That's because you don't have a master bill.

[Big John McLemore]

I know, and I need to get one subtle plug.

[Kennedy]

I'm not saying what I bought, but I would love to have something that A, has more smoke and B, has a higher temperature.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

We got you covered.

[Commercial Narrator]

Real wood.

[Big John McLemore]

I know a guy.

[John Boy McLemore]

Real lump charcoal. A lot of people say, I use pellets, I use gas. No, you need real wood. Real smoke flavor. So once you get it to 120 degrees, you pull it, you let it rest for about 10 or 15 minutes. Get your grill to 700 degrees, and then give it a good kiss. Depending on how you want to go from 120 to 125, 130. 135. Stand below a. Medium rare.

[Kennedy]

Yes. How long do you do if you want it medium rare?

[John Boy McLemore]

It depends. If I get it to 120 and it's a good 3 inch thick steak, a couple of minutes on each side.

[Big John McLemore]

It depends on the thickness of the steak. Time is a, is A relative. Relative to the thickness of the steak temperature. Internal temperature is the rule of thumb.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah. My wife likes a really thin steak, and I still love her. Okay. So if I do a really thin steak, I'll get that steak to, like, 90 degrees internal temperature.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

Pull it. Because when you. And then it's 30 seconds. 30 seconds. Because it'll cook so fast. So we go from doing beef to, like, a pork tenderloin. You like pork tenderloin?

[Kennedy]

Yes, I do. Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

Pork tenderloin.

[John Boy McLemore]

The mistake people make with pork tenderloin is they think they've got to get it to 160 degrees internal temperature and it's dry.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

We'll smoke a beef tenderloin or a pork tenderloin to 120, pull it. It's rare, which you don't eat pork rare. Let it rest. Get the grill up super hot. Get and then roll it onto the grill and get it to 140, pull

[Big John McLemore]

it, and then let it rest.

[John Boy McLemore]

Juiciest. Yes. Throw some comeback sauce with it.

[Big John McLemore]

So.

[Kennedy]

So is this your pork tenderloin?

[Big John McLemore]

No, that's a beef tenderloin.

[Kennedy]

Oh, that's a beef tenderloin.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

So I'm going to eat with you.

[Kennedy]

That was my nickname in high school.

[John Boy McLemore]

So this is the one.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, yeah. Beef tenderloin. This was your. This is your comeback sauce.

[Big John McLemore]

This is our comeback sauce. So this is.

[Kennedy]

Can you tell me how to make it?

[John Boy McLemore]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

So we got it right here.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

So we got Duke's mayo, which is the base for that. You may hold. Let me hold it right there.

[John Boy McLemore]

Let's make it. You make it.

[Kennedy]

All right.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah, yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

You make it.

[Kennedy]

This is insane.

[John Boy McLemore]

Is that good?

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

We're gonna. We're just.

[Kennedy]

I'm gonna put these in my pockets, and I'm gonna walk around New York event.

[John Boy McLemore]

We're having everybody from the World cup taking home with them.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

All right, so you want to do the honors.

[Kennedy]

You want to put that in red wine vinegar.

[Big John McLemore]

That's red wine vinegar. Pour that in there, which I love.

[John Boy McLemore]

About half. About half. Yep. There you go.

[Big John McLemore]

That's good. And then a little spoon.

[John Boy McLemore]

And then we're going to take some.

[Big John McLemore]

So this is minced garlic.

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. And this is Duke's mayo, red wine vinegar. It's typically about a cup of mayo to a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.

[John Boy McLemore]

Smell that?

[Big John McLemore]

Salt, pepper, garlic to taste.

[Kennedy]

And this is gluten free.

[Big John McLemore]

Oh, it is.

[Kennedy]

It says it right there.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Gluten free.

[John Boy McLemore]

So that's got butter powder in it. Yeah.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Wow.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

Let's go, girl. Oh, so you'll take that and just give it a little bit of.

[Big John McLemore]

So then you would just mix this up.

[Kennedy]

That's all you need.

[Big John McLemore]

And I'm gonna be careful so I don't spill it everywhere. But this will just slowly mix in.

[John Boy McLemore]

I can help you.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. And then it makes that right there, and then that's very smooth. Yes. Oh, so it's that Duke's mayo has a little tangy to it. The red wine vinegar adds a little bit more tang. The garlic adds a nice garlicky taste, and the salt pepper gives it a nice kick. So it's very simple. You can easy, easily make it at home. We also bottle it. And we just went on pre sale with our new red, white, and blue rubs.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. So we've been selling our high five savory and our high five sweet for a while. So it's the same mixture on the rubs that we're selling. We just rebranded them for our show. So it's red, sweet, blue, savory, and then white is our comeback sauce. Our comeback sauce just went on pre sale yesterday for Father's Day.

[Kennedy]

That's a nice trio. And I to say the comeback sauce is incredible. Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

So you just made comeback sauce.

[Kennedy]

So what do you. When. When you are.

[Jay (Videographer)]

How.

[Kennedy]

How do you do it? Sauce rub. Like, what is your philosophy?

[John Boy McLemore]

So take your steak out of the refrigerator, put it on your counter, and let it get to room temperature.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

Never cook a steak while it's super cold. Cause in the refrigerator. So let it sit out. Season it. And that. This right here, when you put that on anything, it basically melts, almost like a marinade. It's basically butter powder.

[Big John McLemore]

Powder.

[Kennedy]

Brilliant.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

And so season your steak up, let it sit for.

[Kennedy]

And that's all you need. Like, no olive oil, Nothing.

[John Boy McLemore]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

Now you can.

[Kennedy]

You could.

[Big John McLemore]

Olive oil is really more of a binder.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

And to try to help it not maybe burn. But you don't need it for that.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

You don't. That's. Yeah. So salt, pepper, garlic is the base that most pit masters, most chefs will use.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

This is salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, and butter powder.

[Kennedy]

Nice.

[Big John McLemore]

So it'll help with some flavoring color.

[John Boy McLemore]

So why don't you put parsley in there? Because it just has a little color. Because I don't know the parsley's got much flavor.

[Kennedy]

I know. It's so true. Like, I had parsley to a lot of stuff. I don't know why.

[John Boy McLemore]

Color. Yeah. Well, and we needed a fifth, so

[Big John McLemore]

all of our rubs are. Are high five. We're known as the high five guys. And we're high five and all the time. So we were doing these combinations, and we wanted salt, pepper, garlic, and butter powder. We're like, what else can we. We need five ingredients for high five. So we put parsley in there.

[Kennedy]

That's great.

[Big John McLemore]

And then same for the sweet rose.

[Kennedy]

Parsley has nice color, but, like, I feel the same way about bay leaves. Like, you add bay leaves, the thing. They don't do anything.

[Big John McLemore]

No.

[Kennedy]

Like, it just.

[John Boy McLemore]

They look cool.

[Kennedy]

I feel like it's superstition.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, that's right. And comeback sauce is five ingredients. So it's all high five.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

And you know why they call it comeback sauce?

[Kennedy]

Because you've been here for years. I don't know.

[Big John McLemore]

It makes you come back for more.

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah. Nice.

[Big John McLemore]

And you know why we call it high five road?

[Kennedy]

Because you want to high five everyone once you eat it.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

Let's go, baby.

[John Boy McLemore]

So that is actually.

[Kennedy]

This is my eight in hand.

[John Boy McLemore]

The beef tenderloin is served up typically hot, but that is the best steak for serving it cold.

[Big John McLemore]

Yep.

[Kennedy]

It is insane.

[John Boy McLemore]

It's good.

[Big John McLemore]

And that's actually. So we do all kinds of beef, but that's a certified Piedmontese beef. So it's very grass fed. It's very lean.

[Kennedy]

Where do you get it from?

[Big John McLemore]

Certified Piedmontese.

[Kennedy]

Is that a company?

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, it is a company. So it's a type of cow, but it is the name of the company as well. We actually sell that those on our website.

[Kennedy]

I don't blame you.

[Big John McLemore]

Themackmorewoods.com you can buy the beef tenderloin on your website.

[Kennedy]

I'm totally getting it. Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

So you've now officially became a pitmaster.

[Kennedy]

Yep.

[John Boy McLemore]

Making the comeback sauce. You. You professionally eat a tomahawk. Like, I've never seen anybody eat a tomahawk.

[Big John McLemore]

That was awesome.

[John Boy McLemore]

What we love.

[Big John McLemore]

That was incredible. That reminds me of Pete Hexseth and Will Kane. On weekends, they would eat. We were just doing, maybe I'll be

[Kennedy]

a cabinet secretary now.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Dude.

[John Boy McLemore]

Okay, so we want to be the barbecue.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay, so. So this is a real story. Real story. So a couple years ago, we're.

[Kennedy]

We.

[Big John McLemore]

We do a lot of veteran causes and stuff, and Helping a hero is a organization that builds custom homes for wounded veterans.

[Kennedy]

Awesome.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. And so Pete Hegseth, back when he was Fox and Friends weekend, he emceed an event at Richard Childress's vineyard.

[Kennedy]

Oh, wow.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. So we were there cooking. We do a lot with them.

[Kennedy]

Nascar.

[Big John McLemore]

Nascar. So we're the official pitmasters for rcr.

[Kennedy]

Stop it right now. Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

Let's go.

[Kennedy]

Do you know that I'm engaged to NASCAR Rain Man?

[Big John McLemore]

What?

[Kennedy]

Yes. So my fiance is not only a combat veteran, he's also the biggest NASCAR aficionado I know. Like, it is.

[Big John McLemore]

We need to have him. Have y' all come to a race.

[Kennedy]

I got him a Richard Petty cameo for his birthday last year, and he about cried.

[Big John McLemore]

Let's go.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

All right.

[John Boy McLemore]

With Richard Childress.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, have him come.

[Kennedy]

Like, he. He can tell you, like, every race, every driver, every history, every family tree. Like, it's unbelievable. And I, of course, we watch every race I watch with him. So now I've gotten super into nascar, and I love it.

[Big John McLemore]

So we leave here.

[Kennedy]

But you're a part of nascar.

[John Boy McLemore]

We leave here.

[Big John McLemore]

We go to Sonoma for the race. So we're. We cook for a lot of the race teams and all that fun stuff.

[John Boy McLemore]

Our car.

[Kennedy]

That's a great track in Sonoma.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yes.

[John Boy McLemore]

Our car just won the race in San Die Saturday.

[Kennedy]

Really? You were Cory Haim.

[Big John McLemore]

No, no. Saturday.

[Kennedy]

Oh, yeah. The O'Reilly series.

[Commercial Narrator]

Awesome.

[Kennedy]

Amazing.

[John Boy McLemore]

Our pack rat car

[Big John McLemore]

was actually in our booth at the bus unveiling for our Fox Nation TV show.

[Kennedy]

How insane is that? How much fun.

[Big John McLemore]

I know. Works in mysterious ways.

[Kennedy]

Absolutely.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Right.

[Big John McLemore]

But real quick. So we're at Richard's vineyards. Okay. And Pete Hexseth, prior to being Secretary of War, emceed this event. And so the next year, Pete Hegseth had gone on to become Secretary of War, and the CEO Meredith Eiler, invited us to emcee the event. And so I'm like, man, I got a good opener for the crowd. This is like a 450 person sit down. Really nice fundraiser. You've been to these, right? So we open it up, and there typically is not two emcees.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

We were like, all right, we're gonna.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah, there was three rednecks there, and we were two of them.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

Joey Jones was there. Joey Jones is the third one.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

And we were there. So we opened it up. My opener opening line was, all right, so, guys, you remember Pete Hexeth? He MC this last year by cheers. He's Secretary of War. I was like, all right, I'm expecting a call from President Trump in about six months to become part of the cabinet. Now that we're emceeing this.

[Kennedy]

Amen.

[Big John McLemore]

We've been petitioning to be.

[Kennedy]

It's only. It's only right. I mean, your ingredients adhere to Maha. Yes, they, they are healthy. I can't imagine they're seed oils and anything.

[Big John McLemore]

Nope. So that's our petition. President Trump, if you're out there, we, which we know Pete and Secretary Duffy and a lot of those guys that have now moved on to work for him for President Trump.

[Kennedy]

It is a natural partnership. But I'm like, I am sensing symbiosis here.

[Big John McLemore]

No president has ever had an official barbecue cabinet.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

And America would love that.

[Kennedy]

I feel like barbecue has never been bigger.

[Big John McLemore]

Never.

[Kennedy]

Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy saves the world right after this.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Cheers to America's 250th birthday. Get 20% off your first purchase at foxnewswineshop.com with code FNRADIO20 20% discount excludes wine club offers and cannot be combined. Any Other promotion expires July 31, 2026. Must be 21 or older to order. Please drink responsibly. History isn't just in textbooks. It's the story of us, the United States. 2026 marks 250 years of America. And throughout the year, Bill Hemmer takes listeners on a journey through the 250 most impactful moments in American history. From the spark of revolution to the battles for freedom. The ideas, inventions and decisions that change the world. The 250 most impactful moments in American history podcast. Listen and follow [e-mail] so, you know,

[Kennedy]

you get to the fringes of the country and, and people like to say that, you know, there, there is nothing cool about the flag and meat and it's the opposite is absolutely true. People are longing and we're seeing that in the World Cup. People are longing for connection. What connects people more than food than, than food and, and food that takes time and food that is cared for and food like in bulk.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

To make people happy.

[John Boy McLemore]

Paula Deen is a great friend of ours and she says it best. She says food without great people is just plain old food.

[Kennedy]

Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

You gotta have the people, you gotta have the experience. And it's, that's what we do. We love going to places and giving a barbecue experience.

[Commercial Narrator]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

And this a great quick synopsis of our TV show because we've been, dad's been doing Fox for 28 years now. I've been doing it a full time

[Kennedy]

grilling across America with McLemore boys.

[Big John McLemore]

Let's go Fox Nation. I've been doing it with dad now for six years. This has been a six year project getting to the point of doing a TV show. You've Been doing this a long time. It's hard to get to this point. Right. You gotta have a lot of things line up. A perfect synopsis, I think of who we are for your audience is when's the last time you had a hot dog?

[Kennedy]

A couple weeks ago.

[Big John McLemore]

And where were you?

[Kennedy]

At home.

[Big John McLemore]

So that's, that's not normally the answer.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Right.

[Big John McLemore]

Because most people can't remember the last time they've had a random hot dog.

[Kennedy]

Or the Yankees game. Whenever I go to the Yankees game, there you go. They have a gluten free stand where they have gluten free buns and I get two whenever I go to the Yankees.

[Big John McLemore]

So the point of the story is most people can't remember the hot, the random hot dog, but they remember the hot dog they had at the ballpark with their son or their family with deer camp. It ain't about the food. It's the experience and the people you do it with.

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

And that's typically what we say at the end of the day. We're just backyard barbecue rednecks. Right. We know a lot about food. We're not culinary trained. We're not caterers. We want you to have a good time. We're storytellers. We want to connect with you and have a good time. We try to put on a fun experience because it's not what you say to people, it's how you make them feel. And I think we do that through. That's ultimately what we've done with the Fox and Friends family the last couple years now, is we brought an energy at 6, 7 and 8, 9am and they're like, these guys are nuts. These guys are crazy. But it's passion. We, we love what we do.

[Kennedy]

Yeah. And, and, and that's what shows. But so what I love about this is half my family are hillbillies, the other half are peasants. My mom came over on a boat from Romania, but my, my Romanian grandmother, when she's. God rest her soul, but when she was cooking meat, like she wants to narrate everything.

[Big John McLemore]

Yep.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

Like, it is so important for her to make people happy. And it's like meat is comfort and party. It is universal. It is family. It is like, how can I give you the very best that I can afford and prepare it in a way that will make you feel so special

[Big John McLemore]

and so loved the best.

[Kennedy]

And I love that unifying property between what you do in other cultures because that's the thing that binds us together.

[Big John McLemore]

We had.

[Kennedy]

So it's like meat and a good Time.

[Big John McLemore]

What's crazy is we were out on the corner, so. Opposite corner of where Fox and Friends and outdoor segments normally are.

[John Boy McLemore]

Right.

[Big John McLemore]

And we had all walks of life. Because we had a big seven bone in tomahawk out there. We had the tomahawk steaks and the tenderloins and things. We had all walks of life stopping, going, like, what is that?

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

And in that moment, you would not have thought from a different country, from a different culture, from a different belief. It wasn't about that. It was this unification of food. And you're not thinking politics. You're not thinking all that. All that bull crap. Right.

[Kennedy]

Because it's something primal.

[Big John McLemore]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

It's something inside of you that is like, want.

[Big John McLemore]

Yes. I know.

[Kennedy]

Can I try one of these?

[John Boy McLemore]

Yes. So let's talk about that for a second. So we go from the tomahawk steak with beef tenderloin to a homemade pimento cheese with smoked sausage on a frito scoop.

[Kennedy]

I was just in South Carolina and had a lot of pimento cheese, and it was delightful.

[John Boy McLemore]

So you take. It's like eating an oyster. You can't bite it because it'll go all over. You gotta take the whole thing.

[Kennedy]

All right. Cheers.

[John Boy McLemore]

Cheers.

[Big John McLemore]

Cheers.

[Kennedy]

Boom. Bottoms up.

[Big John McLemore]

Mm.

[John Boy McLemore]

So that is so good.

[Big John McLemore]

Layer.

[John Boy McLemore]

Little crunchy. Top that off.

[Big John McLemore]

Little smoke. Yeah.

[John Boy McLemore]

A jalapeno pepper.

[Kennedy]

Oh, my God.

[John Boy McLemore]

Pepper. And if you really want to go to the next level, since the comeback sauce is now your new favorite, you can take a little bit of that comeback sauce and dab it right there. Stop it right now and go in for another one.

[Kennedy]

Just throw it in my face. Do it another round.

[Big John McLemore]

Give me one.

[Kennedy]

I told you we're getting drunk on meat. I wasn't lying. This is the happiest of happy hours. I got the Macklemore boys here. Cheer.

[John Boy McLemore]

Cheers.

[Big John McLemore]

And we're going across America.

[John Boy McLemore]

I'm gonna double dip.

[Big John McLemore]

Cheers. Cheers.

[John Boy McLemore]

So we do sides. We do the meats. We cook just about everything from steaks to pork to sausage to the pimento cheese. That's our Mac and cheese right there. So we do love.

[Kennedy]

Are these Fritos.

[Big John McLemore]

I call them Scooby chips. Yeah, they're like the perfect Scooby chip

[Kennedy]

with that pimento cheese because it just wants to, like, the. The melt inside of the Frito.

[Big John McLemore]

The top. The. The perfect topper would be, like, a banana pepper or jalapeno.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah, it would be good for it.

[Big John McLemore]

But have we talked about the cookbook?

[Kennedy]

No, let's talk about. So I know your wife, your mom has Authored many cookbooks and she.

[Big John McLemore]

My dad offered three cookbooks prior to this.

[Kennedy]

Great.

[John Boy McLemore]

Tanya helped write and my mom helped write those photos and help the recipes in every book that we've done.

[Kennedy]

She's called Mac. Every great grill master is a woman. Great woman.

[John Boy McLemore]

Rolling her eyes.

[Kennedy]

Cut the steak thinner.

[Big John McLemore]

Yes.

[Kennedy]

Thank John.

[John Boy McLemore]

So our core values are faith, family, food fund, and freedom.

[Kennedy]

Beautiful.

[John Boy McLemore]

Every story in this cookbook, every recipe was from the heart. We have a lot of our friends in here from Fox and Friends in here. The next time that we do a cookbook, we want you to have a story and a recipe.

[Kennedy]

I would absolutely love it.

[Big John McLemore]

So every recipe has a personal story and pictures from when we either created that recipe or did the recipe.

[Kennedy]

Amazing.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah. So Pete Hegseth, Will Kane, the Fox and Friends weekday crew. Steve Doocy obviously wrote the four to the book. So it's just. It's fun. Flow ride is in there.

[Kennedy]

Oh, nice.

[Big John McLemore]

Chris Jansen's in there. Travis Pastran is in there.

[Kennedy]

I love. He is like, what a badass.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. We were just.

[Kennedy]

He must be made of rubber.

[John Boy McLemore]

He's.

[Big John McLemore]

Yep. Yes. We were just. He's. He's a friend of ours. We were just with him in Charlotte. And when he got the call to. I was texting in the morning when of on Saturday. When he jumped the White House.

[Kennedy]

Yep.

[Big John McLemore]

And I was like, you want a tomahawk? He's like, don't tease me. And I was like, oh, I'm teasing you. I'll be on a flight right now to D.C. good for you. And so we're actually doing a stunt with him later this year.

[Kennedy]

That's real friendship.

[Big John McLemore]

He's gonna jump the Freedom bus.

[Kennedy]

Oh, nice.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah. So on the show, we unveiled the Freedom bus that we travel around America in. It's got a 40 foot, beautiful, custom painted flag on it.

[Commercial Narrator]

Wow.

[Big John McLemore]

Honoring America. It's a one of one custom paint job. Shout out to Newmar for that because they help us build that awesome, fantastic company. But, yeah, it was. It was super fun. So Travis is gonna jump the bus.

[Kennedy]

He is. He is.

[Big John McLemore]

Later this year.

[Kennedy]

So I'm. I'm a huge fan of his.

[Jay (Videographer)]

And.

[Kennedy]

Okay, I have one last question. Ribs. What is the key to ribs on the smoker?

[John Boy McLemore]

3, 2, 1.

[Kennedy]

3, 2, 1. Okay, so I've done 3, 2, 1. That is the one thing. Like, I've done a great brisket.

[Big John McLemore]

Well, how do you do the ribbon

[Kennedy]

falling off the bone?

[Big John McLemore]

You want it falling off the bone because then you gotta wrap it at the end.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah. And then did you pull the membrane?

[Kennedy]

Yes.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

Pull the membrane.

[Kennedy]

I learned that the hard way as well.

[John Boy McLemore]

And then we're gonna send you. We're gonna send you home with our sweet, beautiful. So that right there's got some good sugar.

[Kennedy]

This is good for ribs.

[Big John McLemore]

Did you do some brown sugar or honey?

[Kennedy]

I'm a huge brown sugar fan.

[Big John McLemore]

Okay. So that's got some brown sugar in it.

[Kennedy]

Okay, great.

[John Boy McLemore]

So I'll season it with that and I'll smoke mine for two to three hours, depending on how big the ribs are.

[Kennedy]

It's right there. Just right on the surface, but indirectly wrap it later, right?

[Big John McLemore]

Yep. And then wrap it.

[John Boy McLemore]

And if you want the rib for

[Kennedy]

the two, you wrap it for the two.

[John Boy McLemore]

If you want the rib to pull out, leave them wrapped for two hours. If you want to bite it off the bone, only leave it wrapped for one hour.

[Jay (Videographer)]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

I go back and forth. I'm not going to lie.

[John Boy McLemore]

I like to like bite it off. I don't want it to be like, just pull out. I do want a beef rib, but on a pork rib, I want to bite it off.

[Kennedy]

Okay, good.

[Big John McLemore]

We got to have you on our podcast.

[Kennedy]

I would love it.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, it's our what's Cooking podcast.

[Kennedy]

Amazing.

[Big John McLemore]

We talk about what's going on.

[Kennedy]

I mean, as much as I love like grilling, searing cooking, like, I love proteins, but I'm a baker at heart, so I love.

[Big John McLemore]

My sister's a baker.

[Kennedy]

I love. So last night I made for Father's Day, I made a noodleless chicken lasagna with just like big chicken breast. It was lovely.

[John Boy McLemore]

Noodles.

[Kennedy]

Noodleless. Yeah, because it's still got ricotta and mozzarella and parmesan. You say nudist noodlest.

[Big John McLemore]

That's.

[Kennedy]

Tonight. I made brownie sundaes with like brown butter. Like brown butter. Brownies are incredible. And so, like, I want to try. I haven't done this yet. My grandmother's cobbler recipe on the smoker. Because I want to see if I

[John Boy McLemore]

can put the BlackBerry cobbler we do on the grill.

[Commercial Narrator]

Amazing.

[Big John McLemore]

Yeah, we know some recipes.

[Kennedy]

That's so simple. So I'm from Indiana, grew up in Oregon and Oregon. So the recipe is from Indiana. But in Oregon they have huckleberries and huckleberry cobbler is incredible.

[John Boy McLemore]

Are you a Duck fan?

[Kennedy]

I am a UCLA bruin.

[John Boy McLemore]

Okay.

[Kennedy]

But the Ducks are my secondary team because my sister in law was a cheerleader for Oregon.

[John Boy McLemore]

Really?

[Big John McLemore]

Okay.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah. Roll Tide.

[Kennedy]

Yeah, That's a good.

[Big John McLemore]

Go dogs.

[Kennedy]

Oh, you're a Georgia fan.

[Big John McLemore]

I'm a Georgia fan. Okay. Yeah, we're from Georgia. I don't know what he's got going on. He's from Georgia, likes Alabama.

[Kennedy]

That's really funny. I know a couple other people from Georgia who like Alabama, and I don't know why that is.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah, I don't know that I know other than When I was 8 years old, my sister in law liked Alabama. She was super cute. So I was like, well, I'm just gonna follow her. She likes.

[Big John McLemore]

I like Alabama.

[John Boy McLemore]

Yeah.

[Big John McLemore]

Go dogs. I don't know.

[John Boy McLemore]

Thank you.

[Kennedy]

Thank you so much. This has been incredible. I can't wait to dive into the cookbook. I can't wait to season my ribs with this.

[John Boy McLemore]

We're sending you home with the two rubs and the cookbook.

[Kennedy]

Okay, great. Is a three, two, one recipe in here?

[John Boy McLemore]

Y.

[Kennedy]

Okay, great. Excellent.

[John Boy McLemore]

And the tomahawk recipes in there.

[Big John McLemore]

And the beef tenderloin and the pimento cheese and the comeback sauce in there.

[Kennedy]

Yes. I say yes to all of it. Grilling across America with the Mackamore boys. Big John and John Boy, thank you so much for being here. You guys are amazing. And he's got John iii. He's got a tiny child.

[Big John McLemore]

I got a tiny child. The government just lets you, like, take him home from the hospital.

[Kennedy]

It's crazy. It's always shocking as a firsttime parent. You're like, really? I can leave with this?

[Big John McLemore]

You're like, well, you want me to leave?

[John Boy McLemore]

Well, no. The biggest problem was not having them to take them home. It was like you had to keep them.

[Kennedy]

They weren't going home the first time. Driving around with my newborn daughter, she was probably four days old and she hated her car seat and was turning burgundy. Crying so hard. I'm like, something's wrong. I have to go back to the hospital.

[Big John McLemore]

I know. Yeah, she's fine.

[Kennedy]

She'll be 21 and you figure it out. Thank you guys so much.

[Big John McLemore]

Thank you.

[Kennedy]

All right, God bless you. God bless America. High fives all around the Macklemore boys. Find them on Fox Nation.

[John Boy McLemore]

Let's go.

[Kennedy]

And go get that smoker. This has been Kennedy saves the world along with the drawings. I'm Kennedy. Listen ad free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcasts and Amazon prime. Members can listen to to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News podcast network.