Standard Meat Co. the Vital Link to Entrepreneur's Vision for Sausage Brand

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Jess Pryles’ odyssey in the beef industry has been about as long and winding as the Goodnight-Loving Trail and Chisholm Trail all put together.

It wouldn’t be complete without an extended stop in Fort Worth. And this self-described "total meat nerd" almost gets choked up simply talking about the place.

“It took me a long while to get up to Fort Worth beyond just the longhorn parades through the Stockyards,” said the 43-year-old Aussie native who has called Austin home since 2015. “But when you actually understand the historical relevance of the city of Fort Worth and the Stockyards to the American beef industry ... that's where Texas sent beef to the world right there from that headquarters … I've got goosebumps [thinking about it] … and to be able to partner with a company that continues that legacy, that to me makes this even more special.”

This is Pryles’ newest and most ambitious project of her Hardcore Carnivore brand, which has partnered with Fort Worth-based Standard Meat Company to produce an exclusive line of real hardwood smoke sausages for fabled Texas retailer H-E-B, a grocery Bunyan legend in its own right.

Pryles had known Ashli Rosenthal Blumenfeld, Standard Meat’s co-president, through the industry.

“So, when this project came about, I knew I had the right people to help me bring it to life," Pryles said Wednesday through a Google chat of some kind.

Blumenfeld has called the opportunity a “dream project for us.”

Pryles spent two exhaustive years creating “the perfect smoked sausages” with, she added, a heaping helping of Texas heritage to them.

She came up with four varieties: Tex Mex, Beef (with beef brisket), Jalapeno Cheddar , and Prime Rib Flavor (with beef prime rib).

Sign me up.

Pryles described herself a “pain in the ass” when it came to developing flavors because she wasn’t “going to stop until it’s right.”

“One thing that I kept saying was more cheese in the cheddar jalapeno, more cheese,” Pryles said. “Believe me, it is cheesy.”

Pryles is a known meat influencer. Known and influencer are probably redundant. She is quite notable. If you have a Wikipedia page, you have made it in this world. She has done a lot of stuff in beef in a short time through the Hardcore Carnivore brand, most notably through meat seasonings and rubs. She created Hardcore Carnivore in 2015 with the launch of her Black spice seasoning blend. The Hardcore Carnivore seasoning line now includes a variety of rubs, including Red for chicken and pork, and Amplify, a savory boosting powder.

She had never tried smoked meats before visiting Texas in the aughts, but she’ll never forget the first time she did. The experience was like threading the maze of the alphabet for the first time. It was completely foreign to her. The American-style low and slow, indirect heat of smoking hadn’t arrived Down Under, she said. Or certainly not widely spread. 

“The first thing I ever had was a beef back rib,” she said. “And I just, it was like, ‘this is one of the greatest things I've ever eaten.’ And I was someone who always loved eating meat. It was like peppery and barky and crusty and crunchy and at once tender as well. So, it was, it was a real pivotal moment.”

She didn't know beef from Shinola, so, she immersed herself in it, spending years educating herself on all things related to meat, including basic butchery, varied cooking techniques, and the effect of aging meat. She visited ranches and slaughterhouses. She learned to hunt and even learned to process her own venison. You name it, she explored it as Cousteau would an ocean floor.

Pryles has also studied meat science at Texas A&M University and Iowa State University.

All of that leads to this point: Pryles today is a live-fire cook, author, and expert on all things meat. She’s asked to make speaking engagements and is a regular on the Food Network. She is the founder of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance and, as a chief prophet of the Gospel of Smoke, she is a celebrity judge on Aussie Barbecue Heroes.

It was her work as an influencer with H-E-B that led to her first foray into developing a protein product. H-E-B asked her to do it.

She jumped at the opportunity, of course.

The new brand of Hardcore Carnivore premium sausages is certified “GO TEXAN” by the Texas Department of Agriculture, and feature gluten-free ingredients, natural casings, and, naturally, a real hardwood smoked finish.

“Creating these sausages was the next logical step for the Hardcore Carnivore brand,” Pryles said. “All the flavors are designed to recognize and honor different aspects of Texas heritage, which is important for us at Hardcore Carnivore, and also important for H-E-B, a company with such a strong connection to their own Texas heritage."

One of the most important Texas traditions that Pryles was determined to honor was the use of real hardwood smoke on her sausages, not bottled smoke flavor. For a mass-produced product, that dedication presented a technical challenge.

Standard Meat was founded in 1935 by Ben Rosenthal. It is still operated by the Rosenthals. Blumenfeld and her brother Ben Rosenthal are co-presidents. Ben is the CEO of the company. Their father, Billy Rosenthal, became president of the company in 1981. Billy retired after a sale of the company in the late 1980s but returned with investors to reboot a new Standard Meat Company in 1994.

Standard Meat was more than willing to support Pryles’ innovation. “When I said that we need to use real hardwood smoke, they figured out a way to do that,” Pryles said. “It was so important to me that it be real hardwood smoke just like barbecue, real natural casings. It needed to have that great snap on it. I wanted it to be as good as if not better than your favorited smoke sausage from your favorite barbecue joint.”

“Helping Jess achieve her culinary vision for these heritage-inspired sausages was a dream project for us," Blumenfeld said. “We honor our heritage today by seeking out creative, innovative solutions for each customer's unique needs.”

Just as her great-grandfather did all those decades ago. There are many places, Pryles said, who are disinclined to take risk. Not Standard, which embraced her vision for the hardwood smoke.

“This was ‘throw us the challenge because we'd love to rise to it,’” Pryles said of Standard's willingness to take on the job. “And when I brought [the hardwood smoke] up to her there wasn't a missed beat. It was, ‘Let’s figure it out’ because they believe in the product as well.

“She understands the authenticity of the space and what I want it to be. Having someone who understands your vision like that is what really helps bring it to life.”