Press Coverage for Standard Meat and Hardcore Carnivore
Published on Wed Dec 13 2023
Thank you to our local DFW media as well as a number of national, industry outlets for sharing news about our collaboration with Jess Pryles of Hardcore Carnivore. Here are just a few articles!
Dallas Innovates
Tech Meets Texas BBQ: How ‘Modern Meat Science’ Became the Secret Ingredient in H-E-B Exclusive Sausage Line
In Texas, where barbecue is more than food—it’s a way of life—two companies set out to create an exclusive sausage line for retail giant H-E-B.
Fort Worth’s Standard Meat Co., an expert in meat science, food safety and quality assurance, culinary trends, purchasing, and packaging, partnered with Austin’s Hardcore Carnivore, a brand known for its meat seasonings, to craft a product that’s rooted in tasty tradition and optimized through technology.
Jess Pryles created Hardcore Carnivore in 2015 with the launch of her Black spice seasoning blend. The Hardcore Carnivore seasoning line includes a variety of rubs, including Red for chicken and pork, and Amplify, a savory boosting powder.
Pryles is a renowned live-fire cook, author, and self-proclaimed “total meat nerd.”
National Provisioner
Texas tradition and innovation come together in the sausage aisle at H-E-B
“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 — a live-fire expert — 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.
Fort Worth Report
Fort Worth’s Standard Meat works with Hardcore Carnivore for new H-E-B product line
Inside Hook
Texas-Based Hardcore Carnivore Just Launched a New Sausage Line at H-E-B
Pryles didn’t set out to make sausage — she just wanted to meet Ashli Blumenfeld of Fort Worth-based Standard Meat Company. Blumenfeld is co-president of the family-run business, which specializes in all things meat, from aging and processing to science-driven culinary work for restaurant clients.
“There aren’t a lot of women in the meat industry, and Ashli suggested I come by to say hi, just to connect,” says Pryles, who has a background in meat science. “I learned more about what they do, and the wheels started turning. I pitched H-E-B an idea for sausages. and they decided to give it a shot.”
