Meat Men - Food Network April 09, 11pm/10c

Pat LaFrieda runs a renowned meat empire with his cranky dad, Pat Sr., and his smooth-talking cousin, Mark Pastore. Meat Men goes behind the scenes of the business for a high-"steaks" ride with a side of humor, served medium rare.

  Meat Men


About the Show

Pat LaFrieda Jr., the "Magician of Meat," has revolutionized the burger and meat industry. Running a third-generation wholesale meat purveyor business in New Jersey with his cranky dad, Pat Sr., and his smooth-talking cousin, Mark Pastore, Pat and his family have built the company into a meat empire. But with big business comes big problems. Whether it's last-minute requests, creating burger blends and menus for new clients, dealing with difficult customers or navigating the personalities of a 500-person work staff, Meat Men takes viewers on a high-"steaks" ride with a side of humor, served medium rare.

Episodes include:

Premiering Monday, April 9th at 11pm ET/PT "White Label Burger" Pat makes custom burger blends for one of the hottest chefs in America, Michael White. Chef White has won numerous Michelin stars for his Italian cuisine, but this is his very first burger. The pressure is on and it's up to Pat to work his meat magic. Meanwhile, Pat Sr. is determined to hang the signature LaFrieda Meats sign on their new place in New Jersey, and Pat's worst fears come true - one of his butchers suffers a serious injury.

Premiering Monday, April 16th at 11pm ET/PT "The Prime Rib" Pat and Mark are gunning for one of the most famous steakhouses in Washington, D.C., The Prime Rib. They only get one shot to impress the "Godfather of Steak," Buzz Beler. Determined to expand the business beyond New York, Pat invests $200K in a new packaging machine.

Premiering Monday, April 23rd at 11pm ET/PT "Burger Re-Mix" Pat is asked to recreate an existing burger blend for the very popular, meat-centric restaurant, Resto. If he can nail this burger, they will land a huge new account. But this is a real challenge for Pat, who is famous for coming up with new blends, not replicating them. Meanwhile, business is booming and it's time to buy new trucks to keep up with demand, and Pat Sr. proves to be a tough-as-nails negotiator.

Premiering Monday, April 30th at 11pm ET/PT "Steaks on a Plane!" Pat and Mark go to Miami to drum up new business. They have arranged to meet with two of the hottest chefs in town, Michael Schwartz and Michelle Bernstein; this is Mark's chance to shine as the ultimate salesman. While the guys are away, Pat Sr. is in charge back at LaFrieda Meats, and he hasn't run the shop on his own in quite some time. Is he up for the challenge of a last-minute emergency order?

Premiering Monday, May 7th at 11pm ET/PT "Grandpa's Secret Sausage Recipe" Chefs Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi want a classic Italian sausage for their new restaurant Parm. Pat is thrilled for the chance to recreate his grandfather's sausage recipe, which they haven't made in years. The only problem, there is no recipe to work off of. Meanwhile, the family business is growing and it's time to hire a new butcher. Pat and his dad put the candidates to the test, who is good enough to make the cut? Later, LaFrieda Meats gets on average $6,000 worth of parking tickets each week! Pat Sr. is fed up and decides to fight City Hall.

Premiering Monday, May 14th at 11pm ET/PT "Emergency Steaks"

Chef Franklin Becker from Abe and Arthur's runs out of Porterhouse Steaks in the middle of service and calls Pat with a meat emergency. It's a big order on any night but even harder to fill with dull knives. On top of that, Chef Alex Guarnaschelli calls in a last-minute order for 60 Tomahawk Steaks. 80,000 pounds of meat need to go out the doors tonight and the butchers have no knives. This is Pat's worst nightmare!



Pat LaFrieda runs a renowned meat empire with his cranky dad, Pat Sr., and his smooth-talking cousin, Mark Pastore. Meat Men goes behind the scenes of the business for a high-"steaks" ride with a side of humor, served medium rare.