{"id":891841,"date":"2026-06-25T13:29:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/891841\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:29:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T13:29:20","slug":"2m-smokehouse-chefs-to-compete-in-food-networks-pitmasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/891841\/","title":{"rendered":"2M Smokehouse chefs to compete in Food Network\u2019s \u2018Pitmasters\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Esaul Ramos <\/a>did not want to do another Food Network<\/a> show. But the calls kept coming.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to understand why: Ramos is a two-time James Beard-nominated pitmaster. He runs the Michelin-recommended 2M Smokehouse. He reached the final round of \u201cGrill Masters: Texas\u201d on Chopped<\/a> in 2018.<\/p>\n

After Chopped, he ignored and dodged invitations, not wanting to compete alone. But then came an offer he could not resist: We\u2019d like you to appear on our new show with your wife.<\/p>\n

The Food Network show, \u201cPitmasters<\/a>,\u201d premiers at 8 p.m. on July 13 with a lineup that includes Esaul and Grecia Ramos and eight other two-person teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An all-star panel of culinarians, which includes pitmaster Ernest Servantes from Burnt Bean Co.<\/a> in Seguin, will judge the live fire competition. The winning team collects up to $50,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an awesome experience,\u201d Esaul Ramos said. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a once in a lifetime experience. But it was definitely one of the top three greatest experiences of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Ramoses were the only husband-wife team in the competition, which lends another layer of intrigue to a show steeped in mystery. How does Grecia, an accomplished pastry chef, fit into a show devoted to smoked meats? Does she help her husband with brisket and ribs? Does she bake desserts?<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you there will be a little bit of everything for sure,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are some surprises here and there that we\u2019ll be able to showcase.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Grecia Ramos of San Antonio\u2019s 2M Smokehouse poses for a portrait as seen on season one of Food Network\u2019s \u201cPit Masters.\u201d Credit: Courtesy \/ Food Network<\/p>\n

Her ambiguity is intentional. The show, of course, will not reveal the winning team. But it also refuses to disclose when and where \u201cPitmasters\u201d was filmed and how long the competition lasted. Before contestants grant media interviews, they are coached on what they can and cannot say.<\/p>\n

So Grecia\u2019s precise contributions remain a secret. But the Ramos\u2019s did offer a detail that may or may not wind up on the cutting room floor. Grecia cut herself on the first challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if they caught that (on camera) or not,\u201d Grecia said. \u201cI have a bandage. I was grating something. I still feel it to this day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lights, camera, open fire: Esaul arrived on the set ready to cook. He\u2019d done TV before. Grecia had not.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning, it was very nerve wracking,\u201d Grecia said. \u201cThe cameras were in my face. But\u00a0after a while, you forget the cameras are there. It\u2019s another day of cooking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ramoses would not disclose what they cooked or baked. But they acknowledged the show presented unexpected challenges.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did things within our wheelhouse and things outside our wheelhouse,\u201d Esaul said. \u201cFive hours on a TV show isn\u2019t the same as five hours in the real world. It goes by so much faster. You have people looking at you. You have people judging you. Honestly, it was going to come down to physicality and mentality. We just had to do what we do on a daily basis. But can we keep mentally keep going, knowing what\u2019s at stake?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Grecia and Esaul Ramos of San Antonio\u2019s 2M Smokehouse pose for a portrait as seen on season one of Food Network\u2019s \u201cPit Masters.\u201d Credit: Courtesy \/ Food Network<\/p>\n

Once Esaul and Grecia agreed to do the show, they had less than a month to prepare. Grecia wanted to practice different scenarios. Esaul wanted to show up and wing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife has a love-hate relationship with the way I do things,\u201d Esaul said. \u201cI fly by the seat of my pants. She\u2019s a planner. She definitely was like, \u2018Let\u2019s figure out some really cool dishes in case anything happens. Let\u2019s do our homework.\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018Let\u2019s see what happens.\u2019 We ended up doing a little of both.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple agreed on one thing: Grecia would plan and pack their wardrobe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t know what kind of weather we\u2019d have,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that was major planning.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ramoses competed under the gaze of four judges: Andrew Zimmern, Emmy and James Beard winning host of Bizarre Foods<\/a>, Jess Pryles, cookbook author of \u201cHardcore Carnivore<\/a>,\u201d Moe Cason, a cookbook author, barbecue chef and competitor from Chopped: Grill Masters, and Servantes, co-owner of Burnt Bean Co., which earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was both a little intimidating but at same time a pleasure to be judged by Ernest,\u201d Esaul said. \u201cErnest is a person that understands culinary. It was an honor. He is somebody we both look up to.\u201d<\/p>\n

The couple plans a gathering at McIntyre\u2019s-Southtown<\/a> on July 13 at 7 p.m., one hour before the show airs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They are grateful for the unexpected call from Food Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be where I am today if it wasn\u2019t for my wife,\u201d Esaul said. \u201cWe make such a great team. The show made you get out of your comfort zone to create some things. It will be nice to show the audience that our skill sets are sometimes beyond the smoke.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Esaul Ramos did not want to do another Food Network show. But the calls kept coming. It\u2019s easy…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":891842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5133],"tags":[157255,5229,157256,168959,236020,157257,116639,7202,7203,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":["post-891841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-2m-smokehouse","tag-america","tag-burnt-bean-co","tag-chopped","tag-ernest-servantes","tag-esaul-ramos","tag-food-network","tag-san-antonio","tag-sanantonio","tag-texas","tag-tx","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116810992043962833","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=891841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/891841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/891842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=891841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=891841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=891841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}