Welcome to Fired Up! Detroit – The Home of Game Day Eats, Smoker Projects & Tailgate Culture.
Whether you’re setting up canopies in the Eastern Market lots, firing up the griddle in Ann Arbor at 7:00 AM, or running a low-and-slow smoker in the backyard for Sunday kickoff, this group is for fans who take game day food as seriously as the final score.
What We’re All About:
Cook from the opponents cuisine: Weekly rivalry recipes crafted to take on whatever city the Lions or Wolverines are playing that week.
Detroit & Mitten Staples: Eastern Market butcher finds, Coney dogs, Detroit-style pizza, and local flavors.
Episode 5: Carolina BBQ Civil War, The Bojangles Secret Hack & Lions vs. Panthers
Welcome back to Episode 5 of Fired Up! Detroit — where we talk 80% food, 20% football, and everything in between! This week, Joe recaps firing up his outdoor high-heat pizza oven (cranking 900° stone temps for 45-second pies) and his 2-inch Iowa Chops, while Nick breaks down his homemade mini pork schnitzel with dill relish, mustard, and pepper jack. Plus, a big shoutout to listener submissions: New York raspberry cheesecake and Iowa corn casserole! In the college slate, we break down Michigan’s frustrating loss to Iowa and look ahead to the oldest rivalry trophy in college football: The Little Brown Jug vs. Minnesota. We dive into Minneapolis lot staples: • The legendary molten-center Jucy Lucy • Tater Tot Hotdish • 30-Gallon Cauldrons of Upper Midwest "Booya" stew For the NFL slate, we’re joined by Charlotte native, longtime banking colleague, and diehard Panthers fan Austin! We get the inside scoop on Bank of America Stadium lot culture, luxury AC tailgating, and dive straight into: • The Great Carolina Barbecue Civil War: Eastern NC Vinegar vs. Lexington Tomato vs. South Carolina Mustard Gold (Nick and Austin are on completely opposite sides of the planet!) • The legend of Jerry Richardson hand-delivering Bojangles to tailgaters • Austin’s ultimate Bojangles tailgate hack: Cajun Filet biscuit + egg + scratch pimento cheese • The Carolina Tailgate Trinity (and inventing pimento cheese pigs-in-a-blanket with everything bagel seasoning!) • Bryce Young, Jalen Coker, and the Panthers' desperate home stand against the Lions Plus, a wild new TRASH OR FIRE segment: 🐟 Minnesota Lutefisk (Lye-cured fish jelly in melted butter — Nick's surprising take!) 🍲 Carolina Coastal Fish Stew (Fatback, sheepshead & whole poached eggs) 🍒 Cheerwine-Glazed Smoked Wings 🐈 Eating "Cat Style" (The bizarre Carolina Reddit rumor...) We wrap it up with Little Brown Jug & Lions vs. Panthers score predictions, plus Nick's breakdown of Trevor Lawrence's bizarre goal-line knee!
25 Sept 2026
Episode 3: Bills Mafia Tailgate Secrets, The Great Wing Debate & Lions vs. Bills Preview
The Detroit Lions and Michigan Wolverines are both undefeated, and we’re keeping the momentum rolling into a massive Thursday night showdown against the Buffalo Bills!
In Episode 3, Joe and Nick welcome lifelong Bills fan Tom into the studio for the "Orchard Park Chronicles." From surviving -25° wind chill tailgates in backyards to jumping through tables and getting baptized in Buffalo traditions, Tom gives us the inside scoop on Bills Mafia culture. Plus, we settle the ultimate food debates: genuine Buffalo wings, Anchor Bar vs. Bar-Bill, beef on weck, Rudy's blue cheese vs. ranch, and why Nick still refuses to touch baloney.
Later, the guys break down the Lions' thrilling season opener, dive into a heated debate over whether Jahmyr Gibbs can be compared to Barry Sanders, preview Michigan vs. UTEP, and lock in their bold score predictions for Thursday Night Football in Buffalo.
Join our community! Head over to the Fired Up! Detroit Facebook page to submit your weekend barbecue cooks and catch our latest shorts.
25 Sept 2026
Episode 0: Podcast Intro and what we're about!
Preview episode of whats to come!
25 Sept 2026
Episode 2: The Cajun Sensation Drops In! Jambalaya Hacks, Fried Gator & Oklahoma Prime Rib
Welcome back to Episode 2 of Fired Up! Detroit — where we talk 80% food, 20% football, and everything in between!
This week, Joe and Nick recap Michigan’s wild nail-biter against Western Michigan, break down how their game-day cooks turned out (from upgraded flat-top gourmet smash burgers to Bell’s Two Hearted beer-braised brats), and look ahead to the Wolverines hosting the Oklahoma Sooners.
Then, we kick off Week 1 of the NFL season with our very first special guest: Bruce Mills, aka "The Cajun Sensation" / "The Ragin' Cajun" straight out of Metairie, Louisiana! Bruce takes over the kitchen to break down real-deal Who Dat tailgating: authentic cast-iron jambalaya, the "ice bag" crawfish boil hack, gumbo over potato salad, and the secret to a world-class muffuletta.
Plus, we debut our newly rebranded segment: TRASH OR FIRE!
• Oklahoma Prime Rib (Smoked Bologna)
• Fried Gator Tail with Spicy Remoulade
• Calf Fries / Rocky Mountain Oysters
• The New Orleans Swamp Bloody Mary
Finally, the guys drop their score predictions for Detroit Lions vs. New Orleans Saints!
25 Sept 2026
Episode 4: Jets Fan Unfiltered!
From almost ruining homemade ranch to smoking 2-inch Iowa pork chops, Episode 4 is packed! We preview Michigan heading to Iowa (and the cult of Casey’s gas station pizza), then bring on diehard NY Jets fan Al to break down MetLife lot culture, the legendary Taylor Ham egg & cheese, and smuggling whole turkeys past security in clear bags.
Plus, a wild new TRASH OR FIRE:
Chili & Cinnamon Rolls
Snickers "Salad"
Midwest Sushi (Pickle Roll-Ups)
The Brooklyn Spaghetti Donut
Contact Fired Up! Detroit
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Fired Up! Detroit?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
