Now there’s no limit to what you can eat while you’re enjoying your favorite beer, cider, or cocktail at Motorworks Brewing. Proper Meats will burst your taste buds with a creative twist of some of your favorite comfort and BBQ foods. The innovative menu features many recipes that integrate Motorworks’ brews, creating a genuine collaboration between food and beer.

Let’s say you want to start easy and just have a few bites, “Jump Start” it with the Hot Rods, Voodoo Dip or Disco Nachos. Hot Rods are fresh-made pretzels with Motorwork’s V-Twin Vienna Lager cheese and spicy mustard; the Voodoo Dip is a chef’s favorite that incorporates Motorworks’ Adoptable Lager and braised gator for a cheesy dip and chips appetizer.

Then there’s the Disco Nachos with pork, queso, brass monkey sauce, and pig dust. Brass monkey sauce is made with beer too! The list of appetizers wraps up with a Smoked Fish Spread and Hummm-mus with citrus, cucumber, and pita to finish off the list. 

If you want something a bit more hearty then move on to the “Knuckle Busters” section of the menu. These are two-handed meals that will feed your inner beast. Let’s go down the list starting with The Beef, the only two words you need to say for a mountain-high serving of their 18-hour slow-smoked brisket on a brioche bun. The Tex-Reubenstein is some of that delicious brisket served on rye with housemade sauerkraut incorporating Motorworks’ Adoptable Lager, swiss cheese, and comeback sauce.

Marco Pollo comes in with pulled chicken, queso, caramelized onions, brass monkey sauce, and jalapenos; Sloppy Jose is filled with pork, sauce, queso, jalapeno and topped with a fried egg; then there’s the Sticky Pig, Grrrrilla Cheese, and some others.

If you like your food on a platter then try “The Works” where you can have The Brewmaster with triple meat (pork, chicken, brisket), Mac “the cheese”, sauce, jalapeno, tomatoes, and queso; The Clucker with buffalo style chicken with blue cheese crumbles, Mac “the cheese”, and pig dust; or Porkie with pork, Mac “the cheese”, tomatoes, jalapenos, brass monkey sauce, and pig dust. 

Now we’re on to my favorite part of their menu, the one that I’m going down tasting one by one. There are three different “The Block” burgers – a simple Single Smash dressed with LTO, garlic mayo, and American cheese; the BBC with brisket, bacon, and queso; and the granddaddy of them all, the B-Mac Melter with Mac “the cheese”, bacon, queso and pig dust.

You can make any burger double or triple. Burgers #1 and #2 are checked off my list and making my way to #3. Proper Meats also likes “Playing the Fields” with some salads like the Just Grazing, LTO, cucumbers, and shredded cheese; or the Side Yard LTO, and simply cucumbers. The ending is simple, Nanner Pudding with homemade banana custard, vanilla wafers, and white chocolate Reese’s.   

So you’re thinking, what are all these funky names about? They’re just in line with the character of these culinary professionals that are behind the Proper Meats concept. First, say it with a foreign accent and you’ll get their vibe. It’s always funnier with a foreign accent. Chef’s James K. and Patrick S. are the guys creating the food. They each have years in the business and have followed the evolution of our eating habits from cafeterias, to diners, to fast foods, to restaurants and food trucks.

James is almost a Floridian, but he was born in the city of Binghamton in upstate New York. He’s self-trained and earned his knowledge and experience by working in French and Italian restaurants and steakhouses. He also gained valuable experience from corporate restaurant companies in Texas with names like Longhorn Steakhouse, Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse, and Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse.

He then moved to Florida via Atlanta following his family here. Here we know him best from being executive chef at Datz in Tampa and Donovan’s Meatery owned by the same company. He was instrumental in opening Dr. BBQ The Restaurant in St. Petersburg for Dr. BBQ and DRG Hospitality.

His last stop before opening Proper Meats was as Oak & Stone’s Culinary Director in Bradenton. And there you have it – go out and try their food and let us know how you like it. 

Proper Meats is located at Motorworks Brewing,1014 9th St W, Bradenton, FL 34205. They’re open 7 days between 12 noon and 9:00 pm or you can order delivery on Doordash. They’ll also start serving brunch in February 2023. You can keep up with all their latest news and announcement (and incredible food pics!) by following them on Facebook or Instagram.  

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