A few years back, our Cheap Bastard Alice Laussade, winner of the prestigious James Beard Award and narrowly regarded as the best columnist in Dallas, threw a barbecue competition in her backyard and called it, logically, Meat Fight. Last year, she invited some of Dallas' best chefs, opened it to the masses and raised $20,000 for charity.

And this year? This year she's bringing Ron Effin' Swanson.

That's true, that sentence up there: Meat enthusiast and Parks and Rec star Nick Offerman has agreed to join some of Texas' best pitmasters as a judge for this year's event, scheduled for Sunday, November 17, 2013, at Four Corners Brewery.

See also: The Incredible BBQ Meats of Meat Fight

Related Stories A Very Merry Meatmas at Meat Fight 2015

It's another testament to Alice's notorious lack of fuck-giving. Back in May, she asked her social media following to ask Offerman to come judge the event. When word finally made its way to Offerman, he kindly agreed, presumably on the condition that she provide accommodations inside Shed 2.

So, a quick checklist:

- Meat smoked by some of Dallas' best chefs.

- The presence of some of Texas' brightest barbecue minds.

- Enough booze to sink a medium-sized yacht, or maybe a big-sized fishing boat?

- Heaven-or-whatever points for supporting charity

- Proximity to a television star who totally wants to read the half-written treatment for your workplace-comedy pilot, trust me, just slip it in his tool belt when he's not looking.

Tickets go on sale October 3. Stay tuned to City of Ate and follow Meat Fight online, on Twitter and on Facebook for more updates.