TLC BBQ Pitmaster Harry Soo â?? Slap Yoâ?? Daddy
Who are “Slap Yo’ Daddy”?The two-man team is made up of Head Cook Harry (member KCBS, IBCA, and CBBQA, and certified KCBS BBQ judge) and Assistant Cook Mark. By day, Harry and Mark work at information technology jobs in a Dilbertesque existence. On weekends, they love to cook and hang out with friends and familyHow did Slap Yo’ Daddy get started?Their entry into the competitive circuit was purely by chance. Harry had been fascinated by BBQ contests on Food TV and his co-worker Janice had asked him to help out with the annual fund raiser for the African American Association at work. So for the past several years, Janice helped Harry serve BBQ brisket to several dozen co-workers, many of whom were African American with roots in the South.Nothing happened until early 2008 when the movie The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman was released. Harry’s co-worker Teri suggested that they prepare a bucket list of wish things to do before “kicking the bucket.”  The caveat being that, in addition to your own list, your fellow co-workers could add “stretch” goals for you with activities that would be a challenge given your particular personality. Two of Harry’s stretch goals were 1) compete in a BBQ contest and 2) attend a comedy class and do a stand-up act.  Harry began competing in BBQ contests in March 2008 and substituted #2 in February 2008 by being a backup dancer for Janice during their company’s Idol contest and winning first place.Harry Soo explains competetive BBQ”In competition BBQ, the meat is cooked low and slow around 225 degrees for up to 12 hours and submitted for blind judging in 9″ X 9″ white Styrofoam containers. Four meats are turned in by each team: chicken, ribs, pork, and brisket. BBQ contests have to be sanctioned before points are counted towards the California Team of the Year (TOY) or Rookie Team of the Year (ROY) awards. The two major sanctioning bodies are the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) or International Barbeque Cookers Association (IBCA)”.  ”A sanctioning body is like the PGA for golf. KCBS is the larger body based out of Kansas City and turn-in trays typically have lettuce and parsley as decorations (see banner photos). Turn in for chicken is at noon and the other three meats follow after each half-hour (KCBS Rules). The IBCA, of Texas origin, favors turn in trays with just the meat on foil (aka Texas lettuce; see banner photos) and turn ins are done every hour starting at noon for chicken and ending at 3 pm for brisket (IBCA Rules)”.     Harry Soo – Slap Yo’ Daddy Grilling Tips1. BBQ is ready when it’s ready (so don’t hurry)2. Less is more (less smoke, less rub, less add-ons)3. Opening your smoker is BAD!4. Too tender is GOOD!5. Foiling is GOOD!6. Grilling is NOT barbequing; BBQ is low-and-slow7. Always have FUN when you BBQ even if results are otherwise!
character building
Which Wood Chips For Your BBQ Smoker?
I’ve seen many lists about wood chips and what meats best accompany them and it’s always struck me that this is approaching the problem for the wrong side. The wood chip is choosing the food and in my book it should be the food choosing the wood chip! So when you scroll down to view my list it’s written in a way that hopefully will allow you to decide on your barbecue recipes first and let the flavouring follow. To be honest, hickory takes a lot of beating (especially on ribs) but there’s an incredible variety of wood chips to choose from these days so it’s worth experimenting a little.
The idea behind smoking is that wood burns when heated but by reducing the oxygen available to the fire, the wood smokes rather than burns so by adding wood chips to your barbecue smoker, a beautiful range of flavours can be imparted to meat or fish. The best wood to use is “green wood” ie. wood that’s not fully dried out because green wood burns at a higher temperature, it makes more smoke than aged wood and it lasts a long time. When buying wood chips in a bag it’s important to soak the wood for 30 minutes to get moisture into it before popping it on the coals.
One last tip from me before the list:-
If you have a BBQ grill rather than a smoker, try wrapping some wood chips in aluminum foil and then puncture the foil a few times with a fork or the point of a skewer. Pop the foil pack in hot coals and see what you think but do try with one of the stronger smokes otherwise you’re unlikely to notice any difference.
The following chips are good with all kinds of meat so it’s good have some in stock:-
Acacia – a strong smoke
Almond – sweet and nutty (as you’d expect)
Apricot – mild and sweet and an interesting alternative to Hickory (just a little milder)
Cherry – sweet & fruity
Cottonwood – a very subtle flavour, worth a try but not my favorite
Grape Vine – beautifully aromatic and sweet if you can get hold of it
Nectarine – again similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild just like the Apricot
Peach – slightly sweet flavour
Pecan – strong smoke similar to oak but just a little more gentle
Plum – similar to hickory but milder and sweeter
For red meat try the following:-
Grapefruit – a good medium smoke with a fruity note
Lemon – again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma
Mesquite – strong and earthy so try it with beef
Mulberry – beautifully sweet apple flavour
Oak – really heavy smoke so definitely one for beef
Orange – another fruity one with medium smoke
Lamb of course is a red meat so any all in the above category can be used but I’ve got one recommendation dedicated to lamb:-
Lilac – it’s light and subtle with a floral hint
Pork:-
Alder – supremely sweet
Apple – sweet with dense fruity smoke
Birch – strong and earthy
Grapefruit – medium smoke with a fruity hint
Hickory – the original pungent smoky bacon flavour ready for your ribs
Lemon – medium smoke with a light fruit aroma
Maple – strong and earthy
Mulberry – beautifully sweet apple flavour, pork and apple goes so well together
Nectarine – similar to hickory but sweeter and quite mild and still good for ribs
Oak – a really heavy smoke so go easy
Orange – medium smoke with a light fruit hint
Pear – Another one with a slightly sweet flavour
Plum – similar to hickory but milder and sweeter, compare it with Nectarine
Most wood chips have now already had a mention further up but that doesn’t mean they don’t go well with Poultry:-
Alder – sweet
Birch – strong and earthy
Grapefruit – medium smoke & lightly fruity
Lemon – again medium smoke with a light fruit aroma
Mulberry – sweet apple flavour
Orange – more medium smoke with a light fruit hint
Pear – another one with a slightly sweet flavour
Game, generally strong smokes for strong flavoured meats, but there are some exceptions:-
Alder – sweet
Apple – sweet with dense fruity smoke
Maple – strong and earthy
Mulberry – beautifully sweet apple flavour
Oak – really heavy smoke
Pear – sweet flavour compare it with Alder
Walnut – very heavy smoke and can be bitter so put it with a strong well hung meat
Fish sometimes works well lightly smoked and sometimes it’s good to go for a really heavy smoke
Alder – sweet
Apple – sweet with dense fruity smoke
Ash – light and distinctive flavour, it burns fast so ideal for fish
Lilac – light and subtle with a floral hint, fantastic on seafood
Oak – really heavy smoke
I’ve got two recommendations for Vegetables both of which are strong and earthy:-
Maple
Mesquite
Hopefully that’s given you a few ideas to try at your next barbecue, just don’t forget to soak them before putting them on the coals. Happy smoking!
Tips for Buying or Building a Bbq Pit or Charcoal Smoker
When I cook over any kind of outdoor bbq pit, I like to use a charcoal smoker. I like the flavor that charcoal and wood put into the meat and there is no other way of duplicating that flavor other than using the real thing. Woods that I use in addition to the charcoal currently include apple, hedge, and hickory. Right now I use two different types of bbq smokers.
My main smoker is a horizontal barrel type charcoal smoker with an offset firebox. One of the main reasons I like this charcoal smoker so much is that you can use it as a smoker or as a grill. It has plenty of room to fit big cuts of meat such as beef brisket or ribs. Using the smoker is fairly self explanatory. If you are slow cooking a cut of meat, build your fire in the fire box on the end and place your cut of meat in the middle of the grill area. You will have to set the vents on the end and on the top to try and maintain a constant temperature. Basically, you want to create a “draw” that pulls the heat and smoke from the fire across the meat and out the top. If you are grilling hamburgers or steaks, just build your fire in the main barrel, directly underneath your meat like you would any other grill.
The other smoker that I use is an upright barrel type charcoal smoker. These types of smokers have a place to build the fire at the bottom with the main grill part towards the top of the barrel. Many smokers of this style also have a pan in between the fire and the grill that you can fill with water to keep moisture in the meat. I do not use this pan since I have other methods of keeping the meat moist. I have found that this type of smoker works great for cooking chicken and smaller cuts of meat such as roast. It is rather difficult to cook larger cuts of meat such as brisket or ribs. Also, the meat sits directly over the fire, which I don’t like to do for the larger cuts that have to cook slow. Chicken can cook a little faster. One advantage of the upright style smoker over the horizontal style smoker is price. The upright style is cheaper due to its smaller size. Just keep in mind what cuts of meat that you will be cooking if you are shopping for a charcoal smoker and make sure what you buy will accommodate your preferences.
There are also many different types of gas and electric smokers. Many people enjoy using these and have used them with excellent results. They are a little cleaner to use and easier to get the fire started. Again, my preference for a charcoal smoker is simply because of flavor. Homemade bbq pits and smokers are quite common as well. Check out www.offthepit.com for bbq recipes, tips, and other information regarding outdoor cooking.
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