Product Review: Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ Chicken Rub

By Dru Chai

Whether it's backyard or competition BBQ, the rub can make either a huge or subtle difference in the overall flavor of the meat. In competition BBQ, most people will be very heavy-handed in applying the rub, because after many hours of low and slow smoking, there is honestly not that much distinct flavor from the rub that will come through. It also depends on the meat -- you can definitely taste more of the rub flavor on chicken versus something like a brisket.

If you're familiar with competition BBQ, then you should be no stranger to Harry Soo from Slap Yo' Daddy BBQ. He's won a plethora awards, but if there's one category that sets him apart from the competition -- it's his BBQ chicken. He consistently scores and places high in chicken because there is a distinct flavor profile in his rub that's a bit salty, tangy, and sweet. Combined with the natural juices from the chicken thigh, it really is mighty tasty. Naturally, Harry launched his own chicken rub to sell -- so that everyone can enjoy a taste of BBQ competition chicken flavor at home.

As I do with my other product reviews of rubs, I like to do a little taste test of the rub on its own and inspect the quality of the rub up close. As you can see from the picture above, the first thing you'll notice are the green parsley flakes mixed in the predominantly red-orange color of the rub. The first few ingredients are salt, sugar, chili powder, granulated garlic, black pepper, and onion powder. 

This serves as a pretty good foundation for most rubs. The next spice is cumin, and for those who are familiar with the flavor of cumin, it can be very potent and overpowering if used too much. You can definitely taste and smell the cumin in this particular rub. This rub is not intended to be spicy, so instead it leans more on the sweeter, tart/tang side of things. This flavor profile would be a good compliment to chicken and turkey.

So how did this rub taste on meat? Well, instead of trying to replicate Harry's chicken, I decided to do something different. I wanted to see how versatile his chicken rub was, and decided to use it on my brisket. Click here to see how it turned out.

Santa Anita Winner's Circle BBQ Championship

Whatever you may think of Bobby Flay (annoying, obnoxious, cocky, and a bit of a prick?), he's one of the few celebrity chefs known for his grilling and BBQ inspired dishes. So my eyebrows raised just a little when he tweeted about upcoming Santa Anita Winner's Circle BBQ Championship this Saturday, March 10th. Well, I'll say one thing -- it's a good thing they're not racing pigs around the track.

As the LA Weekly posted on their blog, this is one of only two sanctioned BBQ contests in the LA County this year. If you're a BBQ enthusiast living in LA, I say check it out. Take in the scene, take a big whiff of meat smoke, eat some samples, and vote for the "People's Choice" award. You can even say hello to one of the top BBQ teams in the country, Slap Yo Daddy BBQ. Harry Soo has been hovering around the top of the points leaderboard for the better part of the year. 

I'll take a sample of that, wrap it to-go please!

Review: Slap Yo Daddy BBQ Pitmaster Class

By Dru Chai

I felt like a giddy grade school kid, eagerly awaiting snack time of graham crackers and milk. Only this time, it was brisket, pulled pork, ribs, tri-tip, chicken... the list goes on. I had waited about 3 months just for Harry Soo's BBQ pitmaster class (and even wrote about it on this BBQ blog), so I sure as heck could wait another few minutes. But after 6 hours of talking BBQ nonstop, I was about to faint. My stomach had been eating itself up.

Harry Soo's love for BBQ is infectious. You can feel it by the way he talks about BBQ and his techniques--the way he demonstrates how to properly trim the excess fat from a brisket, the way he shows you how to properly check if the bark has hardened using a fingernail, or the way to properly load up the charcoals using the Minion method. There's a reason why he uses a particular ingredient, and it's through his own research and blind taste tests over the years. In person, he's exactly the way I've seen him on television--humble and willing help anyone out.

Within just a few years, Harry's Slap Yo Daddy BBQ competition team has racked up awards all over the country. I wondered, just how does he do it? For Harry, BBQ is the ultimate stress reliever from the real stress of his day time job. I couldn't agree more--it's just you and your thoughts, the meat, and the smoker. Only this guy travels thousands of miles around the country and enters BBQ competitions to compete against some of the best pitmasters in the world... and wins.

As a BBQ enthusiast and writer of a BBQ blog, I learned a few tips, hints, and tricks. Sometimes, it's the little things that make a big difference. For the BBQ newbie who's just starting out, Harry covers a lot of material in just a short amount of time -- it could be overwhelming, but Harry is easy going and down-to-earth. There are no dumb questions in his class. For those who have had prior experience, the class focuses on techniques for someone who's interested in entering a real BBQ competition. Harry said that many of students go on to enter competitions and end up beating him. Now that's the ultimate compliment.

Ready to spread BBQ joy

Harry really loves his BBQ

Harry showing us how to properly trim the fat off a brisket

Harry's family of WSM's

Harry explaining how to light up his smoker

The Minion method

Using lots of foil is good

Ready to eat what we made - finally!

BBQ Padawan Here, Ready to Learn

Recently, I signed up for Slap Yo Daddy's BBQ 101 Backyard Pitmaster class. His monthly class is in such high demand, that you have to sign up 2-3 months in advance. I was shooting for the September class, and there were plenty of spots available at the time. But by the time I sent in my registration, it was filled up! So I got bumped to the October class. I can't wait.

In between winning awards in BBQ competitions all over the place, Mr. Harry Soo has been building his BBQ brand and empire. He recently launched his own Meat Rub, which comes in original, lower sodium, and added MSG. Harry said his runaway best seller by far is the lower sodium version. Of course, after eating tons of BBQ meat, it'll make you feel just a little less guilty, right?

Mr. Slap Yo Daddy

Not that I've interacted with tons of other BBQ or food "celebs" or public figures, but what sets Harry apart is his accessibility and passion. I won't meet him in person until his BBQ class in October, but just from exchanging emails, researching for a previous blog post, reading his website, and his comments, you can just tell he loves sharing his knowledge and recipes (without giving away all his award winning secrets).

Here's a link to Harry's Amazon review on the WSM. He gives his tips on how to season a brand new WSM, and his recommendation on NOT using any water in the pan -- simply foiling it will give you better and faster bark on the meat. I actually have been experimenting both with and without water, and the only thing with not using water is that until you've got it down to a science, you have to carefully watch the temperature so the WSM doesn't run too hot.