A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich - What's The Difference Between Grilling & BBQ? ft. Brian Baumgartner

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

Today, we're joined by Brian Baumgartner to talk about the key differences between grilling and BBQ!  Leave us a voicemail at (833) DOG-POD1 Check out the video version of this podcast: http://youtube.com/@mythicalkitchen To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This, this, this, this is Mythical. Where were you last Friday night? Who were you with? Why are you grilling me? Or, are we barbecuing you? This is a hot dog sandwich hot dog. Perfect! We're changing the name of the podcast.

Ketchup is a smoothie. Yeah, I put ice in my cereal, so what? That makes no sense. A hot dog is a sandwich. A hot dog is a sandwich. What? Welcome to our podcast, A hot dog is a sandwich. A hot dog is a sandwich. What? Welcome to our podcast, A Hot Dog is a Sandwich, the show we break down the world's biggest food debates.

I'm your host, Josh Scherer. And I'm your host, Nicole Inayati. And we have a- And I'm your host- Oh, no, jump in. I'm sorry. Go ahead, please. No, I'm sorry.

This is his official audition tape to be the next host of A Hot Dog is a Sandwich. That's right. Brian, take it away. And this is your host, Josh Nicole. You may recognize him as Kevin Malone from NBC's The Office. He's also a podcast host and New York Times bestselling author, and his second cookbook, Seriously Good Barbecue Cookbook, is out now. Please welcome Josh Nicole.

Josh Nicole. Hi. I like it. Thank you, guys. Ryan Baumgartner, welcome to the show, man. Thanks for coming. Thank you. It's my pleasure to be here.

Thanks for being here. Of course, of course. And so you have your second cookbook out, a Seriously Good Barbecue cookbook. Your first cookbook was a Seriously Good Chili cookbook. That's right. And obviously many people know you from your iconic scene in The Office where you, I've never seen so much pathos in a man swimming around in spilled chili. Thank you.

I'm actually dead ass serious the amount that we felt for you as you were in that chili was utterly incredible well laugh and cry every day for first off thank you uh i feel like i can tell a lot about a person um whether when they come up to me and undoubtedly mention or reference that scene when when they come up and say, dude, that is the funniest thing ever, I think there's something wrong with them. Because I do. I think it's very, very sad. Incredible.

It is very, very sad. And part of, I think, what the entire show, The Office, was about, was about feeling pathos, feeling empathy for characters and celebrating characters and their small victories. I did not laugh once at the chili scene. I wept. I wept and I prayed to God. You were supposed to laugh a little.

I laughed a little giggle. You were supposed to laugh a little. Anything you've said, in fact, all you inspired was pity and anguish. That is being an actor. Listen, I mean, undoubtedly, it is genius physical comedy, to be sure. But ultimately, I think it's, yeah, it's deeper than that. 100%. Do you have other iconic scenes in The Office that you're like, I wish people referenced this thing that I did more than the chili?

Wow, that's an interesting question. No, I mean, I think that one of my personal favorites was actually another cold open. Speaking of cold open, I think it was a cold, yeah, it was a cold open where Kevin decides he's going to use few words as possible to accomplish. And they're like, no, you're making things more confusing by saying fewer words. I get a lot of references about that, but that one I thought was particularly good. That reminded me how my dad used to text because it took him so long to get the words out that he would just, why use many words when few, you know, that. When few do.

I do it now. I do it now. Obviously, that's when I'm pulled over to red light. But in the car, I will do car, driving, talk later. But yes, not typical. I love that. I love that. Well, we are here today to talk about barbecue.

We specifically want to talk about the difference between grilling and barbecue because we get a lot of people who are sticklers about this. When we say, hey, we're going to a barbecue or we're doing like a barbecue episode and we're grilling up hamburgers, many people are quick to point out that is not, in fact, barbecue. How do you fall on that spectrum? Are you a hard-O? Don't take my name. I don't know exactly the definition of a hard-O. I'll leave that alone. But I, now, first off, why be a stickler? What is the issue? Why do we need to argue it? I think that, yes, grilling is direct hot heat.

Okay. Grilling is direct hot heat. Okay. Barbecue in its traditional definition and form is indirect heat. But come on, if you're going to a barbecue, you're going to a barbecue. Like barbecue now is a word that means way more, including in my cookbook as well. Yeah. Sure. Way more, including in my cookbook as well.

Yeah. I mean, there's sides in the cookbook, which is definitely not barbecue, but there are things that you make alongside typical barbecued meats and vegetables. Yeah, the barbecue has become an event and like a very uniquely American event, right? Like the term barbecued, Nicole hates when I go off on that. No, I love it. What do you mean? Just because my ice fleas over doesn't mean I don't love it.

As she falls asleep. No, but I mean the term barbecue, like it literally comes from a Taino Arawak word, right, from a native people in the Caribbean, barbacua, and it means to, you know, smoke over indirect heat. And then you get the term like barbacoa in Spanish, right?

That's very similar. You were like burying a whole animal over coals and letting that smoke. Smoke over indirect heat. And then you get the term like barbacoa in Spanish, right? Correct. That's very similar. You were like burying a whole animal over coals and letting that smoke. But things change over time, right? And so you have like Central Texas barbecue, right? Sure. Where they would say that nothing is proper barbecue unless it's cooked in an offset smoker. Where you have the heat source directly like completely separate from the, and you're only getting that heat and the smoke traveling.

But then North Carolina, right, you're cooking it over direct heat, just sort of far away. So what styles influence your barbecuing? You know, I do a lot of all, actually. And I feel like oftentimes a combination of direct and indirect heat is most effective. Particularly, particularly? That is not. We'll go with it. There's an extra syllable in there. We'll go with it.

Too many syllables. Just cut it. Partically. Can you cut just that one syllable? Thank you. I sound like Trump. Just that one syllable? Thank you.

I sound like Trump. I, using chicken, that's what I was going to say. I feel like if there is something that I'm most proud of that I make a lot, it is I have found a way, I believe, to make boneless, skinless chicken breasts actually stay moist and flavorful. And it's really about that. It's really about the combination and timing of direct and indirect heat. Wait, I got to hear more about that. So is that barbecue? I don't know.

I think that it is. But some people would say, I think particularly in the South, in the Deep South, it would depend on what marinade or flavor was on it. Would it be barbecue or not? like Italian dressing type marinade, keep it very sort of light with some recipes in there with whipped garlic sauce that can go with it. Oh, snap. But a lot of people would not say that's barbecue because it's like, well, that's not, again, barbecue sauce. What is barbecue sauce and how is that derived from indirect heat?

So I don't know if I answered your question, but I used a lot of words. No, I love that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This podcast is mostly made up of words, which is great. I'm curious about this. Mostly. Okay, so you grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. I did, yes. And then what sort of barbecue did you grow up eating? Like, was that a big part of your day-to-day life or no? You know, I was just talking about – well, I would say to your point before, culturally, yes. Yeah, yeah. Like family and by family in the South typically means family and friends, close friends.

I think I have like seven godmothers or whatever. Oh, that's sweet. Not because it's like we were christened, but because it's like, oh, no, it's your godmother. Sure, it's very sweet. And so I was talking to someone the other day. I think that, one, in the South, it's largely cultural. And, yes, generally, 100%. And this is even 87 years ago when I was a kid.

Like hot dogs and hamburger, that was considered we're having a barbecue. Sure, sure, sure. And I think that like, you know, you've got, well, Carolina specifically that has typically a different kind of mustard or vinegar sauce. kind of mustard or vinegar sauce. I feel like the deep south, like Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, like North Florida, like that area, is kind of an amalgamation. And when I was a kid, I think it was like sauce. Like if it has a sauce that is barbecue-y, then that's barbecue. Yeah, just kind of sweet brownish red.

Yeah, correct. That's the thing. Yes. That it wasn't so, and I don't know when the first time a rub was, I don't know, it was like a barbecue rub was, that was not something that we did. It was always sort of like slathered in a lot of sauce. Sure, yeah. slathered in a lot of sauce. And I think that, you know, I talk about this in the book and I, I do feel like, um, which is kind of a new discovery for me, actually, that my influence, I've always loved cooking, barbecuing and or grilling. That's what I do. Um I think that I have a big influence now with California cooking.

Oh, hell yeah. And the idea of making the meat the star is important and the quality of that meat. And as much as you can, obviously it depends on the cut or whatever, but making that, getting high quality meat should be the absolute first priority. And that it makes such a tremendous difference in your result from cooking and how much you have to slather stuff on it. I grew up eating what we called barbecue chicken, which is to say unseasoned boneless skinless chicken breast cooked in the toaster oven because it didn't heat up the house and we didn't have AC. Yeah, great. And then we would take as much bullseye barbecue sauce. Bullseye?

I've actually never heard of bullseye. It has the most liquid smoke per square inch. I swear to God. I've tried it as an adult. No disrespect to bullseye if you want to sponsor my new lower back tattoo. Oh, my gosh. Sponsored by bullseye. You can't draw bullseye if you want to sponsor my new lower back tattoo. Oh, my gosh. Sponsored by Bullseye. You can't draw Bullseye on my lower back.

Oh, no. Now we're talking about it. Now we're talking about it. Guys, I was introduced to his back a little while before we started this today. We have a mutual friend on my back. We have – you can't say that. I was told there were things you can't say here. That seems like something you cannot say.

This is why we brought him in to audition to be the new host. Weirdly, I did see your lower back. Yeah. So we're going to. Is it tan? It's nice. It's okay. It's not tan.

It's nice. It's not tan. Now Nicole's saying weird things to me. I don't like that she said that. I just want to be included, man. The point is you can obscure really crappy meat and crappy cooking with a lot of sauce. Yeah, that's very, very true. But I don't think that it – well, I guess it obscures that.

But I don't think it makes it taste good, really. No, it makes it go down easier because of just the lubrication. It makes it go down easier because it's masking. I'm not trying to. Going down easy. No, it makes it go down easier because of the lubrication. It makes it go down easier because it's masking. I'm not trying to. Going down easier. No, that's what you're doing. I'm not trying to do this. It's okay.

It just happens sometimes. All right. All right. Can I ask an unrelated question? We love tangents. Yeah, go ahead. It's not really a tangent. It has to do with what you said.

Are you a fan of liquid smoke flavor? Personally, I don't like smoky flavors that much. I find them to be a little bit strong and abrasive, and it's not very harmonious. I agree. So I don't love liquid smoke at all. I don't really like, I mean, I love barbecue because I recently was introduced to barbecue, I would say like a few years ago. Okay. Because I'm a born and raised LA girl. Like our bar, I lived in an apartment my whole life. I've never really barbecued. Okay. So for me, it was, you know,

putting a little bit of liquid smoke in like a rub and calling it a day. I never really liked it. But once I had real barbecue, like when I was in Austin and whenever I was in Memphis, Tennessee, like that was real barbecue. I'm like, okay, now this is good. So liquid smoke doesn't do it for me at all. And I hate it and I can always detect it. Yeah. Always.

It's so different. Because to me, like having something smoked is so delicious. Yes. I'm like, I'm kind of like, well, and I guess liquid smoke is not, it's probably, it's not even that because I was about to say something. But like, like smoky cheese. I can't do it. I don't even like mezcal. Me too.

Really? I can't do that. I can't do it. I don't even like mescal. Me too. Really? I can't do that. I can't handle it. To me, it tastes like fake smoke. Correct. I'm sure it's not. I mean, it's what? It's the barrels are smoked or whatever.

I don't know. It's weird when you say, because fake smoke, so like the way that liquid smoke is made, they literally are condensing real smoke and then just putting it into a bottle. But I agree with you guys. I didn't know that. See, there you go. I didn't know that. I didn't know how to fake it.

They take the wood and then they put like a little bowl over it and then they collect the liquid that comes out from it. But I do agree that you can taste it in a heartbeat, like the bullseye barbecue sauce. I taste that and I go, oh, that's fake. You know, that's liquid smoke. What it tastes like to me is bad barbecue, which is to say they call it dirty smoke. Oh, yeah.

We talked about this recently. You let the live wood burn too hot and too fast. You don't let it go down to coal and you can taste dirty smoke. Yeah. And if you go to like a

Dirty. Like a Dickie's barbecue pit, you ever go to like those big chain barbecue restaurants and they're just turning and burning as fast as they can. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like if I'm

the only time I've ever gone to those restaurants when I'm like on a road trip and I'm like I could use 50 grams of protein in a rack of ribs to keep me fueled right now I'll go

and I have a perfectly fine time but the difference between that like dirty smoke taste and something that has been cooked over like pristine post oak and you're tasting the meat but a little bit of that fire

like you said it's harmony right? Yeah yeah and liquid smoke is, like you said, it's harmony, right? Yeah, yeah. And liquid smoke is anti-harmony. It's not harmonious at all. Well, it's- It's an E-flat. Like, maybe this is not the same thing, but it's reminding me of like, you know, when

you go and you're camping or whatever you're doing and there's like an actual fire. Yeah. Like when it's, when the wood is burning fast and there's so much smoke, like to me there's nothing worse. Your eyes start burning when you taste it out of association. This is too much. This is too much. True, true.

But when it's like been burning and you just kind of smell a little bit, then it's like beautiful. Yeah, yeah, it's pleasant. And exactly where I want to be. But yeah, I think that's the difference. I don't want it to smack me in the face. Yeah. I have a bottle of whiskey at home

that is, I believe, the smokiest whiskey on the planet. LaFroig? No, not LaFroig. It's smokier than LaFroig. It's called Pete Monster. And it is smoked in Pete. And so I happen to

love that smoky taste, especially in liquor and especially when balanced in a cocktail. But I have met more people like you. I've had to remake people's cocktails at home because I added a tiny float of that on top. And they're like, you're trying to poison me. So I completely get it. And I will

not offer either of you that bottle when you come to my home. I have better stuff. I was going to ask, so whenever you're at home, what kind of grill do you use? Do you use charcoal, wood? Like what's your vibe? Both. All. And, by the way, I know it's – I don't know.

Is it considered cheating or something? Like I – if I'm home – I mean I'm on the road a lot but when I'm home I would say four or five nights a week I'm cooking something outside wow yeah that's so that's incredible so I do I use gas too yeah right on I use gas and um you know I have and I don't sometimes I don't even mess with this I do do have the ability to do the chips on the side and have some smoking. Because there is a time element. It's a Tuesday night. There is a time element that sometimes prohibits that sort of long-term stuff.

prohibits that sort of long-term stuff. But yeah, no, so I don't use a ton of charcoal, but wood and gas, yeah. Do you have like the little, they call it like a smoker box where you put the chips in like a little box and tuck it? That's what I was talking about. And sometimes I don't even do that, but yes, I have, yes. Have you ever used the cedar planks or they have other different wood, like the planks. I'd only heard of like cedar plank salmon, right? That's a very like Seattle-y thing.

Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. And I'd only had it probably at like an Applebee's when I was 12 years old, you know? But I cooked with it for the first time and I actually grilled steaks with it. How was it? It is shockingly good. Really? It's a shockingly pleasant smoky flavor on it. Only spends maybe 10 minutes on the plank.

And you can cook it sort of indirect on the plank, get it up to temp, and then sear it. And I was blown away by how well it works. You just soak it, put it on there. So the plank goes where? The plank goes directly on like the flamer on the grates of the grill. And then you just put the steak on that and let that burn for like 10 minutes. The plank will start to get charred but you're getting so much of that direct aroma but it's not dirty smoke because it's not live fire i think the dirty smoke i think you're tasting carbon right it's

like a cigarette you know absolutely you know and so it's actually shockingly good as far as like home grilling hacks because i agree with you you know i um work get home i don't trust my fiance to cook i love love you, baby. You're so good at other things. You're so good at other things. So good. But, you know, yeah, I get home at 7. It's like, you know, time to smoke meat.

But get a nice little smoky flavor on there because I only got my propane grill. Interesting. I have a friend, and I'm going to – he actually just introduced this to me. I'm not even going to say it right. Maybe a viewer or listener will know. I'm not even going to say it right. Maybe a viewer or listener will know. I think it's Korean, something they do, which is like super hot. It almost looks like a fryer cage.

Was it Binto Chan? A Japanese yaki torre. Yes, yes, yes. Binto Chan charcoal. Yes, yes, yes. Binto-chan charcoal. Yes, yes, yes. Boom. Nailed it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's exactly what it is. That's rad. And he is obsessed with it. And I have done that with him the last couple of times. So I find it fascinating. I don't have one myself, but, yeah. He feels like it gives just a really great flavor and cooks the meat really, really fast. Yeah, it's funny when you're talking about what barbecue is or isn't.

We, of course, are coming from an American context, but every single culture somewhat independently figured out, hey, you cook animal parts over live fire. This is a great time for everybody, right? Add some beers into the mix. That's also fun. But one of my favorite experiences that I've had, Armin Martirosian. Oh, yeah. Our buddy. Of mini kebab and Mideast tacos.

Oh, yeah. He does similar to Japanese like binchotan yakitori grilling where you skewer it and have it over like a very hot heat source. He does that but with live grapevines. Yes. And so he's just burning grapevines above like a hard post oak or something. But he was like, yeah, this is what they do in Armenia. And I've never tasted a meat like it. There's such an incredible, beautiful world of barbecue out there.

Why gatekeep anything? I agree. I agree. His kebab is the best in the city, I would say. 100%. It's absolutely beautiful. And it's barbecue. It's Armenian barbecue, baby.

Yeah, that's the thing. Who defines these lines and why do we need to keep them all separated? I say everything is barbecue. Everything is barbecue and nothing is barbecue. Barbecue lives inside of our hearts and on our lower backs

brought to you by Bullseye Barbecue Sauce. Bullseye. Have you ever had any like weird kind of obscure barbecue before that you were like, wow, I didn't think this would work? Yes, and as it turns out, it wasn't for me. There is

a chef from Mexico that will go unnamed of some repute and was hosting a dinner uh this is not very long ago and um we showed up for the dinner and the first thing and and i promise you this is my memory i'm not even making a joke and maybe i'm wrong maybe like my eyes were deceiving but what i remember seeing was um a a grill pit out outdoor it was all outdoors and there was a goat and the goat was split it was like crucified oh cool oh that's one of my favorite things your favorite thing yeah yeah yeah oh yeah goat is my cool. Oh, that's one of my favorite things. Me too, me too. Your favorite thing?

Me too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. Goat is my favorite animal to eat. That's part of why I have it on my lower back. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Josh is a big goat, man. Yeah, and I know the technique you're talking about.

A lot of the times they will angle the crucifix. Up like this, yeah, yeah, yeah. Towards a fire and with the wind. I did not enjoy it. I really did not. How did they serve it? A lot of different ways because there was quite a bit of goat. Yeah. I did not enjoy it. I really did not. How did they serve it? No, I did not. A lot of different ways because there was quite a bit of goat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So there was a lot of different ways. And of the different ways, I'm going to say it was multiple courses. One was like, oh, it's kind of like chicken. Yeah. And the rest, no, I don't really. It's very good. Just, yeah.

It's like, don't get me wrong. I'm from the South. Yeah. And like, there's nothing like a great fried catfish. I'm with you. But when you start thinking about it, I don't know. Like, that's where I go. And I found it very tough.

There's not a lot of, have you ever seen a goat? There's not a lot of fat on a goat. No, it is very stringy and, and yeah. I think that's where the technique comes into play. You got to learn how to eat it. You have to learn how to eat it? Yeah. What does that mean?

It's tough. First off, that's what she said. And secondly, what? It's, there's a lot of like little bits and parts to go that like take. Sometimes it's not cooked all the way. There's like chew to the meat. So there's like a process. Yeah, exactly.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. But you like it. I mean, yeah. Different strokes are different. It kind of tastes like pennies and grass. I like that. I like goat. Also, what was it that turned it off?

Was it the taste? So was it like looking at it cooked that way that you're just like, I can continue did they leave the head on or did it leave a bad taste yeah head on okay good good that's what you should do did that change the judgment the way that it was displayed did that lead you to say okay i'm not interested yeah maybe a little sure maybe i mean if i'm honest yeah maybe a little and and and there was a there was one uh chicken as well. And I've actually been told that this is like a no-no by this guy, that it was kind of – that the presentation that was done was almost meant – it felt aggressive. Yeah. Like I have been told by a number of other quality chefs, and I'm not talking about grilling necessarily, but the chicken that they had, the foot was still on it.

Oh, that's a weird trend that they've been doing. Okay, so just this guy. Like, if you're going to cook the foot, do what you want with the foot. Yeah, cook the foot. But you're not supposed to put that on your, I mean, supposed to, whatever that means, but, like, it felt a little, like.

In your face. In your face. In your face. Got it. Got it. And again, like as you walk up and the goat is there and it wasn't, I didn't find it like a pleasurable smell, like just from the, just right off the bat. Yeah. So, yeah.

So, yes, that answers the question. I can answer that question. Yeah. It sure is a good answer. It was not for me. I was once tasked with getting a whole goat. It was actually for the show, but it was to cook birria de chivo, right? Traditional goat birria from Jalisco.

And I did some calling around, and I found a person that sells whole goats. And I went there. It was a halal butcher shop in North Hollywood. And I go in, and they only sell them on Sundays. And I was looking around, where are the goats? That's the rule? Yes, that's what they do, and they're raised locally, and I then see just a loose pile of about 12 goat carcasses sitting on the butcher room floor, and then I go, there's

a bit of a language barrier, and I just go, one goat, and I was asking them to butcher it, you know, how I wanted it, and I just couldn't communicate, and so I said, just give me the whole goat. Did they skin it? It was skinned and gutted. Okay, that's good. Yeah, but it was definitely just a whole intact goat. And then I asked for one and then he just put it in a glad trash bag.

But I swear to God, this habit of hoof is just… Scented? Scented? No, not scented. Thank God. It was lavender. It was beautiful. It was actually Febreze.

No, but there's just a… It was Febreze? No, that's horrible. There was actually Febreze. No, but there's just a- It was Febreze? No, that's horrible. There's a hook sticking out, and I just threw it into the trunk of my Honda Civic. How heavy was it? And took it home, and I learned how to- It was only like 50 pounds.

It was a small-ish. It was like a cabrito, like a little goat. Okay, okay. And then I just went home- Do you hear how he's using- Cabrito? Yeah, he's using words from other languages just to sound impressive.

Makes me seem more culture. Yeah, it does. Literally. So then I took a hacksaw at home and I started hacksawing the goat in the pond. And then hacksawed the goat with its hoof. Yeah. Yeah, so that was a bit harrowing. But it was a fun time and I learned how to butcher a goat pretty well.

It's more intuitive than you think. I was going to say it's very intuitive butchering a goat. Yeah, yeah. Have you butchered a goat? Well, yeah. Well, I've butchered. Well, I went to culinary school, so I've butchered chickens and a whole half of a cow and a goat. Would you serve the foot on the chicken?

I mean, it's a creative choice. I think it can be jarring at times, but it depends what kind of message you want to send. I like chicken feet, but again, I like it prepared in a certain way. That's totally my point. It felt just a little like... Shock rock? Yeah. Exactly. I'm not into Alice Cooper chicken.

Everybody calm down. Everybody calm down. Is Ozzy biting a head off a bat of the culinary world? Yeah, because I feel like then, and now this is tangential, because I feel like then what you're saying you're not allowed to say you don't like the food. I think that's my problem. You're not allowed to say I don't like the food because it's like, oh, no, you just don't appreciate that I'm doing this.

Yeah. Yes. Seems like a chef is trying to push the limits. It's like I'm bringing over the head and I'm scooping brain and putting it on and then like looking at you like. Are you going to eat it? Yeah. It's a weird power move. It's a weird power move to do that.

It truly is. Well, we won't serve you goat brains unless you ask. I did a Dorito-crusted lamb brain once. That was actually really good. Hot Cheetos. Was it Hot Cheetos? Hot Doritos? It was Doritos.

Brian, what's your favorite recipe in your cookbook? Well, so part of the reason that this cookbook actually exists was um as i said i do a lot of grilling and barbecuing um and during covid you were just like looking for information to consume and it's like do i watch the sopranos for the eighth time or do i yeah the answer is always yes. Yes. I'm going through it right now, by the way. And I found this documentary on Netflix called Chef's Table Barbecue.

And it did – they had one episode from different barbecue masters from around the globe. Nice. And one of them was Rodney Scott in South Carolina. And randomly, I had now, it's been nine months, I haven't visited my parents. But first of all, I fall in love with the show. It's a very interesting show if you haven't seen it. And I end up having an excuse sort of for work to go to Nashville and end up driving hours and hours across. My parents are in South Carolina, but not in Charleston. And I was like, I'm going to go.

I'm going to go to Rodney Scott's joint there. I'd never been before because of this. And by the way, I start grilling and barbecuing more and more because what else are you doing during the pandemic? And went there, met some of the people working the pit. They were actually doing a hog. They do whole hog barbecue there. And, um, and yeah, so having a recipe of his, um, in here and, and that sort of time, it's sort of this whole book sort of comes out of that time. It feels like in a way, a culmination of me growing up in Georgia and just finding something that I love and continuing to do it. And then sort of through the pandemic and feel like I learned a lot more during that time and had so many great people, um, give their, their recipes and talents to the book. So I'm,

I'm really excited about it. That's incredible. I can feel the excitement coming off you. And that's one of the best things about barbecue is you can show up to a place and go, hey, can I see your rig? Yeah, yeah. They love to walk you in. Yeah. And I can't believe I haven't said that. The communal aspect of it comes from my history in the South. But, you know, it still happens today. It's like, what do you do? It's like you stand outside. Speaking of the Sopranos, you stand out in front of a grill or barbecue and you just talk about the meat while it's, uh, while it's cooking and what they did and how to do it better.

And you know, I, uh, yeah, I love it. And I could spend hours staring at that meat. Yeah. Oh man. All right, Nicole and Brian, we've heard what you and I have to say. Now it's time to find out what other wacky opinions we got rattling out there in the universe. It's time for a segment we call... Opinions are like casseroles. Yeah, you got it.

That booming tenor voice coming in. All right. Opinions are like casseroles. Do you get the innuendo, the pun? It's a joke. I get it. Half of a pun. Yeah. It's not great.

If you could offer a punch up, that'd be huge. I don't. I'll think about it. I appreciate that. Thanks. Hey, Josh and Nicole. This is Eric from Flint, Michigan. Hi, Eric.

My hot take is that not only are chicken thighs the superior protein for burritos, but smoked chicken thighs are absolutely God tier. Maybe S tier. I don't know what the S stands for, but I know that means it's good. Me neither, brother. Don't grill your chicken thighs. Don't roast them. Don't air fry them. Put them in a smoker. Put them in your burrito. I promise you it'll be the best thing you've ever eaten. It's a Callahan break pad guarantee on the box. All right. Love the show. Love the Mythical Kitchen. Thanks, guys.

Callahan break. Is that a Tommy Boy reference? Callahan, yeah. I think so. That old school. Look at him go. Wow. Love the Mythical Kitchen. Thanks, guys. Callahan, is that a Tommy Boy reference? Callahan, yeah, I think so. That old school. Look at him go. Wow. I love Tommy Boy. At first, I thought he snuck in an ad. He also didn't address me at all, which I found offensive, very offensive.

Go ahead. So he asked you, what was the question? No, I think he asked you. I got distracted by Callahan's. No, it was more an opinion yeah smoke chicken thighs are it's like the best way to cook a chicken thigh and then also putting them in a burrito post haste yes a great way to go okay uh weirdly we're not here at all to talk about chili but i will say because it is related, one of my favorite chilies from my other cookbook that I'm not currently here trying to sell.

Buy that one too. Buy the bundle. Yeah, buy that. The bundle. The Seriously Good Chili Cookbook. There is a smoked chicken thigh chili, which is delicious. Lots of steps, as you might, because you start with smoking chicken thighs.

Yeah. But yes, it is delicious. And I, yeah, I've had it in a burrito. Yes. They're great. I can't disagree with what he's saying. Yeah. I've never had smoked chicken in a burrito before,

but I'd like to. Have I? Yeah. I would like to. You probably have, right? Have I? I'm trying to. Have I? Yeah. I would like to. You probably have, right? Have I? I'm trying to think. When I would have.

I've had grilled chicken. I'm talking about at a taqueria. Yeah, but I mean, are they like smoking smoke? Yeah, yeah. We're talking about like a low and slow smoke. No, I've never experienced

that flavor combination. This is literally what we're talking about though, right? Like my favorite taco in the city right now is from a place called Sonoratown where they are- I went there last week.

Oh my God. It was so good. They are grilling. They're getting all their meat from Mexico and they're just grilling it over like live wood and it's so smoky

and so delicious and so like that's smoked in its own right. But it's not like a smoked and pulled chicken. Maybe I'm thinking of a smoked and pulled chicken is where I think

because I've never had that flavor combo but I would love to try that. I mean, why not? But either way what they're saying, like to me, if I had to choose one piece of an animal to eat for the rest of my life, it's a chicken thigh. It's just I cook chicken thighs like three nights a week. I love them so much.

I like chicken thighs too. There's enough fat in there to keep you interested. You know what I mean? Just to keep things a little lively. Yeah, I hear you. I don't disagree. Yeah, I hear you. I don't disagree, but I will say, as I said before, check out my chicken breast recipe in here.

I'm telling you. Well, you got to tell me about the technique. What are you doing to the chicken breast? I need to know. Part of it is sight. I try to describe it as best I can and feel, I guess. But it is cooking it over direct heat for a time and then at the appropriate time going to indirect low, so indirect heat, not low heat, indirect heat,

and cooking it for a very long time there. Oh, interesting. So it like slowly gets up to temps and up in. Are you marinating or? Marinade before, typically, yes. And there's a variety of marinades that I do use, but. Rad. Yeah.

Yeah, chicken breast, man. It takes a deft hand. I love chicken breast. It takes a deft hand, but it can be great. I love chicken in general. My favorite way to eat a chicken thigh is chicken adobo. Yeah. And that's where I stand.

Soy, vinegar, garlic, bay. And that's where I stand. Soy, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf. That's where I stand. Hey, guys. Rob from Cincinnati. And not really a hot take, but I love Cincinnati chili. A little chili on the noodles. Oh, man. But a good appetizer is hot sauce on and in an oyster cracker.

On and in? oyster cracker. On and in? So just letting you guys know. And big question, who would win in a fight between a grizzly bear and a tiger? We need to know. There's so much going on. Brian, if you could please take the first chili question of the day. Cincinnati chili. I mean, now I regret referencing chili before.

There was a direct pull because of that is, Cincinnati chili. I mean, now I regret referencing chili before. There was a direct pull because of that is what I do with the, and I did it pretty recently with the chicken thighs. Cincinnati chili is, I mean, look, I love the people of Cincinnati. My father hails from Cincinnati right across the Ohio river. So really he is from Cincinnati, Kentucky, little town, Fort Thomas, but you can see the city from there. I spent a lot of time there. Grater's Ice Cream. So I'm making people happy there in Cincinnati, the greatest ice cream in the world. Cincinnati chili with the chili on the noodles, it is decidedly not my thing. I don't, it's too, there is, as you just said about the entire question, there's a lot going on.

Lots unpacking. There's a lot with the noodles and the thing. And yeah, there is a, I think there's a nostalgia factor, and I'm not going to mention them contractually maybe by name, but there is a chili in Cincinnati that gets a lot of attention. I feel like it is possibly more nostalgic than actually high quality. We all know what you're talking about. There's only two chili spots. I respect Cincinnati chili. It has its roots in like Northern Greek and Macedonian.

Macedonia, yeah. Which is why there's that kind of like sweet palate on it with the warm spices. But it's not like chili con carne, right? Which is what we think of as chili. Yeah, sure. I'm more interested in the fact that this person is taking oyster crackers and popping them open like pani puri in Indian cuisine. Like pani puri. Oh, oyster crackers, he said.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, for the, I got it. I thought he was, now I thought he moved on to oysters. Well, we haven't even touched the grizzly bear question. I didn't even hear, yeah. I'm taking a grizzly bear for sure. I feel like a tiger has more will to live. I can just see it in their eyes, you know?

Who will win? Because they're about equal sizes. No. No grizzly bears. Really? Well, we're seeing grizzly bears, adult males, weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. That seems light. That seems light.

For the bear? This is the first Google result. A grizzly bear? Allegedly. Tigers can weigh up to 650 pounds. Are you sure? I don't think so. Listen, this is from inaturalist.org.

That is a reputable website. It has org in it. It has org in it. It has org in it. It says you. Grizzly bears are soft. They haven't grown up in the jungle. No, I think they're soft. I think I could beat a grizzly bear in a fight.

You know who I think wins? Humanity. Next opinion, please. Through deforestation. Hello, Nicole. And hello, Josh. Hi. I'm Ben.

Weird. A lot of people talk about a shower orange but for those of us that eat meat what i think is better is eating a whole bird with you just your hands she knows it can be a chicken it can be a turkey she knows there's just something really uh primal about it that's great and also you get the little choice morsels. So you can find the little fatty bits in the skin. Choice morsels. You got to do it at least once. All right.

Thank you. Bye-bye. We got another lower back tattoo qualifier, choice morsels. Is this eating the chicken in the shower or just eating the chicken like a feral beast? I was about to address that. Yeah. What is that? The shower orange.

I believe the idea is you should eat an orange in the shower because you always get a little sticky after eating an orange. It's refreshing and makes you feel good. And then you don't have to worry about being clean with your eating habits in the orange. A shower beer is the same vein. It's like enjoyable. Different. Entirely different.

No. Yeah. That's entirely different. No, it's not. You're not spilling the beer down you. No, no, no. It's the act. Or are Yeah, that's entirely different. No, it's not. You're not spilling the beer down you. No, no, no. It's the act. Or are you?

You guys are judging. It's the act of aromatizing and peeling the orange with the vapors in order for it to perfume the shower as you eat it. That's what a shower orange is for? Yeah. I've done this before. Have either of you done it before? So judgy. I've also done a shower beer before and a shower margarita.

A shower beer is a time issue. Yeah, a shower beer is just about pregame. 100%. Well, I think it smells nice and it tastes good. What kind of beer are you drinking in the shower? Crappy, like, Peronis. Okay. First of all, all hail the Peronis.

I have no issue with Peronis. Everybody judges me when I drink Peronis out and about. They're like, you're drinking a Peronis. No, it's just like the chicken foot. I have no issue with Peronis. Everybody judges me when I drink Peronis out and about. They're like, you're drinking a Peroni. Oh, no. It's just like the chicken foot. They're just wanting to have a local IPA, but not because they enjoy it. I don't like IPAs. I hate IPAs.

Not because they enjoy it. Yes, thank you. Say it. Why do we have similar tastes? This is great. I love it. I drank a 9.5% triple hazy IPA. Just to prove you can.

Just to prove you can. My first sip, I almost dry heaved. Yeah, of course you did. Because that sucks nasty. So mad. It was a hot day. All I wanted was a cold, crisp beer.

What kind of IPA do you have? Zero. Who cares? Zero. Okay, but the orange is all about, you guys don't get it. It's the act of oranging.

I'm not. It's the act of opening the orange and having it. Wait, no, no, hold on. You said it's the act of oranging. It is the act of oranging. We're calling it the act of oranging. It is the act of oranging. We're calling it the act of oranging.

I'm still killing myself over one extra syllable 45 minutes ago, but oranging. The great oranging. You must all do it. But is she talking about eating the chicken in the shower? This is what I want to know. I believe she's talking about eating chicken without inhibitions. I love doing that. Because to me, that's what a shower orange is about.

You can get as sticky and as messy as you want to. Eating a whole bird and then immediately this is what I do when Julia goes out of town and I just take a whole rotisserie chicken and I just claw and scrape

at it until it's all inside me. It's a fun way to eat. It's a fun way to eat. I'll take a jar of salsa verde wide mouth and then I take just my whole fingers

holding claws of chicken and I dip the whole thing in the salsa verde and I go You don't do that afterwards. Do you make that sound? Yeah, you don't only do that when Julia's out of town. You do it like fingers holding claws of chicken and I dip the whole thing in the salsa verde and I go. You don't do that. Do you make that sound? Yeah, you don't only do that when Julia's out of town. You do it like at lunchtime here often.

She's also, Julia's also not here during lunchtime, so I can do it. It's good. It's good. Yeah, it's nice. I, yeah, let me just say, just to be very, to be very clear. Holidays are, are at, at, in my household, my family, my extended family, are typically cooked by me. And I will say, if I am then after cooking, which, by the way, I think is unfair. It's like if I cook the turkey, somebody else needs to just carve it, right?

Fair, yeah. Just somebody else. I agree. carve it, right? Fair, yeah. Just somebody else. I agree. But if I then have to, I will kind of when no one is looking, because it is, you know,

I will get in there to get some of the bits. Yeah. Okay. So that is one. I will admit to doing that, and I understand wanting to get that. However, the idea of just like pulling out bits and then shoving it into my mouth. Yes.

No, that's. No. I don't. Not only. Not only. I love it. Not only would I not do that. I have no desire to do it.

And yes, you like it? Of course. I love it. But also Josh and I are feral beasts. So there's also that. Okay. Well, there you I are feral beasts, so there's also that. Okay. Well, there you go. To each their own.

Us three in my Nissan Altima, three birds, no rules. We're going to do it. Come on. Lean in, Brian. Do I have to? No. Am I conjaculing? It's a 2017 Altima.

It's a good Altima, you know? We got the power seats. Just to eat in there? You'd allow it? Are they carpeted seats? We're going to be chicken. Of course, they're carpeted seats. You want to get the chicken aroma stuck in there? Are they carpeted seats? We're going to be chicken. Of course they're carpeted seats. You want to get the chicken aroma stuck in there.

Oh, my God. But it's like oranging in the shower. Oranging in the shower. Everyone needs to do it. Everybody stop. It's the best thing ever. Highly recommended. Eat a pineapple in there, why don't you?

Live your life. YOLO. Swag. Orange in the shower is so, so different than a chicken in an Ultima. Us three. That's what you think. Three oranges in a. On that note, Brian, thank you so much for stopping by the podcast.

Everyone make sure to check out Brian's new book, Seriously Good Barbecue Cookbook. Also check out Seriously Good Chili Cookbook. Buy the bundle. You got a special price on the bundle? Yeah. I don't know what it is. Seriouslygoodbarbecue.com.

Brian, where else can the people find you? Me, personally? Give them your address. I don't want them to find me.

Come over for barbecue. I have no desire. You can find me on the social medias at BBBomb Baumgartner. And you know why? Because Twitter back in the day wouldn't fit Ryan Baumgartner.

That's true. And then I'm like, well, you want to keep it the same. So now everything is just BB Baumgartner. Good luck spelling it. Good luck finding him at his home address. And thank you all so much for listening to A Hot Dog is a Sandwich We have new audio episodes Out every Wednesday

We got the videos out On Sundays If you want to be featured On opinions or like casseroles Hit us up at 833-DOG-POD-1 Our number again Is 833-DOG-POD-1

And we got more videos Out on the Mythical Kitchen Channel over on YouTube Check it out You know the deal is Again Brian Thank you so much For coming down man

I had a lovely conversation Thanks so much Thanks guys There's that one piece Underneath the turkey. It's the wettest piece. The oyster? It's not even the oyster.

It's like the stringy bit. The wettest, stringiest bit? It's the best. Yeah, yeah, yeah. All you smoke. Yeah, yeah. I'm all about it. All right.