2012 KCBS Chicken Champion Harry Soo uses no wood


 
Sounds incredibly interesting - but isn't the point of using the WSM (or any smoker for that matter) to use different types of smokewood to get that perfect cut of meat? Don't get me wrong - people will use indirect cookers however they please, but I feel like people like Harry Soo who use a myriad of sugars and sauces and mops and glazes really takes away from true BBQ. Now there's this recipe with no wood. I'm sure it tastes great (who am I to criticize a champion BBQ guy?) but I feel like it takes the fun out of it! My two cents, I suppose.
 
I've smoked wings with Kbb and no smokewood, specifically Dougherty's Wings, which are cooked indirect in a pile and repeatedly mopped with a sweet jerk/beer mop. They were good, but I much prefer to put my smoke flavor on chicken from a little wood, whether it's cherry, sassafrass, pecan, or whatever. Personally, I think the answer to Harry's success in that regard is that contests are just different than everyday supper cooks, and a more subtle smoke flavor is probably a refreshing change for the judges' palates. I will add though, that Kbb has to burn clean, or there's nothing subtle about it.
 
My opinion on this is that the KCBS judges gave Slap Yo Daddy high scores because they are more familiar with the flavor of chicken cooked over Kingsford Blue than chicken cooked over a mix of Mesquite/Cherry/whatever the teams want to get fancy with.

It makes sense to me that the average person across this country eats grilled chicken that was done over charcoal about 5X-10X more per year than they eat chicken that is smoked over natural woods. They are more familiar with it, and generally speaking, people tend to like things they are familiar with.

This train of thought doesn't take into any rubs or other flavorings that you could put on your chicken, so that certainly adds something else to work on, but I think this wood-less method for chicken is going to become more popular in future competitions.
 
Competition vs home bbq. Some techniques used in competition bbq work well for the home bbq'er while others don't. Also, the flavor profile the competition q'ers look for might not please the better tvwbb q'ers. Use "no wood" as one way to improve your bbq chicken, but not as the absolute way to cook chicken.
 
Some 'food' for thought...

Harry uses only 1 18.5" WSM. He cooks all 4 KCBS meats on it... in 1 continuous cook. He starts out with brisket and butt together. When those are 'done', he goes for the ribs and finally adds the chicken. He doesn't relight the coals and does put wood on at the beginning of this whole cook. SO... while he may not add additional wood for the chicken, isn't there still some 'residual' wood / coals / 'smokey influence' left from the original wood chunks ?
 
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Bob Bass said:
Some 'food' for thought...

Harry uses only 1 18.5" WSM. He cooks all 4 KCBS meats on it... in 1 continuous cook. He starts out with brisket and butt together. When those are 'done', he goes for the ribs and finally adds the chicken. He doesn't relight the coals and does put wood on at the beginning of this whole cook. SO... while he may not add additional wood for the chicken, isn't there still some 'residual' wood / coals / 'smokey influence' left from the original wood chunks ?
Click to expand...

In the link below he says he uses two WSM's in comps and there is a picture of him with two.

http://tvwbb.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=21&d=1348900427
 
I might be mistaken, but I believe I read or heard in an interview that he's gone back to cooking on only one, at least for many bbq comps.
 
Tom_M said:
In the link below he says he uses two WSM's in comps and there is a picture of him with two.
Click to expand...

Tom, You are correct. He did use 2, prior to this last year. Harry is one who seems to enjoy a good challenge. Donna Fong, The Butcher's Daughter BBQ Team, also competes with a single 18.5 WSM and does very well.

During class, early last year, he used 3 WSMs and a couple of other grills and smokers. Of course there were more mouths to feed than just 6 judges and a few additional meats beyond the KCBS 4.

Bob
 
Last time I saw Harry was at the Royal, and he had 2 wsms. He actually borrowed them as he flew from CA to MO.
Guess the TSA wouldn't allow him to claim they were carry on.:cool:
 
Bob Bass said:
Some 'food' for thought...

Harry uses only 1 18.5" WSM. He cooks all 4 KCBS meats on it... in 1 continuous cook. He starts out with brisket and butt together. When those are 'done', he goes for the ribs and finally adds the chicken. He doesn't relight the coals and does put wood on at the beginning of this whole cook. SO... while he may not add additional wood for the chicken, isn't there still some 'residual' wood / coals / 'smokey influence' left from the original wood chunks ?
Click to expand...

This is the great thing about Harry, how accessible he is...I swung by his website and asked him and this is what he said:

"There is no more wood in my WSM by the time I cook the chicken on Saturday morning.
I use 4 chunks of hickory and 4 chunks of apple when I start my pit at 7 pm on Friday. They are all gone by the time my chicken goes in."
 
J Hoke said:
Last time I saw Harry was at the Royal, and he had 2 wsms. He actually borrowed them as he flew from CA to MO.
Guess the TSA wouldn't allow him to claim they were carry on.:cool:
Click to expand...

I was in two KCBS comps with him last year and he indeed only used one WSM.. quite a demonstration of skill level.
 
Practiced my IBCA chicken for an upcoming competition here in Fort Worth.

Used KBB and did indirect heat on a Weber Kettle with no wood. ~325.

Best chicken I've ever made. I'm no chicken expert and usually my birds end up what I would give 5/10, but this was easily 9/10. Skin could have been a tad crispier, but it still bite-through.

I recommend this method to you guys that cook IBCA half chicken.
 
Hi Max,

Wishing you the very best (all 10s) at the competition !!!
A nice bite-through is soooooo much more welcomed than wearing it after the bite... lol

Bob
 
Tim O said:
Sounds incredibly interesting - but isn't the point of using the WSM (or any smoker for that matter) to use different types of smokewood to get that perfect cut of meat? Don't get me wrong - people will use indirect cookers however they please, but I feel like people like Harry Soo who use a myriad of sugars and sauces and mops and glazes really takes away from true BBQ. Now there's this recipe with no wood. I'm sure it tastes great (who am I to criticize a champion BBQ guy?) but I feel like it takes the fun out of it! My two cents, I suppose.
Click to expand...

I completely agree.
 
My friend Jimmy had a WSM and made great pulled pork on it with just charcoal and no wood added.
He made brisket, prime rib, chicken and much more, with charcoal only, no wood added. He has moved
on to the promised land now, but if he were still here, he would probably add one of his cigars to my coals
just to mess with me.
 
I've used some lump that have given a pretty smokey flavor to chicken. kingsford, not so much IMO.
 
It is NOT the Kingsford that gives the smokey flavor to his chicken, period.
It's the result of using a dedicated smoker (no fish nor hot dogs...) that has been properly seasoned AND the residual smoke flavor that the WSM takes on during and after a smoke. He does put wood in, but ONLY at the start of the smoke. Brisket & Pork, followed by Ribs, then Chicken.

KCBS judges do not like excessive smoke flavor! And chicken takes on smoke extremely easy. Just the hint of smoke 'aroma' is enough to flavor the chicken.
 
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Tim O said:
Sounds incredibly interesting - but isn't the point of using the WSM (or any smoker for that matter) to use different types of smokewood to get that perfect cut of meat? Don't get me wrong - people will use indirect cookers however they please, but I feel like people like Harry Soo who use a myriad of sugars and sauces and mops and glazes really takes away from true BBQ. Now there's this recipe with no wood. I'm sure it tastes great (who am I to criticize a champion BBQ guy?) but I feel like it takes the fun out of it! My two cents, I suppose.
Click to expand...

Well the point of using the WSM is to make some tender eats...Right? Smoke or not. The WSM is my go to every time i want a solid smoke flavour. If not im using the Primo...For the fuel efficiency(but it doesent add the same smoke)
 
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