Breaking Bread with Tom Papa - Episode 42 - Rodney Scott

Episode Date: February 23, 2021

It's world class barbecue time with the one and only Rodney Scott of Rodney Scott's Whole Hog Barbecue! And we grab a Quick Bite with the hilarious Sam Morril! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Hey, it's our goal Hey, it's time for Breaking Bread with Papa. Hey, don't you know? Hey, it's also a show. Hey! Hey, everybody, welcome to another edition of Breaking Bread with Tom Papa. I am Tom Papa, and I am your host. I am your bread baker.

I am your comedian friend. And I have put together another delightful program where we get to sit and break bread with, two very talented people. You are going to love this one, my friends. You're going to love it. We've got Rodney Scott. Pitmaster, James Beard Award winning chef from the Holhog barbecue restaurants.

Hales from South Carolina. He was on my radio show. He's one of the coolest people. I've ever met, and he is one of the top barbecue people of all time, and he is going to be here with us. You are going to love it. He's inspiring and funny and knowledgeable, and he has a new book coming out. He has a saying, every day is a good day. He wears it on his shirt. He preaches it everywhere he goes, and now it is on the cover of his new book, which I really recommend that you pre-order immediately. We're also. We're also.

going to take a quick bite with my good friend Sam Meryl, great comedian who's sticking it out in New York City. He is the most active guy during the pandemic doing shows on rooftops, on street corners, in his shower. He will not stop. He's a great, great comedian, great joke writer. And we will give a call to him and see what he's been up to. He is, I just saw him doing a show. He's, he's, I just saw him doing a the other night. I'll bring it up with them when we call them. And it made me want to get on an airplane and head back to New York. Mm. Life. So Rodney Scott and Sam Relle is a good combination. I'm very excited about it. I'm also very excited. I want to get right to it. I want to spend too much time here in the intro. But I do have to share something with you. Thank you for

subscribing. If you haven't subscribed to this, please do and like it and subscribe. It's very important that we keep spreading the word and growing the community. It is growing every week, and I thank you so much for doing that. If you can subscribe and have them just show up so you never miss an episode, and you also get all the back episodes, you know, comedy, friendship, food, done. I, last night, went to a restaurant. Yeah, one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Los Angeles. It's a place called Panzanelles. And we have not been there in over a year because we are coming up on the year anniversary of this whole shutdown situation. And I know that we are coming up on that anniversary

because it is also my wedding anniversary. When Tom Hanks got COVID, I was on. the way to celebrate my wedding anniversary and we had a kind of a strange dinner that night and then came home and then never went out again. And here in Los Angeles, there's been some attempts at doing some dining here and there fits and starts. We made progress and then took five steps back last night as the numbers of people in trouble has plummeted. I know there's all reasons for it and hopefully it will all stick and the vaccine will hold and everything will be great for us. I'm not here to broadcast the future. I'm here to recall a story from the not too distant past last night. You guys, I sat in a restaurant. The familiar smells of this place, it's my go-to Italian restaurant here in Los Angeles.

and they converted it's outdoor but so warm that I had to take my jacket off sorry Minnesota and they have these long these big walls that are all painted and kind of tan it felt like like like a courtyard in Tuscany now I know I know it wasn't I know that I may be recalibrating in my head what these joyous things are because it's been so long. But I'm telling you, it felt transportive. Of course, the nice fairy lights, the waiters, the stuff, the best moment, I think, was just coming in with my wife. We hadn't been, and I don't think the two of us have gone out like that since all of this started. You know, we've snuck out to get coffee when we're allowed to do that, or these little moments. But we have not been able to just see.

sit like grown-ups on an evening with no children, no troubles, no pets, not making anything yourself. And look, I know a big part of this show is me talking about how it's important that we cook for ourselves. And it is, but once in a while you need to be inspired and get out. And there are certain things that you can order that you shouldn't be making it home, especially when it's just you eating it. You know, if I'm going to get a lasagna, a meat-based lasagna, I'm not making that at home for 12 hours. So I'm the only one that eats it in the house.

No, there's certain things you have to go out for. And you know how I love an ice cold martini. I make them well. I do a good job. I enjoy the process. but to sit at a table with a crisp white tablecloth, have a gentleman come and bring it on a tray and place it before me. It felt normal.

It felt good. And we just let someone else do the work. I kind of sitting there and being served and being able to order the things that I really enjoy and have this conversation. and then walk out the door and not have to do dishes, I feel like this is how my daughters have been living the entire pandemic. When they come into the kitchen and say,

demand what they want for dinner, and I make it, and then clean up and set the table, and then they just waltz out with a cigarette hanging from their lip and go back about their lives, tick-talking it away. Oh, you forget. It feels like,

I felt like I was the chef who has been opening his new restaurant and has been working so hard for so many hours for a year straight, just trying to get the thing off the ground. And then somebody invited him to go to a different restaurant. And he walked in not as the chef, not as the guy with worries, not with a guy with concerns, but just as a patron. And it was a delight. Just a treat. I can only hope, my friends, that we are going to keep marching forward. I hope that we don't slide back too much. I'm sure there will be some problems.

But I hope that you all are safe and I hope that we rise out of this. And I get to come to your town and order a martini alongside of you. And I am not exaggerating when I say that. I know there are thousands of people who listen to this podcast all around the country. we've got time. I don't see a reason why. I can't sit with each and every one of you. It's a lot of martinis, so maybe some of it will be coffee,

some of it will be just a little biscotti, maybe it'll be a slushy at the 7-Eleven. I don't know. But I do not see a reason why as we head back out and start doing shows and I get to come to your towns that we cannot break bread together. Oh, I can't wait. That being said, check tompapa.com

because starting in April, I'm starting to poke out and do some shows. So Omaha, Nebraska, I had to cancel last November. You're the first ones on the list. Omaha, Nebraska, April 17th, I believe. Ooh, get out the shaker. Get out the out. I'm coming.

All right, let's jump into the interviews today. Let's break bread with Rodney Scott. This guy is an inspiration. This guy I am going to make my friend. That's why I do this podcast to reinforce my relationships with people and also meet new people and experience their ideas and their upbringing and the great food that they've eaten. and Rodney Scott has got a story to tell. I got a copy of his new book that's coming out.

You can pre-order it now. It tells the story of him coming along through a family business and then breaking out on his own. He's very, he's an artist. He really is. He's thoughtful about the music, about the paint color, but most of all, the barbecue. And this is a, even if you don't get a whole hog, and barbecue it yourself, you should read this book because it gives you an appreciation for the people who do. It gives you an appreciation for everything that goes behind it. And it is a perfect

example of when people put their heart and soul into something and they make something exceptional. That is Rodney Scott. And then, after that interview, we will get on the phone and get a quick bite with my good friend Sam Morel. Go to sammorel.com. Look up his specials. He's got a great special that he did during COVID that is available off through his website. Such a funny guy. We have such a funny conversation. You're going to enjoy this one. So let's not waste any more time. Ladies and gentlemen, please sit down, open a bottle of wine, pop open a beer, mix yourself a cocktail, and enjoy Rodney Scott. Good to see.

You too, man. Is that better? Yeah, that looks great. And you sound good. You sound good, you look good. Bowes better do us, right? They're not cheap, cheat, cheat. I know.

I have a stack from all of my traveling on the road as a comic. I have a stack of headphones that I've gone through the years. I just never throw them out. So I just have like this stack. Like, man, there's a lot of money spent on this stuff. Yes, I got a bunch of them too. I looked in the box last night. I was like, what was I thinking?

I know. I know. And some of them are like big and heavy. Yep. Some of them. I actually have the wireless, the new Bose wireless ones, which are really light and really nice. And I can't find them.

I'm tearing the house apart. Uh-oh. Uh-oh, better find those. I know, I know. I wore my shirt in honor of your shirt. This is why you're doing great shirt. Yes. Just stand in the airport.

You wear it at. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah, because last time you were on, you were wearing your, every day is a good day shirt. Yeah. And I love that. I love that.

I love your philosophy. philosophy. We're very close in our thought process about the world. Yes. So tell us to tell our new listeners this is a I'll do a proper intro when when you're offline so you don't have to have to blush. These lights are super bright in my eyes right here. Hold on me. That's a little better. Okay. Yeah, those There's sometimes I do the radio show with the lights in my face And I kind of stumble out of the room

Yeah When it's over Because behind the ring light is this window And it's like Yeah Congratulations on the book Let's start there Thank you, thank you

I'm excited about that book It's beautiful I got a I've got an advance PDF copy of it. And it's great. Oh, man. It's so, it's just, we'll get into what it's all about because it tells a great story and

everything and great recipes and all this cool stuff to it. But just as a visual thing, you've got to be pretty happy. It seems like it captures the joy of what you do. Man, I'm extremely happy with the book and everything from the way it was written to the story being told to, uh, uh, the, the picture. everything, man. It's, it's, it felt good. It felt like a goal, a goal was accomplished. Yeah. I mean, it's got, you know, it's got a lot of, a lot of years go into that thing. I mean, you probably could have doubled the size of it. You probably had to trim stuff back.

Yeah, we did trim a little bit back. We did. Yeah. It's, it's such a, it's such a cool thing because it's, it's not just, uh, it's not just, uh, it's not just, a celebration of what you do and also sharing how we can do it, but it's also a sharing of your philosophy. And why don't you tell the people who are tuning in for the first time what every day is a good day means and where that came from? Man, first of all, every day is a good day means, you know, you can make it great. You can make everything the best of your abilities today. You can be in control of your happiness throughout the day. Right. Excuse me.

And it came from feeling a little down, a little disappointed about how I was carrying out my life and my day-to-day routines felt like they were going in circles. And you know, when you go in circles, you make a zero. And I didn't want to be a zero. I wanted to come out. I wanted to do something different. And I stopped letting the day-to-day routine get me down by saying to myself, every day is a good day.

And I control my happiness. I control my destiny. I can get past this if I continuously say it. Right, right. And what age were you when you were starting to think this way? Oh, man, I want to say I must have been about 30. I must have been about 30, 31 when I started saying it. And I remember saying it to a couple of people and some would appreciate it and some would look at me as if I was crazy.

They were like, yeah, right. You know, I'm out here cutting wood. saw us is all in my boots and in my face and my clothes and I'm saying to myself every day is a good day and I say to the guy next to me he was like man it's hot out here too hot for all that I just kept saying it and I noticed that it made me feel good so right yeah you say in the book that you say in the book that someone would ask you like how is how are you doing you're like every day is a good day and feeling pretty good and they'd be like yeah but you just went through this bad news and this bad news and that bad news. And you're like, it doesn't matter. That's just

the stuff I have to go through. That doesn't change where I'm at and where I'm going. Yeah. It doesn't. You know, I heard a bishop say one time, it's a journey. Life's a journey. You know, you're going to encounter people along the way and things along the way that are not meant to be at the end of the destination. So, you know, that's part of the game. You know, it's going to be a speed bump here or there. but you got to keep going. Yeah. And I love the idea that you can change it.

You actually said in the book, when I wrote it down, I make myself an optimist. Yes. And that attitude is my success. And I like that because it's a lot of times people have the idea that, well, you're just born that way or it just kind of happens. You're just always optimistic. But no, you actually have to flip a switch.

in your head and work on it. You have to flip that switch. You have to maintain control in this way that you know how your day is going to be. You know how your day is going to end. And I constantly flip that switch from the worst bit of news to,

okay, we're going to get past this sooner than later. And if you sit and indulge and all the negativity, man, you can never be happy. You know, and me, Rodney Scott, I like the party. So I'm going to do my

best to have fun as much as I can. Yeah, yeah. I love that too. I love the, when you talk about, just to give a little history, we'll go back and tell the people the story, but I loved when you went to Charleston and you were starting to work on the place, and before you're opening, in the book, it says that they, not only could they smell that you were coming because you were practicing the smoking and you were getting the kitchen ready, but they could hear that you were coming because your music was playing all the time. I thought it was going to be, oh, they heard the machinery. They heard like the stuff.

No, but it was your music that was pumping out. And music is a huge part of your whole life. Actually, before we were going, I was listening to Teddy Pendergrass in your honor. Yes, there you go. Yes, that's my era, man. Oh, man, that is perfect morning music. You can't see. start the day off wrong with that music.

You can't. You can't. And yeah, the music is a big huge for me. You know, I had to have it in the pits. I had to have it where it could keep me occupied to a point where I can get the job done and then extend that positive feel with some great food.

And the average barbecue, people have music playing in the backyards. So why not give you that backyard feel just around the corner when you're taking a break for lunch? That was my goal. It was my goal. I want to take you home for a minute, you know? Yeah, yeah. All right. So when you, let's go back. When you're starting, when you're starting out, your father had started doing a little barbecue one day a week out of his shop, right? That's kind of where the, where the Scott barbecue lineage starts. And he evolves and it grows, it gets bigger. He starts making his way and he recruits you in.

And you say in the book at 11 years old is when the first hog that you really, that you really barbecued or smoked, right? Yes. Yes. So this is a, tell me a little bit about how you at 11 years old, you know, you're seeing your father do it, knowing that it's hard work. A lot of people could end up being turned off by that and going the other direction. And I know it seemed like you went and you tell this great.

story in the book about this path, you kind of go back and forth a little bit as you're finding your way. As you're growing, you've got your dad, which is a big, you know, a big figure, you know, that's, you want to run from that and be that and that's complicated. But what starts driving your little brain at 11 at 11? How do you get through your teen years and start to think maybe I'll end up continuing on this path? Man, first of all, you get through those teen years. You're years pretty painfully when you got to do a lot of physical labor because you're growing and you're doing all of this work. But yeah, first of all, it was it was the job. It was the chore. It was your to do duty. Yeah. And this is what I had to do. So I didn't enjoy all of it.

And the 11, the 11 year old hog cooking was if you want to go to this basketball game, this is what you're going to have to do today. Not knowing that someone was watching me the entire time. But all the same time back then, you didn't get the full opportunity to fire the hogs all day. Your job was either to help clean up, but wood in the barrel. And here was an opportunity as well as a chore for me. And I did it. And, you know, I didn't get a chance to do it continuously after 11, but it was every now and again, I would assist with it or help out with it. Right.

So it was kind of a bittersweet moment where I get to do it, but I don't really want to be doing this right now. Yeah. So then it weighed into school breaks. You know, then you had to help around the pits. And I just tried to find my way to make the best of it. And I found out about supply and demand. And I was like, wow, food is necessary regardless. And this is what we're doing.

Yeah. But it's got to be, but it's confusing because you actually have a chapter in the book saying, I hate the holidays. Yes. I hated the holidays. Oh, my goodness. To this day, I can't believe. that I can really enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It's simply because during the holidays, you went to the store with my folks and you continuously worked throughout the holidays. So it was cooking 10, 12 or whatever hogs a day. And all these people are taking their barbecue home. And I'm stuck here at this pit. I've been here all day or all night, whichever time of the year was. and just constantly working. So my holidays meant that I'm going to be cutting wood and cooking hogs almost the entire time

that the school is on break. Man, oh man. That's tough as a kid. That's tough. Oh, it was tough. Oh, you want to beat your dad up for making you do it. You just want to run. Kicking the hogs.

A couple of dogs came along. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But then you talk about your dad a little bit. He sounds like he was a loving but strict character. My dad was the type that you didn't sleep late. You woke up whether you're working or not.

You got up and he went to work. And he wasn't the real affectionate type. But you knew he cared. He provided. He made sure everything was there that I needed. And he would try to even teach you life lessons, like what not to do, what to do and how to do certain things. And he was pretty strict with labor.

Yeah. You know, if it was a Saturday and you were at the pits and you were caught up, you were never caught up, you were never finished, find something else to do, stand here until I tell you, you can go. It was that type of thing. And if he had everything caught up that he wanted done, well, he knew somebody down the road that he farmed with a little bit, bit or work with. If they needed a hand, guess what? He sent you there. Wow. So it was, it was,

you always had to stay busy. Yeah. You know, they had to sing, an idle mind is the devil's playground. So they kept us busy farming, cutting wood, cleaning up, cutting grass, powing feet. Whatever we needed to do, he was the type to make sure that you were always busy. Right, right. It's interesting because you, when you talk about, like, you know, having a good time also as a, as a teen and like going to the clubs that are a little further away from your house and like coming back, you could tell like you were, you were more mature than I'm sure like a lot of your friends. Like even just the way you were talking about your strategy of, all right, I'll get to the club. I'm not going to get in trouble. That was your thing. I was like, I'm not getting in trouble.

I'm not going to mess with the police. I'm not going to jail. I'm going to be smart about this, but I'm going to enjoy myself. And I'm going to get to the club. I'll have one drink at 11. Then maybe have another drink. And then I'll be dancing and having a good time. And I'll be sobered up by the time I'm going home.

And then you don't even think, but then you, I'm like, all right, that's a good plan. And then you're like, no, but I'm going to wait and let a couple other cars go before me. Yeah. That's what you do. That was the plan. So you had this four lane highway that went for about three, three, four miles one way coming from this club. And you could see nothing but darkness. You're in rural areas, man.

It's super dark. So you let these three or four cars that's going the same direction, you go take off. Right? So they go. It's only one, it's probably one, maybe two cops out there for 25 miles. So what you do is you let them go first and you wait. and as you wait, you watch them, you let them stay in sight as far as you can. Just leave enough room for the cops to turn around if they get pulled over.

That's all you had to do. That was my strategy. Yeah. That was the strategy. It was smart. It was mature. You could tell. You were you were wiser than your years, it sounded like.

I think so. The average person that I hung out with was in. anywhere from three to 10 years older than I was. And, you know, working around the pits, that's, that was the effect. Older folks hung out because no kids were hanging around like that. So everybody that was three to five, three to ten years older was always in my circle. And I listened to them and hear how they talk, watch what they do, how they live. Right.

And try to say, when I get that age, I'll be ready. Right, right, right. Doesn't really work, but some of it makes sense. Yeah, some of it sticks. So at what point, at what point, you know, you're kind of working under your father and you're, you're learning all this stuff. At what age do you start to kind of own it yourself and start to make little decisions of like, or even them want to make decisions of how to make this whole experience better from the shop to the, to the barbecue itself? When did you start thinking, like, I'm going to start

putting my stamp on this. Wow. I want to say I must have been about maybe 27, 28. And the first thing I did without asking was my dad was strict on how many hogs we would finish at a finish at a time. So if we had four hogs laid out on the pits, you would only crisp the skin and season one hog at a time. Right? And he didn't want to no other way. So you just, you move that hog to that hot pit and the next hog over to that hot pit and you only use one at a time.

Well, I noticed that the closeness in the pits, we could do four at a time again, back of the holidays that I was hating and ready to go home. I said, if I get all of these done, I can get out of here in the next hour and a half. So I decided to put my signature, the first few. of my signature on getting two to four hogs done at once. This way, we're so far ahead of the game because we're super busy. Right. By the time they pulled that one hog and they're asking for the next one, the next one is ready to go.

And so I sort of created a slim little adjustment on things, you know? Yeah. But it did he take it? He did not like it at first. until he noticed that we got behind during one holiday and said, y'all need to hurry up. And I said, I got two ready. And he was looking at me, you got two ready. Yes, sir, I got two ready.

So that was the first time that I started to put my little stamp on one or two minor changes around what he taught me. Right, right. Very cool. I always like the idea and you changed the color of the building. Yes. Tell me that story. Deborah Wallace. Debra Wallace, economics taught us that there was an inside thought in the brain somehow.

I can't, you know, explain it that the average fast food joint has red, yellow, and orange colors. So if you're riding the interstate, those colors say, hey, come here. Come on. Right. Right? I do not want to be the average fast food. food joint. I wanted to get your attention, but I didn't want to look like everybody else. Right. So during this time, I discovered the Carolina Blue. And I said, wow, that's unique.

It's not orange. It's not red. It's bright. So I asked, I said, can we paint the building? And my mom said, yeah. I said, can I pick out the color? And they let me pick the color out. And here came the Carolina Blue. and I said, and I was coming from school one day and I saw the paint. It was passing by. And I looked at the building before we got there. And I said, perfect. This should be the color that everybody sees from everywhere. Yeah.

And here we are. Still sticking with that Carolina blue. It's so sweet. It really makes, it really does something to you. Like when you look at it, it's, it's, uh, it's energetic, but it's soothing at the same time. Yeah. Yeah. I've heard things that it's supposed to be a calming color and it's also supposed to ward off evil spirits. Ah. I don't know. I don't know. It seems to be working. I hope so. So when you, when you, by the time, when did you end up going to Charleston?

When did that, when does that move happen in the story? Man, um, 2016 was when the adjustment started for Charleston. Um, we started getting the construction together, uh, started getting the paper up in the window, getting the restaurant situated. And we opened February of 2017. Okay. So by this time, I think I'm about 40. Right. 45.

So you, so you. So, you. So, you. So. So. So the shop in Hemingway was you going for a while? Yes, I've been going from Hemingway now, going on about six years. Uh-huh.

Yeah. But no, I mean, like you had been doing that for a while before you go to Charleston. Yes, I've been doing that for quite a while before I went to Charleston. Yes. Right, right, right. Okay. I thought Charleston was in Hemingway. Yeah, I thought Charleston was earlier.

I thought that you made that jump. that's pretty recent. Recent was when we opened the restaurant. In 2010 was when we started doing events in Charleston. Right. So, you know, Charleston kind of adopted the Rodney Scott Whole Hogg tradition in a sense that, hey, we got food here in Charleston, but if you feel like it, there's a little area a little further out.

So Charleston kind of, you know, I mentioned us every now and again in their scene, especially when we did wine and food festival that they did every year here in Charleston. So that kind of got us to recognition in Hemingway. Oh, I see. That led to the thoughts and ideas and to moving into Charleston. Right, right, right. I'm very interested in when people do things great, how you end up doing it consistently. Like how, I mean, because there's these main, like your sauce is a big thing, picking out the hogs is the right, is a thing, the wood, what kind of wood you're going to smoke?

Like, how do you, those factors all seem like very slippery and they could change all the time. How do you just do it so consistently, especially like even in the beginning, like when you're doing this stuff like on the road, when you're showing up at these festivals and you've got to like, you're taking your show out like on the road and you're going to, impress these people you've never seen before. Like, how do you have the confidence that it's all going to be the same Rodney Scott's stuff? Because, like, I make bread. I make stuff in my kitchen. You know, every, every shot is something. I'm a surprise as everybody else how it's going to be.

Well, I'm always nervous about every delivery. I don't care where it is, how big the crowd is. There's always a nervous feel when there's a. remote job. And consistency is very, very important when it comes to food, we know. Doing it on the road is even more of a challenge because sometimes you're going to be faced with different ingredients, different environments, elements that are around you. So you have to be prepared to adjust. And when in doubt, you just got to remember, this is how I do it at home. Get as close to it as you can because you never know what you're

going to fix. So there's always a nervous excitement. of what I'm going to face when I'm on the road. And I hope to bring the consistency or the satisfaction to whatever event that I'm doing to hopefully just just focus on the moment. Right. I try to focus on that moment of what I'm doing at a remote event to try to get it done. That sounds like it's process. Like the process is the thing. Yes.

It is a big thing. You know, I ran into a situation once where I was cooking. in France. And the vinegar was different than what we used here. Oh. Oh, M. G. Yeah.

Oh, man. That sounds huge. It was scary and it was time for an adjustment. And one thing I learned about going on the road is, if you have a whole hog to do, don't be afraid to carry a couple of other ingredients with you just in case. And that's the only other thing that gives me confidence when I'm on these remote jobs. about getting consistency because if you carry a little extra, you may need a little more of this. You may not need as much of that or, you know, that's the only satisfaction I can give myself.

Right, right. I'm doing these remote jobs because each one scares the hell out of it. Yeah, it sounds terrifying. I mean, man, you're faced with, I mean, because the sauce is, I mean, is the sauce that, would you put sauce above the smoke as far as, is what's going to change the alter the flavor of this end product? Oh man, me, I pay attention to it all. I don't know if I would put sauce above the smoke. All depends on where I am.

All depends on what equipment I'm using as well. Right. There was another time that I had to cook with a wood that was apparently nothing like I've ever used before, but it had the same effect and aroma. Uh-huh. Then you have the different equipment where one job, I did, you had to put the hot coals on the tray and push it in under the hog. So it was always, you know, there's always an adjustment when you're on the road.

You just got to mentally and try to physically be prepared for whatever you're going to face. Right. Yeah. Holy cow. Tell me about the sauce because South Carolina has, there's different styles, right? So it's not like, it's not like just you go to South Carolina and you're going to get this kind of sauce from coast to coast? South Carolina is known for about three sauces, maybe four.

I don't know. You have vinegar and pepper, which is like the southeastern part of state. And there's mustard that's in the Midlands, the middle part of state, which is Columbia area and all that is pretty well known for mustard. We also have this ketchup or tomato base, the northeastern side is northwestern side of the state. like I guess the Greenville area where Clemson and all these areas are up there. Some folks have mentioned having a tomato base over that way. Now, you have a lot of people who move to South Carolina who bring their own unique styles as well.

So it's hard to say that it's only those three styles here that you have people from different regions that are coming in and introducing their versions of these sauces and some different. And yours is more of the vinegar pepper, right? Yes, we're more of the vinegar pepper. Right, right. You know, I'm, I'm, I'm, I never heard of molasses sauce until I was in my late 30s. Right. I found out about sauce being made with molasses. And I was like, wow, I've been under a rock.

What's so great about your book is, uh, it's, it's unlike, it's unlike any other cookbook in, in, uh, not, only the story it tells that, of course, makes it unique and the positivity I love, of course, but also the scope. Like, you're going along, you're like, okay, so he's cooking whole hogs. And I'm like, how is he going to tell me how to cook this at home? Like, how am I going to, and then there comes this chapter of you're telling us how to build a pit in our yard. I mean, there's, you're the only cookbook I'm sure that has cinder blocks as part of the, as part of the, as part of the, recipe. Cinder blocks, the giant, what do you call the big, the big 55 gallon stoves? Yeah, the burn barrel. Yeah. The burn barrel. I mean, this is serious, this is a serious construction you're asking me to do. Watch out, H-O-A's. Watch out.

Oh, man, but it's exciting. You're like, holy cow, I can make a pit myself. I can actually have a pit. The beauty of how we do it in the book is you can build it. And because it's center block, you don't need mason or you just lay it there. You don't need any mortar to make it stick. You can take it back. Take it apart. So you can build it when your HOA president leaves home for the weekend. You can build this thing.

And by the time they get back, you can take it back down and they never know you in the yard. They'll never know. Man, oh man. And where do you find hogs? Where do I find hogs in Los Angeles? Oh, man. Wow. Is that an invite to move to Los Angeles? Yes, it is.

This is the one thing I was thinking about when I was brushing my teeth this morning. I'm like, I love Rodney. I can't wait to talk to him. I can't imagine how much more I would like this guy if I ate his food. I still haven't eaten your food. Wow. Wow. Yeah. We got to fix that. I know.

But, you know, I've heard of grocery stores sometimes having whole hogs. You can find whole hogs at your butcher. possibly. You may have to order. Yeah. There are a lot of farmers out there. Local farmers in all these areas would blow your mind. You may or may not have whole hogs. So, you know, probably research the area and see what farmers are around.

They can sometimes set up getting a hog slaughtered for you or you could just go to your local grocery store maybe and they may give you one. Right. It's so amazing how many different places I've found. that are selling whole hogs and where you can get whole hogs nowadays. Yeah, yeah. Well, that's good to hear. I also like the scope that anytime you're using, like, if I barbecue at home with my little grill and I have my little brush and I'm brushing my barbecue sauce on it.

And in your book, it's like, get yourself a mop. Yeah. Get yourself a big ass mop. Yeah. That's what you're going to be using on this. It's going to cover it a lot quicker. I love that. All right, so talk to me a little bit more about music before we go, because you love music.

What are you listening to now? What's playing when you're at work or when you're driving around in the red pickup truck? Man, when I'm riding around in the red pickup truck, I listen to a lot of music. One of the songs that I listen to a lot is Beards and Sunshine, Darius Rucker. Yes, I do listen to Country, yes. I listen to a little bit of a maze featuring frankly Beverly, one of my favorite groups. Anthony Hamilton, giving you the best of me, you know, to do the smooth. So I'm pretty much all over the place, all the way back to some classic hip hop.

You know, might be some run DMC playing in there when I get in there. Oh, man, I was listening to this playlist of just 90s hip hop. that's when I was like in school and stuff. It's like, oh, man, this is, I felt like an old man. I'm like, this is real hip hop. Yes. Tell my son that all the time. I was like, listen.

Yeah. All of the words. Right. Exactly. Oh, so good. But music is my thing. When I'm at the red light, if you ever see the red truck at the red light, you probably will not see me doing this on my phone.

Uh-huh. I'm that guy at the red light that's still bopping my head and the music. crunk and I might be reaching for the volume to turn it up but I'm that guy at the red light. Yeah, I love that. I love that you have the cocktail section of the book too and you actually have a drink called the red pickup truck. Oh man. Let me tell you, before I say anymore, I had some help in this book.

You know, some of my guys, Nicholas, he helped me come up with that red pickup truck. Nick Bahakas, of course, Paul Yek with the catfish dip, these guys, these are my family, man. This is my family. And when we came up with some of these names for these recipes, we had a lot of fun doing it. It was fun. Yeah. You know, who drinks a red pickup? I know.

It's good. I really. I was like, oh, man, this is going to be popular. It is funny, too, in the book, or not funny, but it's kind of. of, it kind of surprised me in a way, because you're looking at the scope of all this this big hog, you know, you're doing this big barbecue stuff, and then to see like a recipe for fried chicken, and it looks so small compared to all this other big stuff we're doing, but it seems like, is there like a through line, like, even like with those dishes? Like, do you feel

like it's still like in the, in the same vein of what you do? Is it? Well, yeah. That whole book is kind of like, it's not just about me. It's about the foods that I've encountered and how they affect me and my world. And that's why we said it was Rodney Scott's world. Because a lot of people lose focus on the writer talking the story. He's not telling your story and theirs and the next person. He's telling his. And that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell my story and how I encountered food, family trials and tribulations. And how these foods play a part in my day-to-day routine, you know, everything. And how I learned all these different recipes along the way that weren't the same exact recipes that I grew up with. So I kind of wanted to share that and say, hey, look, this is my world. Let me tell you my story. Yeah, yeah.

It really comes through. It really is. It was such a, it's such a fun read. I'm going to get the hard copy when I'm able. People can pre-order it now. They can go online. People can pre-order it. And pre-order.

And it's Rodney Scott's world of barbecue. Every day is a good day. Yes. Yeah, so great. I mean, really, it was, you almost forgot in the beginning of it that you were like picking up this book to learn how to cook barbecue and like the recipe cookbook part of it. Like, because it's such a great story. And it, uh, it's, it's uplifting.

I was like, I felt better when I put it down. That's my goal. My goal was to. to give the everyday backyard individual some confidence in what they can do with barbecue, to give them some inspiration and some insight on you can make it if you just take things step by step. And, you know, there's only two universal languages, in my opinion, man. There's music and there's food. Okay.

That book would never be big enough for me to put all the music in there that I'm interested in. So, it's like, hey, let's go. Let's tell it through food. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you're the best. I really, sincerely, as soon as I'm able to get on planes, I'm heading your way. And we'll sit and enjoy some time together. All right.

I appreciate it. All right, buddy. Take care of yourself. Thank you. Have a good day. All right. Have a good one. You're doing great.

Thank you. Thank you. That was the great Rodney Scott. I told you he was cool. I told you. I hope you enjoyed that conversation. And now let's grab a quick. with my good pal, Sam Morel.

Let's get him on the line. How's going, man? It's good, man. I'm not on yet, am I? You are? Oh, my God. I know. You don't waste a minute.

No, no pillow talk or anything. She, I know. No, we're busy people. We've got, uh, he's got 20-22 to think of. Oh, yeah. This is crazy. Oh, it's going to be such a good time. I can't wait.

You actually gave me real before times comedy hang envy the other night when Rachel text me and she's like, I'm just at a hotel where Sam did a show and now we're having drinks inside. I was like, what's happening? Well, this is making it sound like this like an orthodox Jew wedding level of problematic here. No, we did a, it was, the show was outdoor, like greenhouse style open. windows. And yeah, we did have a drink together afterwards. Oh, it was so heavenly. I know you're doing it the right way. I mean, you are actually more than anybody. You are the, I have to say, the pandemic, the pandemic, the king of

New York pandemic comedy. Sure. I don't think I'm up against anybody. I think everyone else is like, we, fuck it. I don't want to do it. It's really true. I think they saw it. That's like the one special where they're like, yeah, I'm good. I don't need to do that. No, it was, that was fun as hell, though. I'm going to do that again in the, I'm going to do rooftops again in the, in the spring. Why not? Yeah, I know.

That's what I'm starting to feel here in L.A. Like, we're a lot more strict, so we can't do as much. But the weather's so perfect for it. If you were here, you would be doing shows every hour. Yeah, but then, you know, I can't drive, so I need someone to drive me. It's a whole, I guess I get Uber, but even the Uber for a while. I don't know what. The L.A. Uber situation stresses me out

because the L.A. Uber's are so chatty. So chattie. I think they don't know who is. They're stuck in L.A. mode. They're like, I got a script. This dude might be important. Who knows? In New York, they're just like, please.

They're like, the opposite. They're like, please don't talk to me. I don't want to talk to anyone. It's so nice. It's so true. When I was doing the radio show, I was super early, and I was trying to figure out, what am I going to do?

I can't even see straight. Should I get an Uber to the studio? And I got an Uber one day. And this guy was the same way, chatting it up, talking about all the show business stuff. He gets out of me that I'm on the way of the radio show. He practically walked me into the building and up into the studio. Oh, my God. I was like, I can't.

I'm going to drive myself. And also, like, I'm not like some dick that's not going to chat, but it's like sometimes you're just not there. You know, like it's the other thing, like they don't know who you. are so they're like maybe he's someone the one time a dude did recognize me the one time in LA he didn't speak to me the entire way and the way out it goes I like your comedy that was I was like fuck that's no one has ever recognized me if they don't if they don't recognize you they'll chat your ear off that's how it goes he might be Joel Schocker's son or something this guy might be connected I don't know yeah his uncle was

somehow involved in lethal weapon in 1987 Oh, dude, I wish. That would be a fucking, that would be a cool little tie. Oh, it would be sweet. I do, though. I'm telling you, seeing that Rachel sent me a picture and just you guys all together, and I was like, how long as I've gone without being in New York, and literally seeing that photo made me go on my phone and start looking at flights.

It's tough, man. It's tough to not have the cellar hang because we're so used to just being around the table. And, like, I realize how much I need it. for just my, for my, just that comic ball busting, the kind of the hang, they're having a cocktail. It's like, yeah. It's like, we've been forced to drink alone so much throughout. And alcohol is not, it's not a great alone drug, you know? I know, I drink it so much faster when I'm alone, and then I end up drinking so much more.

I just picture you, like, mixing a martini. Like, I know you've been talking over, over the sink, and I picture him doing a martini over this thing. They're like in a rush, but it's still It is. I try and do the ceremony of it. I try, I feel like, try and try and do it right. And I'm like, I feel like the more I act like a grown-up in the preparation of it, the less of a juvenile I'll be in the drinking of it. That's such a great point, dude.

That's such a great, because when you make a cocktail, you feel like less of an alcoholic. Like, well, I'm not doing it a drink of the bottle. I put some care into this. I measured, right? Yeah, yeah. And you're like, okay. So now I should take my time and drink it. And then, like, halfway through, the next one is totally sloppy.

There's no care. Yeah, there's no, there's no meresino cherry or bitters. You just went straight for the whiskey with, like, a touch of a bermuth. You're like, yeah, fuck it, right? Yeah, exactly. It's so funny. What are you drinking this winter? It's so cold there right now.

I'm mixing it up. Like, I'll do, I've been doing, I crave red wine in the winter or scotch. There's, like, the two ones I really crave. Then occasionally I'll want, I'll do a mess. had in every once in a while. Sometimes, I mean, I got everything in my apartment. I've been doing, I like anything with Campari, so I'll do like a Nogroni or like an Americano or something.

Nice. How about you? I've been going, I've just kind of like ventured back to martini's recently because it's been getting warm out here. L.A. tricks you into thinking that spring starts in February. Like, oh, man. All of a sudden, you're like, should I be going to a baseball game? What's happening?

So I started breaking up Martini's, but right before that, same thing. It was the Manhattan's once in a while because that was very cozy by the fire. And scotch is only, I can only do scotch if I'm not drinking at all, like, before dinner and during dinner. And then, like, the meal's over and, like, a little later at night. It's nice. It's nice. It's so nice. And it doesn't mess you up.

You don't need a lot of it. But if I'm drinking earlier, it's been a lot of red wine lately for sure. It's great. It's so good, man. It's tough. You know, I love wine because I feel like the hangover is not as bad as when I do. Like, that bourbon hangover, you start to question shit. In a pandemic in the winter, when you look out and it's snowing everywhere and you're like,

why wasn't going to go out anyway, but now I know I'm not going out because it's my fault? You start questioning shit. Yeah. It's the worst. It's really true. You are like a martini guy too. Like I picture the martini. Like not a lot of dudes can pull off a martini without looking foolish.

And you look right with a martini. Like the fact that you were not, that you were not ever on Mad Men is a crime. I know. I know. Anytime I see any movie about like early NASA or Mad Men, anything with like a white guy in a short sleep dress shirt with a tie. I'm like, my agent sucks.

Oh, dude, you should have been on Madman for sure. But yeah, any old like period piece, like shit, you could have been on the crown. You could do a British accent. Get yourself on the crown. But you know what? It's the same as wearing like a hat. It like you just have to kind of practice it. Like you have to, the more you do it, the more you like it, the more you appreciate all the steps in it,

the more it becomes a part of you. And then it's a, and then it's. seems like, oh, this guy was born with a martini in his hands. Right. The martini glass is so stressful, though, because it's so, it's not made for drunks. I'm scared. I'm going to spill it. It's like, you need to have, you need to have that, like, iron wrist.

You know what I mean? Yes. And you also need the proper, there's, like, there's, I could talk for hours about this, but there's literally, there's this trend to making martini glasses gigantic and filling them to the very top. the room. So, like, you're in a bar and you're trying to walk back to your table. Like, it's like a, like, a contest or something. It's so true.

There was a time when they were smaller and they weren't filled all the way to the top. And that's like, that's like the classic, but it's hard to find. I like when they give you like, I like, well, I love watching them pour it first of all. I miss the ritual. Like, I like making it at home fine, but I do miss the, like, talking to the bartender. I miss the banter. I miss seeing like a hot girl at a ball and being like, oh, look at a hot girl at a bar. You see, you just see the people, you people watch.

I know. It has like, it's like the park where people are behaving badly, you know, or worse. I don't know. Yeah, no, I know. I miss that too. And it's like as much as I can like try and simulate that experience and make the martini and I'll like sit in, sit by the fireplace or sit like with a book and like, like okay I'm gonna really like do this and then you sit down and instead of like the hot girl at the bar it's your dog is

being up the banister or your daughter's yelling swimming from the room or there's like it's so like there's a reason why bars weren't made popular at home oh so that's so funny man yeah I picture I love your jokes about just you know drinking at home and it's it's like a panic drinking it's not a calming drinking it's like it's like you're like trying to close a wound. I do like the, I do love like a, like a bourbon or a scotch while reading like a murder mystery, like a like a Raymond Chandler or something like that. We're like, oh, this is, this, you feel like you're like part of base. It's kind of nice. Yes. Right. Exactly. I know those things, any of those, any of those scenarios that, that like are classic and like you've seen in movie, it's like, you should just follow those rules because people thought this stuff out before we showed up. You know what I mean? Yeah. There's a reason why people have a.

cocktail at five and dinner at seven. There's a reason why a guy smokes a cigar with a scotch. It's like, people just follow the roadmap. You're not going to read that. Or pizza and beer. Pizza and beer works. I mean, there's something just works. It's also just like there's, it's funny all these bars need to have their own special

cocktail. And I get if you're like elevating a classic, if you're like, we do our Manhattan this way, we do our groaning this way. But when you're doing like, here's our like, you know, blah, blah. And it's just some shitty drink with like, you know, Perseco and like all this weird and you're like all right but the classics have stuck around. Yeah, exactly. They're great.

I was watching just a scene from once upon a time in Hollywood last night and Leonardo says to Brad Pitt's, you're going to come in and watch my FBI TV show? And Brad Pitt's like, yeah, I figured I got a six pack in the back. We'll get a pizza. Let's do it. I was like, that sounds so perfect. That movie is so good. You never hear, you never hear like friends.

saying to each other anymore, hey, I got a six-pack. You want to hang out? Yes. And we should go back to that. It's perfect. Yeah, six-packs are fun, man. And it is, there is something about, like, killing something with a friend. Like, you finish it with a friend.

That's kind of bad. Right, right, exactly. But that movie's great because it's like Muso and Franks and those old L.A. where you're like, oh, these, that's like the West Coast, like the classic, like the, the bartenders are wearing bow ties. I used to always, whenever I do like a cone and said, I'd always try to grab a drink after at Moistow and Franks. Oh, that's what we got to do when this is over. I literally was watching.

I literally, that's my favorite place in the world out here. And I literally watched that scene and they show Al Pacino sitting at the bar at Moose So and Frank. And then I flip over and I caught, I caught, what you would call it? A lethal weapon. and I just saw the scene when they're flying down Hollywood Boulevard past Musso and Franks. I was like, oh, it's calling me. Oh, yeah, lethal weapon, man. That movie, it's crazy.

It's hard to give Mel Gibson prophecies days because he seems like he's just lost his mind. Those pictures I've seen with him with, like, the twirly beard. I'm like, you're not supposed to grow that type of facial hair when we already think you lost your mind, dude. But lethal weapon, he just, I mean, Riggs and Murphal. It's just, Shane Black is like, I'll see anything that guy, right? man. I'm obsessed with like... So good. Like nice guys. I love. Kiss, kiss, bang, bang. I love. I love all

of his stuff. So good. Oh, man. I mean, you know, there's some 80s stuff. There's a little too much saxophone for sure. Saxophone in the 80s. Oh, no. Yeah. That's so true. But, no, so great. But really, just seeing the lights of Muson Franks, I'm like,

we've got to get close. We've got it. We're almost there. It's classic. I know. places need to stick around because, you know, you hear about these classic restaurants closing, and it's just tragic. I mean, you don't want to look. These places are, they're stuck, they've stuck around for a reason. You got to, you got to keep them alive.

100%. 100%. All right, man. Well, thanks for inspiring me. I'm going to go a $99, a $99 round trip to New York from L.A. Well, it would be great to see you, man. Let me know. All right.

I'll talk to you soon. All right. Talk soon. All right. Bye. All right, that's the big show, everybody. Thank you to Rodney Scott of Whole Hog Barbecue. Thank you to our good friend Sam Morel.

And thank you mostly to all of you listening out there. I hope you had a good time. I hope you spend the next week enjoying some good food, some good laughter, and some hard work as we make our way to the future, where, as I said before, I will come to your town and we will break bread together. Thanks for listening. Subscribe. tell your friends to subscribe, spread the word, like it, send an old-fashioned letter,

whatever way it works for you. You're the best. Enjoy your life.