Special Sauce with Ed Levine

Rodney Scott on Bourdain and Letting the Barbecue Speak for Itself [2/2]


Listen Later

In part two of my terrific conversation with James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott, we discuss the fact that barbecue, like jazz, was developed by African-Americans, and yet most well-known pitmasters are white.   "I respect any human being, man or woman, that takes the approach to be a pitmaster...Black, white, tall, short, it don't matter," Rodney said. "I see dedicated people who stuck to what they believed in. Kept trying at it, kept going, and they finally got something recognized, the same way I got recognized...So my whole thing is whether that person is white or black, it doesn't matter. If you're working hard and producing a product that you're proud of that's good, that's gonna speak for itself regardless of who you are."   As we were talking, Rodney confessed to a few guilty pleasures, one of which might surprise some people. "McDonald’s. I go to the window, pretend I'm on the phone, and I cover up my brand. Keep my head turned away from the window. And I order happy meals so that they think I'm picking it up for my nine-year-old."    Rodney was featured on the late Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations, and Rodney talked a bit about some of the advice Bourdain gave him. "He basically said, 'Rodney, don't eat the sh*t sandwich...Don't ever let the producers and the fame of people tell you how to do your thing.' He says, 'You do what you want. If they start telling you what to do, don't accept it. Stand behind what you believe in.'"    To find out what else Rodney believes in, check out this week's Special Sauce.    -------- The full transcript for this week's episode can be found here at Serious Eats.

Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Special Sauce with Ed LevineBy Ed Levine

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

358 ratings


More shows like Special Sauce with Ed Levine

View all
Good Food by KCRW

Good Food

1,075 Listeners

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters by American Public Media

The Splendid Table: Conversations & Recipes For Curious Cooks & Eaters

2,998 Listeners

Spilled Milk by Molly Wizenberg and Matthew Amster-Burton

Spilled Milk

1,435 Listeners

The Sporkful by Dan Pashman

The Sporkful

3,891 Listeners

Radio Cherry Bombe by The Cherry Bombe Podcast Network

Radio Cherry Bombe

572 Listeners

Dinner SOS by Bon Appétit by Bon Appétit

Dinner SOS by Bon Appétit

2,542 Listeners

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio by Milk Street Radio

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio

2,921 Listeners

This Is TASTE by Aliza Abarbanel & Matt Rodbard

This Is TASTE

268 Listeners

Proof by America's Test Kitchen

Proof

1,872 Listeners

Home Cooking by Samin Nosrat & Hrishikesh Hirway

Home Cooking

4,740 Listeners

Food with Mark Bittman by Mark Bittman

Food with Mark Bittman

960 Listeners

The One Recipe by American Public Media

The One Recipe

170 Listeners

Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy by Food Friends

Food Friends: Home Cooking Made Easy

175 Listeners

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb by Deb Perelman & J. Kenji López-Alt

The Recipe with Kenji and Deb

453 Listeners