“In the midst of a pandemic, chef and restaurateur Winnie Yee was looking for a distraction away from her business closures. She stumbled upon a brisket and started a lovely affair with live fire cooking. The result was Smoke Queen Barbecue “Where East meats West.”” It started modestly as a popular pop-up at the Sunday Smorgasburg in Downtown L.A. and now has expanded to a free-standing location with patio seating in Garden Grove.

“From backyard pits to multiple 1,000 gallon smokers Chef Winnie now offers California Prime Beef Brisket & Heritage Pork slow smoked with white oak and infused with the flavors of her childhood. Mixing the spices and flavors of her Chinese & Malaysian heritage with the traditional American style of smoking, she creates a unique style of barbecue in a class of its own.”

“From the ever so popular Cantonese style Pork Belly Siu Yuk (Crispy Skin Pork Belly), to the Texas style Smoke Brisket, to the not-so-traditional, yet perfect fusion of Chinese-American style Pork Belly Char Siu, each cut of meat is lovingly made with scratch-made family rubs and sauces, defining a new culinary category of Asian American Barbecue.’

Hours are Thursday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Pitmaster Winnie Yee continues as our guest with BBQ tongs in hand.