and everyone's all exercising making me
feel we're in Oakland yeah
so in the 50s and 60s there was a big
migration of African American families
that came up from the south up to the
west and with that Oakland became like
this scene of barbecue heaven but as the
years went by all those barbecue joints
started to fade off we'd be going to
smoking Woods barbecue where James and
his family is smoking up Texas style
ribs
Mama's mac and cheese and all of that
good stuff what Oakland used to be I
don't give an I've been obsessed with
barbecue lately when I heard we come in
Oakland and we're getting some real
barbecue excited what exactly what you
do at smoking wood smoke Awards I'm the
owner smoking wood so we started off
catering about six years ago open this
place up about eight months ago all
right now here we are smoking up what
today beef ribs
straight up Texas right straight up
Texas but the treat today yeah there's a
mama B's mac and cheese okay she's here
today is she gonna be able to make it
from scratch there's nothing like mom's
never like mom's touch it's the best all
right let's do it
big old slab of an Angus beef short rib
so thinking about beef ribs are really
really tender because of all that fat
marble inside of them big nice dinosaur
box yeah this is our signature rub okay
it's magic in here and I don't know
what's in there smashing so from here
straight into the smoker here straight
into smoke and there you have it let
that go for about four and a half five
hours why are you smoking over oak and
cherry you didn't start off like doing
barbecue in a spot like this right all
the corporate guys first grandpa cooks
we were kids
I always watch them use a liquid smoking
screen yeah I got older I started
learning more about natural wood smoke
and then my aunt always bring these ribs
over for us
just gyro no sauce yeah my grandpa never
used sauce either that's kind of how I
got it - yeah no barbecue sauce it off
here you know that was in Fresno at
first for a while now being in out there
it's a little bit different to ours
diversity goes came out to Oakland and I
was probably about 14 15
Omaha and I kind of just stayed here
ever since you got your brother along
with you - got two rows
so two brothers almost family alright so
there's pretty much it's telling me on
my older brother company with catering
like without him I tell you I don't know
that this one could ever gotten off the
ground he cooks teeth okay consume
competition like one of the best hit man
I ever seen my younger brother he's just
he's a monster I'm gonna happen to me
he's like 64 he's like six feet and Here
I am a little five nine guys don't want
me in between the two right it's been
great to have those two along for the
ride this is the woman of the hour my
mom so you have her famous mac and
cheese this is a recipe that we use for
all of our events yeah you got three
hungry boys huh yep I sure do you said
you learned this from your mother
where were they my mother is from
Louisiana my father's from Mississippi
but they met in Fresno it's something
that you grew up with it is we try to
imitate but it's nothing like the source
all right well you go show me oh it's
okay little bit mushroom that little bit
little bit of sharp
you're so sweet with it like it's a
projector protect the cheese sauce and
you're gonna pour it on there okay now
you're gonna take the mile one thing my
boys like is cheese tell them a little
bit more hey yeah yeah yeah you being
sweet with the geez you guys always put
together as a family
the oldest one was the one that took the
lead I was surprised when James started
cooking alright can you believe
competition I get Sakhalin standing okay
I could die in peace oh let's see what
it's all about
smells great that looks good mama B's
mac and cheese all right beef ribs on
beef ribs on mmm see it kind of put away
from the bone the key there's jello yeah
yeah all those hours of slow cooking
there you go beautiful smoke ring on top
of it you can see all the fat that's
that's in between yeah this is
definitely my favorite cut of barbecue
could be for it'd be pretty mine to just
go sit down with some beers man do it
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barbeque has taken off throughout this
country is seated on on television and
the pitmasters has become you know rock
stars even though it started in the
black community you don't see that much
black pitmasters anymore a lot of phone
calls we get we go are you black home oh
I'll be there right now I'll be there
right now they're so excited because
it's it's black oh it's just nice to be
able to be recognized as a black
business black home business by all
walks of life all cultures and say that
we love that you're here please don't go
anywhere your food it's amazing it's not
a sport yeah it's more of a crap and for
me and my family we grew up barbecuing
giving our family-style
of flavor to your home and that's what's
about small businesses in Oakland give
you an experience when that's protective
so it's kind of implanted in us it could
be seven food and now we're California
grown but you know Southern Southern
born where you even go to you first
drink - I mean perfect amount of smokes
like seasoning over the top of it and
later like just like melts in your mouth
that's what's great about beef ribs area
that fat that runs right through it
definitely you get a chance to try that
sweetie sauce there you know
California's lovely barbecue sauce too
but yeah get it get out of try super
light the perfect sweetness oh and then
the heat in the ground there you go not
at first
you go at least you get to taste the
meat first and then that heat comes up
in the back oh mama beans mac and cheese
I'm nice on mac and cheese folks there
you go keep you guys truffle oil then
your fans need a little bit of this just
to cheese barbecue cometh change like
over the years openness change a lot of
people moving in like
now I grew up on Flint's in Flint's
barbecue was the staple in Oakland a lot
of the people who originated Marvin open
were predominately african-american over
the years I watching the events kind of
just kind of disappeared looking back
and thinking how are you see barbecued
back my house is the kid I know barbecue
sauce and nowadays that's kind of all we
have for us with a lot of these big
chains coming in and no barbecue being
around stepped up and say well we're
gonna bring back barbecues open I think
it's mainly just us saying hey we're
here you know this is what Oakland was
about we will continue this going
forward bring back just a classic
barbecue 100% wood smoked barbecue so
what does barbecue mean to you barbecue
to me means great and smiles to food I
mean that because I works to watch my
grandpa cook like I would laugh he would
look back and he would laugh at me
barbecue brings people back it takes me
back it's a different vibe
yeah awesome that we got together the
family we all smile you know if I could
put a smile on your face do my crafts in
my food I did my job
you know we've been through all these
different restaurants in Oakland and
everyone talks about change and and and
the people coming in to but every single
one of you guys you guys are like stand
by each other like you guys are standing
strong and and singing the same song of
keeping Oakland Oakland love that's all
that's what it's about
I mean it's leaking you can allow the
chance to have I'm gonna adapt to it in
ways that can be positive where they can
be negative the teams needs to come from
within
right they're staying here find a way to
keep that support going and supporting
local you support local your top chefs
your top businesses they'll stick around
they're always there draymond Green to
hold on to the ball draymond Green hole
cheers man
thank you thank you for sharing your
story thank you for repping Auckland oh
yeah absolutely
ELQ is not very common but it's very
common to the people who live in Santa
Fe they go nothing for itself
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