Tosh Show with Daniel Tosh

Episode: My BBQ Pit Madam - Winnie Yee
Release Date: August 26, 2025
Guest: Winnie Yee, Chef and Owner of Smoke Queen Barbecue

Episode Overview

Daniel Tosh welcomes chef and pitmaster Winnie Yee, the entrepreneurial force behind Smoke Queen Barbecue. The episode dives into Winnie’s journey from a corporate career to fusing Texan low-and-slow barbecue with her Malaysian-Chinese roots in Southern California. They discuss the realities of starting and sustaining a food business during the pandemic, how heritage informs innovation, and what it takes to thrive in the competitive world of barbecue as an Asian woman. Daniel brings his signature irreverent humor, with playful banter spanning food, family, entrepreneurship, and cultural expectations.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Quick Barbecue Mastery and the Start of a Culinary Journey

[01:20, 24:01]

• Daniel asks how long it took Winnie to go from burning her first brisket to selling it.
  Winnie: “Maybe like two, three weeks? My first week.”
  Daniel marvels:

  “I just want everyone that thinks that it takes forever to figure out how to barbecue to hear that.”
  – [24:04]

• Winnie’s first brisket was a disaster, but she was motivated to “not be defeated by that piece of meat.” She used pandemic meat shortages as a challenge to master smoking brisket at home.
  [19:51, 19:59, 20:21]

2. Childhood, Heritage, and Food Roots

[11:30 – 14:43]

• Winnie shares her Malaysian-Chinese upbringing, moving to Garden Grove, CA at age 6.

• Home cooking was primarily Chinese/Malaysian, with curries and Indian flavor integration.

• Daniel muses on U.S. food diversity:

  “I couldn’t…whatever you want to call American food…if you had me eat that every day, I’d lose my mind.” – [13:24]

• Winnie highlights Southern California’s authentic multi-ethnic cuisine:

  “We can…not just diluted white Chinese food or diluted Mexican food. It’s actually authentic.” – [14:08]

3. From Corporate Life, Culinary School, and Franchises to Barbecue

[15:00 – 18:20]

• After UCLA (Econ degree), Winnie leaves a Target corporate job, attends then drops out of culinary school (“I got really bored making muffins…wanted to make masterpieces!” – [16:04]).
• Runs hotel gift shops and multiple franchises (Sbarro, Baja Fresh, Submarina) but finds the franchise model unfulfilling:

  “A lot of franchises are in the business of selling franchises and not selling the actual product. That’s the problem with the franchise model.” – [17:47]

• The pandemic closes her stores overnight, losing thousands in inventory.

4. Pandemic Hustle & Reinventing Herself as Pitmaster

[18:20 – 23:38]

• Shutdown sparks Winnie’s creativity—gardening, hydroponics, chocolate bombs—until a meat shortage inspires her to finally use her smoker.
• She starts selling barbecue from home, first to friends, soon via a website and parking lot drop-offs.
• “My hater neighbor reported me”—health department and city intervene, but she bypasses shutdown by leveraging her restaurant permits.

  “I have a safe certification. I know how to handle food…It’s not like…I’m a mechanic and all of a sudden I don’t know how to handle raw meats.” – [23:05]

5. Building Smoke Queen and Barbecue Philosophy

[26:45, 37:03]

• Invests ~$16,000 in a 500-gallon smoker, likening the commitment to “an expensive gym membership.”

• Sells 2,000–3,000 pounds of meat weekly; brisket smokes overnight for top flavor and texture.

• Winnie custom-orders shorter smokers to suit her height, acknowledging the physical demands.

• Daniel:

  “You picked the heaviest of the cooking…I mean…how are you physically moving some of these meats around?” – [29:23]

• Demystifies regions & gender in barbecue:

  “People are looking at barbecue the wrong way. They think it’s a cuisine. I think it’s more of a technique…You can take it in any cultural direction.” – [37:03]

6. Sides, Menu Creativity & the Business Model

[31:16 – 34:19]

• Winnie develops unique sides, like sesame slaw (no mayo) and tallow fries (rendered brisket fat fries).
• All menu items are a la carte, which Daniel praises (“I don’t like to pick two [sides]” – [31:56]).
• Most beloved dish:
  Winnie: “It would be the pork belly char siu…my ADHD kicked in when I was starting to sell barbecue…tried to find something I can recreate with the American smoking technique.” – [30:34]

7. Navigating Cultural & Gender Stereotypes

[36:45 – 37:28]

• Daniel notes barbecue’s “manly” reputation, probes for backlash. Winnie laughs it off:

  “How often weekly are men telling you you’re doing it wrong?”
  “Initially…comments on my reels or Yelp reviews…once a week or so.” – [37:28]

• On Yelp:

  “Customers don’t give us a chance to fix anything…But…I do get a lot of new customers…so it is a necessary evil.” – [37:36]

8. Family, Community, and Recognition

[25:33 – 26:45; 38:03 – 39:10]

• Winnie’s parents were initially skeptical but became proud after seeing her popup’s success. Her dad offered to buy her a truck—his way of saying “I’m proud of you.”

• Winnie’s kids love her food, with her young daughter demanding brisket:

  “She would look and say, where’s the brisket?” – [39:10]

• Diverse clientele: roughly half Asian, 30% Hispanic, 20% Caucasian, “add 10%” for Black customers.

9. TV Fame and a New Book

[41:40 – 44:02]

• Appeared on “Chopped” and “Barbecue Brawl with Bobby Flay”—finalist, but not the grand winner.
• On helping a competitor:
  Winnie: “I don’t want to win because I said no.” – [42:44]
• Has a cookbook, Chinese American Barbecue, releasing Spring 2026 (100 recipes, restaurant favorites included).

10. Daniel’s Signature Banter & Gift-Giving

[40:03 – 41:37]

• Daniel gives Winnie random gifts (a backpack, a used inflatable movie theater), teasing about practicality and her physical strength.
• They sample her pork belly char siu; Daniel is impressed:

  “Nobody bites into this and goes, that's not for me. If you like this type of food, you're gonna love this.” – [45:48]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Daniel: "You were a straight drug dealer…everyone should have shut you down because you can't sell meat out of the back of your car." ([24:41])
• Winnie: "I couldn't be defeated by that piece of meat." ([19:59])
• Daniel: "How big was your first, your big industrial smoker?"
  Winnie: "500 gallon trailer…paid like $15, $16,000 back then." ([26:48])
• Winnie: "You just have to cook what you love to eat." ([32:56])
• Daniel, on the fusion BBQ: “East and west coming together for a taste bud collision.” ([46:58])
• Winnie: “Oh, I don't get high on my own supply.” ([36:29])

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [01:20; 24:01] – Winnie’s rapid barbecue learning curve
• [11:30 – 14:43] – Malaysian/Malaysian-Chinese culinary upbringing
• [15:00 – 18:20] – Escaping corporate/franchise life
• [18:20 – 23:38] – Starting barbecue during the pandemic
• [26:45; 37:03] – Building the business; gender & barbecue culture
• [31:16 – 34:19] – Unique sides and menu philosophy
• [36:45 – 37:28] – Facing cultural stereotypes & Yelp criticism
• [41:40 – 44:02] – TV shows, book launch announcement

Tone & Final Thoughts

• Classic Daniel Tosh—irreverent, cheeky, but genuinely curious and supportive.
• Winnie is down-to-earth, determined, and admirably open about her failures and successes.
• Episode balances behind-the-scenes restaurant insight, cultural reflection, and lots of laughs.
• Winnie stands as a model for creative culinary fusion and for unapologetically charting her own course in a male-dominated arena.

For more:

• Visit Smoke Queen BBQ (Orange County, CA)
• Preorder Winnie’s cookbook: Chinese American Barbecue (Spring 2026)