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Vleisrokers: “Nou gaan ons rook!”
South African TV personality Johan van Gass emerged victorious in the Big George Custom Smokers meat smoking competition organized by the South African Fire, Smoke, and Meat Association on October 5.
Hailing from the Moot region, Van Gass clinched the overall win after triumphing in several categories, including the beef smoking category.
In second place was the Centurion-based Rookeloos team, followed by JD Mieliepap Kok from Kempton Park in third place.
Jacques Engelbrecht, representing the association on the day, highlighted the multifaceted aims of the competition.
“The competition aimed to boost the meat smoking culture in South Africa, acknowledge the efforts of the Moot project and thank them for their community development work. It also provided entrepreneurs with a sales day and allowed the residents of a children’s home to share in the joy of the day,” Engelbrecht explained.
Engelbrecht was part of the association’s meat smoking team, the Crimson Kings, which had participated in the World BBQ Competition in Stuttgart, Germany, in August.
“This was not just a casual weekend braai competition by a group of hobbyists. There were renowned chefs and even haute cuisine entries. We scored 74%, and the winners scored 87%, just 12% higher. The competition was tough!” Engelbrecht remarked.
The judging panel at the competition held on the sports fields of Laerskool Pierneef included well-known comedian Matie van Graan, Jeremiah Bruni, and singer Leon Gropp.
Bruni, associated with the US Embassy, was specially invited by the association to exchange expertise.
“Expanding our international exposure is one of our objectives at the association. I met him at a braai competition and thought we could benefit from his evaluation,” Rautenbach stated.
Some of the meat smokers were willing to share their ingredients, secrets, and methods with Rekord readers.
All preparations had to be done on-site as the meat was only provided to participants on the morning of the competition. Beef, chicken, and pork were supplied to the participants for this event.
Winner Johan van Gass, also known as Pappa Joe from the TV competition and TikTok where he has a substantial following, mentioned that a key to meat smoking in a smoking device is to keep the meat moist.
Van Gass constructed his own smoking device, famously known as Pappa Joe’s own Steam Punk train.
To keep the meat moist, he and his partner and competition assistant, Annélia, used a special spray bottle to keep the meat damp.
There might even be a bit of Bourbon in the mix on the competition day itself to sway the judges in his favor.
Bourbon is a type of American whiskey specifically made from a grain mixture containing at least 51% corn.
Van Gass utilized Bourbon on his pork entry during the competition.
At times, he also uses apple cider vinegar mixed with maple syrup among other ingredients to keep the meat moist.
“There must always be enough moisture in the closed oven,” Van Gass emphasized.
The couple also believes in their own special spice and herb blend containing grilled paprika.
Annélia mentioned, “Grilling the paprika in a pan before adding it to the mixture gives it a more special flavor than regular paprika.”
The Van Gass team particularly enjoys smoking game meat, short ribs, and chicken, with game fillets and beef tails being their specialty smoked dishes.
As a tip, Johan revealed that they sometimes place a whole, peeled pineapple next to the meat in the pan and then slice the pineapple into rings to serve alongside the meat.
When asked about the art of meat smoking, Johan emphasized the preparation of the meat cuts: “The meat must be neatly sliced, especially the edges must be neatly rounded as it makes the meat cook more evenly and easily.”
For Willem du Preez’s Rookeloos team from Centurion, who secured second place, there is only one secret ingredient in all food preparations according to him: “Love!”
He shared that a specially blended sauce made with Jimny sauce, olive oil, and a few other ingredients also made a significant impact.
The third-place winner, JD Hall of JD Mieliepap Kok from Kempton Park, had his father, Darrell, assisting him.
They collaborated on making Hall’s special sauce which included honey, sugar, tomato sauce, and apple cider vinegar to keep the meat moist.
JD has been cooking since he was young. He believes that for meat smoking competitions, the meat should be regularly brushed with a sauce to keep it moist.
– Follow Johan van Gass on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/johan-van-gass-aka-pappa-joe
– Listen to Willem du Preez on meat smoking:
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