It was a special night on the Wise Guys BBQ podcast last week. Episode 6 highlighted our first “Backyard Hero.” The Backyard Hero idea is to spotlight a local pitmaster who is doing great things with his cooks but is not necessarily a pro competitor or restaurant owner. We want to know how they got started and why they love doing what they do: cooking for others.
Rich Yang, known by his sobriquet “Da BBQ Ninja,” came to our attention early on when we first started the RIBBQNews website. I told my son what we were doing, and the first thing he said was, “You have to talk to my man, Rich Yang. He has a special thing going with his food in Warwick.” Okay, then Vin put Rich on the to-do list, and then, well, we got overwhelmed. Then we ran into Rich and his wife at the RI BBQ State Championships in East Greenwich in early July, where he was a contestant with his BBQ Ninjas. Vin and I introduced ourselves, and he remembered Zack saying we were starting a website. After a conversation where we met the family, Vin said, “This guy is exactly what we’re looking for in our Backyard Hero spot.” I agreed.
Fast forward to August 2024, we finally got our podcast together, and it was time to call in Da BBQ Ninja himself, Rich Yang. Rich showed up with a smorgasbord of his best BBQ and became a Made-Man. The ribs were blue ribbon BBQ tender and just the right amount of juices, as good as anything I’ve had on our BBQ safaris, and I don’t say that lightly. PLUS, he brought his version of ox-tail, which I’ve only had once in soup. Holy S#@t! Amazing flavor! After a great pregame meal, we brought Rich up to the studio and got him to tell us all his darkest secrets.
Not really, but it was still great.
Rich grew up in south Providence where he enjoyed the home cooking of his Hmong parents and would watch them as they prepared various dishes for the family. Rich described his people as being from the mountains of Laos where they and enjoyed an agricultural community away from the urban areas. Known as “The Hill People,” they traded produce and other crafts at the local town’s marketplace. Rich described the cooking of his people as very herbal and earthy in its flavors.
In his teens, Rich and his family moved to the suburbs of Warwick. He got bitten by the BBQ bug like so many during the COVID period when he was forced out of work. He decided he needed something to do, and his good friend told him about smoking meat. Although Rich said, he had no idea what he was doing (and even bought a picnic ham to smoke instead of a butt), his first cook actually turned out ok. Rich has been smoking ever since. At the behest of friends and family who praised his cooking, Rich started doing what he calls “runs” out of his backyard. Friends and family show up eager to taste the pulled pork and brisket sandwiches.
Why the Da BBQ Ninja name for his team? The way the man tells it, he is trying to think of a catchy name and starts thinking about how stealthy and silent ninjas are until they are ready to strike. That’s how he saw his BBQ. Out of nowhere, this amazing food takes people by surprise with its style and flavor. Da BBQ Ninja was born! Like a lot of backyard pitmasters, Rich was encouraged by his family and close friends to enter his food into a competition. Over the last few years, Da BBQ Ninja has entered about 10 competitions around New England and performed well.
Rich credits much of what he does to his wife, Stephanie, who is his partner in crime and provides a lot of the competitive spark for the team. BBQ is one of those things in life that require mates to be on the same page, or they aren’t going to see much of each other. The smoke game is not for the half-hearted. You better be all in. Lucky for us, Da Ninja and his crew are just that.
Want to meet Rich and Stephanie and taste their goods? They will be at the Friends of Jake fundraiser and BBQ competition at Millers Tavern in Cranston, RI, on September 14 and 15. BBQ News will, of course, be there to report all the amazing details of what promises to be a hot ticket. The event will feature live music, food, and drink. For details :
Northeast BBQ Society
www.nebs.org
click on the Events tab
