The Joe Rogan ExperienceJoe Rogan Experience #1782 - Daniel Holzman
CHAPTERS
Food IQ cookbook concept + launching Danny Boy’s Pizza in downtown LA
Joe and Daniel open by talking about Daniel’s new cookbook, built around answering common kitchen questions with clear “why it works” explanations. They segue into Daniel’s new pizzeria, Danny Boy’s Pizza, and what it’s like opening in a mostly empty downtown LA office district during COVID.
- •Cookbook premise: collect the questions chefs get asked nonstop and answer them systematically
- •Why people want practical guidance (knives, pans, technique choices)
- •Danny Boy’s Pizza launch timing and the downtown LA risk/reward
- •COVID-era foot traffic collapse and the “long game” of waiting for offices to return
- •What Joe looks for in “legit” pizza (crust bubbles, structure, vibe)
Why wood-fired cooking matters: heat, firebrick, and flavor
They dig into the appeal of wood-fired cooking—both the flavor and the intensity of heat. Daniel explains how firebrick changes heat retention and how separating heat-source vs flavor-source can make wood cooking more controllable and repeatable.
- •Wood-fired flavor vs pure heat as separate variables
- •Argentine-style grills and restaurant-grade grill design
- •Firebrick as thermal mass: holding heat and stabilizing temperature
- •Wood as the flavor driver once heat is stored in the system
- •Learning wood-fired cooking as an escalating obsession
Steak strategies: reverse sear, probes, and when it’s ‘cheating’
Joe outlines his reverse-sear workflow using temperature probes and hardwood smoke, then Daniel contrasts what works for thick vs thin steaks. They debate the ‘cheating’ feeling of hyper-controlled methods like sous vide versus the romance (and risk) of live fire cooking.
- •Reverse sear explained with target internal temps and finishing sear
- •Using Bluetooth probes (Meater) for multi-steak tracking
- •Thin steak vs thick steak: when reverse sear helps and when it’s unnecessary
- •Sous vide/control vs traditional fire-cooking satisfaction
- •Smoke desensitization: why leftovers can taste smokier the next day
‘Caveman’ steak: cooking directly on coals (ash, wet towel, dry rub)
Daniel tells a formative kitchen story that led him to put meat directly into the fire, then explains how to do it safely on coals. He gives practical tips—using a dry rub for texture and a wet towel to knock ash off—plus the key rule: don’t move the steak too soon.
- •Chef mentorship story: why dropping food into fire can work
- •How coals cook vs open flame, and why oxygen is the enemy when fat renders
- •Dry rub idea (pepper/salt, fennel, coriander) to mask minor ash texture
- •Wet towel trick to remove loose ash from coal surface
- •Patience rule: don’t lift early or fat ignites and burns the steak
Cast iron vs carbon steel: heat retention, responsiveness, and sticking problems
The conversation shifts to pans and heat transfer—why thick cast iron stays hot and thin steel reacts faster. Daniel frames pan choice as a match between thermal mass, responsiveness, and the type of food (fish, chicken, mushrooms, steak).
- •Thermal mass: why thick pans recover heat better after cold food hits
- •Carbon steel responsiveness: easier to adjust up/down mid-cook
- •Restaurant use-cases: steel pans for fish searing
- •Common failure mode: pan temperature drops → food steams/sticks (mushrooms example)
- •Choosing cookware based on task, not brand mystique
Choosing and cooking different steaks: ribeye vs New York + broiler & pan-roast options
Daniel explains how anatomy and fat distribution change how you should cook different cuts—especially ribeye’s internal fat vs a New York strip’s leaner profile. He also advocates for underused indoor methods like the home broiler and discusses the reality of cooking in small apartments vs outdoor fire.
- •Cut anatomy primer: where ribeye and strip come from and why they differ
- •Fat behavior: beef fat’s high melt point and why ribeye benefits from slower warm-up
- •New York strip preference: rarer center, faster cook can work
- •Home broiler as an underrated tool for apartment cooking
- •Pan-roast technique: stovetop sear + oven finish with butter/herbs/garlic
Welding and building a massive custom grill/smoker: design goals and hybrid ‘smoke roast’
Daniel recounts hiring a welding instructor, ordering thousands of pounds of steel, and building a huge multi-zone cooker. He describes a versatile setup that can grill, smoke, bake bread, and hit pizza temps—plus his favorite hybrid technique that combines grilling heat with enclosed smoke-roast conditions.
- •Learning to weld seriously: instructor day + 3,000 lbs of steel (logistics lessons)
- •Design obsession: borrowing ideas from Indian ovens and airflow concepts
- •Fire below vs offset: why versatility (pizza/bread/grill/smoke) drove the build
- •Hybrid smoke roast: grill hot, then close the door for oven-like heat + smoke
- •Consistency challenge: managing stable heat when the fire is below
Austin barbecue revelations: brisket, turkey, and what makes Texas BBQ special
They talk Texas BBQ culture—Daniel’s life-changing brisket experience and Joe’s view of the German-settler roots of the style. They compare standout spots, discuss massive wood demands, and get into why turkey can be shockingly good when done right.
- •First great brisket as a ‘conversion’ moment for Daniel
- •Texas BBQ history: German smoking traditions evolving locally
- •Favorite spots and what they excel at (brisket, beef ribs, burnt ends)
- •Turkey done well: moistness puzzle and technique respect
- •The scale of operations: 24/7 pits and enormous weekly wood stacks
Pellet grills, offsets, and ‘barbecue vs grilling’ fundamentals for different meats
Joe and Daniel break down why certain meats need low-and-slow while others demand hot-and-fast searing. Joe praises pellet grills for controlled reverse sear and wishes for better direct-flame options, while Daniel explains the simple muscle-usage rule that guides cooking method selection.
- •Barbecue vs grilling: long/slow vs fast/high heat—and why people confuse them
- •Why ribeye is wasted low-and-slow and brisket is ruined hot-and-fast
- •Pellet grills as convenience + consistency tools (apps, probe integration)
- •Direct flame searing features (Traeger limitations vs other designs)
- •Core rule: more-used muscles are tougher → need longer, gentler cooking
Wood selection, costs, and the politics of smoke: flavor vs burn characteristics
They compare different woods (mesquite, post oak, almond, orange) and how burn rate and smoke cleanliness affect cooking. The discussion expands into rising wood costs, air-quality regulation, fireplace bans, and the practical realities of smoke in big cities like LA.
- •Flavor differences: distinct woods (mesquite/alder) vs subtler varieties
- •Why post oak is popular in Texas: clean smoke + long burn
- •Wood economics: restaurant-scale consumption and LA’s high wood prices
- •Regulation and air quality: fireplaces, particulate pollution, wildfire risk
- •City vs small-town context: why policies feel different depending on climate and density
Apple brandy vs bourbon: ‘oldest distillery’ debate and aging as a business model
They taste and discuss apple brandy (applejack/Calvados analog), then chase down the claim about America’s oldest distillery versus Buffalo Trace’s ‘continually operating’ status. The topic becomes a broader look at aging timelines and why spirits businesses often launch with gin/vodka for cashflow.
- •Apple brandy basics: fruit-based spirits vs grain-based whiskey
- •Oldest distillery clarification: ‘oldest’ vs ‘oldest continuously operating’
- •Why aged spirits are capital intensive: inventory tied up for years
- •Why new distilleries start with gin/vodka/tequila to generate revenue sooner
- •Pricing/value talk: accessible bottles vs expensive collectors’ whiskey
Allergies, diet experiments, and pizza’s eternal conflict with health goals
Joe’s juniper allergy discussion leads to Daniel’s adult-onset allergies and immunotherapy shots. They move into Joe’s meat-and-fruit diet (avoiding bread/pasta), gluten sensitivity talk, and how running a pizzeria makes dietary restraint almost impossible—while still offering strong gluten-free options.
- •Cedar fever clarification: juniper allergies in Austin
- •Adult-onset allergies and treatment via allergy shots
- •Joe’s diet rationale: bloating, joint feel, and carb sensitivity
- •Gluten-free reality: making a legitimately good gluten-free pizza
- •Pizza weight gain from constant exposure and tasting
Pizza craft deep dive + chef origin story: culinary school, kitchen apprenticeships, and meeting Roy Choi
Daniel details how he took pizza seriously—apprenticing and learning the baking science behind great dough—plus why chefs often underestimate the specialty. The conversation closes with his early start in restaurants, thoughts on culinary school vs hands-on learning, and formative kitchen experiences including meeting Roy Choi (and learning humility).
- •Pizza as baking science: why great pizza requires specialist knowledge
- •Regional pizza styles and authenticity vs modern cross-style experimentation
- •Culinary school debate: useful for home cooks/corporate paths; not required for independent chef track
- •Early kitchen work and the old apprentice model (including unpaid learning)
- •Meeting Roy Choi and Daniel’s early ‘bad attitude’ phase in pro kitchens
