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This BBQ Sauce Made Troy Johnson Break His No-Sauce Rule

Meet the charming founder of Oak Steak BBQ, whose spicy pandemic side hustle is now taking over San Diego’s best kitchens

May 29, 2025

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This week’s Happy Half Hour is equal parts hot sauce origin story and full-blown love fest for San Diego’s indie food scene. Troy Johnson confesses he’s a BBQ purist—until one burger from Rosemarie’s shatters his sauce snobbery with a tangy, tamarind-laced revelation. Enter Larz Watts, the founder of Oak Steak BBQ, who built his now-beloved sauce business during the pandemic with nothing but backyard smokers, a Co-Packer crash course, and a spider his son named “Oak Steak.” From humble Pacific Beach roots (yes, Watts once lived on a boat) to hot chicken collabs at PB Shore Club, mustard deals at Smallgoods Cheese Shop, and a mic-drop spicy version that won first place at the International Flavor Awards, this episode is a spicy, heartfelt romp through flavor, family, and full-circle San Diego hustle.