The Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast

Gus Gallagher from Perth BBQ School is a man who has discovered his true passion and is now living his dream. Imagine this. You love BBQ. You love hanging out with your mates. How good would it be if your job could be hanging out with your mates and teaching them how to cook barbecue? And what if you could actually pull it off?  This is exactly what Gus has done with Perth BBQ School. He teaches p...

Brett Connell, Bretto to his mates, is captain of one of Australia's oldest competition barbecue teams, Flamin' Mongrels BBQ. They've competed as far south as Melbourne and north as Rockhampton and have amassed a wide range of trophies for smoked brisket, beef ribs, bbq chicken, and even Brahman Hump! But that's not all - they also have a reputation for being the most friendly, enthusiastic and we...

There are many who believe that there is an overreliance on gadgets and technology in BBQ. One of the Pitmasters pushing for a return to traditional ways of preparing barbecue is David Ong, from Pitmaster University. As well known as he is for his long Facebook posts, David has been a part of the Australian Barbeque scene since Day 1, and was even awarded the first ever Australasian Barbecue Allia...

It's no secret that wood is essential to barbecue. Not only can it be used as a fuel to burn, but also as smoking wood on a charcoal fire. In fact, it's the smoke from the wood that gives barbeque it's unique flavour profile. Whether you're making BBQ ribs or a smoked brisket, wood is an important ingredient. But how important is it to get the right wood? And what is that right wood exactly? What'...

What's the deal with the Kamado Joe? Matt Harris from Shire Smokers Barbecue leads me down the rabbit hole of ceramic obsession and does his best to induct me into the Kamado Cult. With claims of being able do a smoked brisket in 5 hours, I have to admit - he's close to getting me over the line! Shire Smokers Barbecue is one of the oldest teams on the competition BBQ circuit in Australia and have...

Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. I first heard these words when I spoke with Paul Lange for the first time at Smokin' on the Water in Perth, Western Australia when I spoke with him about Smokey Q - his barbeque rub and bbq sauce business. I was really impressed with his attitude to planning and execution. Not just hard work, but smart hard work. So it was a great pleasure to catch up...

James Grubbs, known simply by surname as 'Grubbs' is known around the world as the 'Backwoods Grill Billy' (his words!). You know him as one of the pitmaster contestants on Netflix's 'The American Barbecue Showdown'. While he didn't win, he was definitely one of the most interesting people to watch, and one of my personal favourites. His work on the BBQ was inspiring, fun, and looked delicious! Th...

How to cook the perfect steak is a question that has haunted one of Australia's leading BBQ Pitmasters, Dane Cowan, and has done for almost as long as he can remember. Starting out in Australasian Barbecue Alliance competition BBQ, it wasn't long before Dane discovered the Steak Cookoff Association and was hooked. He soon dedicated his life to mastering the ribeye steak and has since represented A...

Shannon Walker from Butcher Wars and Black Bear BBQ is our guest on the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast this week. A man who is often behind the scenes, Shannon steps out on to the centre stage here and let's us know what really goes on at so many of the BBQ icons we know and love.  In this Episode we get into: His career as a butcher (4:15) Working at Black Bear BBQ (11:55) Butcher Wars (22:1...

David Linton from Lick of Smoke BBQ joins me in The Confessional this week. You'll remember David from Episode 78, recorded LIVE at the Fat Drip BBQ Competition last year. In that episode, David and I had a brief chat about how they'd managed to rise so quickly on the national competitive BBQ ladder, getting to 8th place in under a year. And then 2020 happened! In this Ep we get into: David is ove...

Tom Damin from Smoky Pastures BBQ is our returning guest in this week's episode of the Podcast. Tom is an expert in agricultural science and last time he was on the show we got into the Beef Industry. In this episode we get into: The two new rubs in the Smoky Pastures BBQ line up (2:44) Different ways to cook bacon (12:55) The science behind pork production (15:55) The science behind lamb producti...

It doesn't get much more Australian than this: talking to a bloke named MAKA about BBQ and leatherwork! In this Ep of the SHC BBQ Podcast, I chat with Michael Kerkham, AKA MAKA from MAKA Toolbelts and Kniferolls. We get into how he started his business hand making leather goods in a garden shed in Tasmania, all the way up to shipping  his works around the world to literally all of the biggest name...

Wanna know how to make award winning BBQ sauces, and how to use them? We've got your back!  Ray Sheehan is a man on a mission. His mission is to put New Jersey on the BBQ road trip map. Founded in 2015, BBQ Buddha has built an incredible reputation for BBQ sauces and more recently, rubs. The awards started coming early and simply haven't stopped. This year in particular, BBQ Buddha performed extre...

BBQ and Mexican food is a match made in heaven. Michael and his partner Miroslawa definitely agree and have created an incredible fusion restaurant, named Mexican Street Food by Little Flock , in Melbourne, a city known for its new and exciting restaurants. However, I don't need to explain how 2020 has been difficult for restaurants. In this Ep, Michael and I talk about restaurant life under COVID...

Admit it - you want his job. I want his job. We all want Kevin's job. Being Head Grill Master at Weber has to be one of the coolest jobs ever dreamt up. The opportunities and the experiences are mind blowing. Such as? Think key roles in new product development, recipe development, BBQ classes, competitions, world travel and so much more! Kevin has also landed a sweet gig teaching meat science at t...

The key principle of entrepreneurship is finding a need, recognising the opportunity and seizing that opportunity. Trent Barrett is one of these people. He and his wife Cassie have just opened the Gold Coast's first dedicated low'n'slow BBQ store - Smoked BBQ Co. Located in Miami, Smoked BBQ Co is soon to become a familiar haunt for BBQ aficionados from all over South East Queensland. And it's eas...

There aren't many people that can claim their family as Royalty in the Aussie outdoor lifestyle, but Anthony Shepherd is one of them. His parents were the founders of OzPig - the outdoor BBQ / camp kitchen / wood stove that has become an integral part of quality family time for so many Australian families. Now Anthony is running the family business and the OzPig has gone from strength to strength,...

Rusty's Food and Barbecue hasn't been open long, having launched during, yes during, the COVID lockdowns. However, in these brief few months, Rusty has managed to create something very special. Every night, their venue is filled to the COVID capacity, the crowds are ecstatic with the food and, most importantly are loyal, with the majority of the crowd being repeat customers. So how has Rusty manag...

Jason Meldrum is a man on a mission. A mission to grow the BBQ scene in Western Australia by any means possible. Not only is he a Pitmaster, he's a BBQ Competitor, a Pit Builder, a Caterer, an a BBQ teacher. And you've seen his work before - it was his big beautiful blue offset trailer smoker that I fell in love with when I was at a competition in WA at the end of 2018 and have been fawning over i...

RG has fast become a staple of the Adelaide BBQ scene. And it's little doubt why. A one minute conversation with founder Rik Carr and it's easy to see why.  Rik has boundless energy and he directs 150% of it into his passion for meat and BBQ. Indeed, his passion for BBQ has led him into not one, not two, but three different careers within the meat industry. And he brings the culmination of that kn...

Harry Soo is our very special guest in this week's episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. Harry really needs no introduction, being one of America's most well-known Pitmasters, having been on BBQ Pitmasters, Chopped, Food Network and many more. In fact, you might remember him as the underdog in Season One of BBQ Pitmasters, who surprised everyone, beating many of the top Pitmasters an...

BBQ Judges. They're often overlooked and under-appreciated. And let's face it: we BBQ competitors often scapegoat the judges when we don't get the scores that we want. However, that doesn't change the fact that BBQ Judges are the 'other side' of the coin in Competition BBQ. Sure, you can't have a BBQ Competition without competitors, but the flip side of that is that you also can't have a BBQ Compe...

Stagg and Co founder, Scott Bothe is our guest in this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. An Australian first, Stagg & Co are a BBQ dedicated co-packer that is committed to helping Australian BBQ brands make a name for themselves and get their products out into the world. Scott himself is no stranger to the BBQ world and has already conquered the scene in Australia, being one half...

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I chat with Drue Be of Dru-B-Q. He's a man who's taken his love of all things BBQ and combined it with his skills with a welder to create some truly world-quality drum smokers. Inspired by the imported ones, Drue has set about developing not just some great quality drum smokers, but also a wide range of really unique and ingenious accesso...

How many, and what's the rarest Weber Kettle you own? I bet it doesn't matter what you have, Dean 'Schuey' Schumann has you beat! Schuey's BBQ has come a long way in a short time, but that's exactly the way 'Schuey' had planned it. A photographer by profession, Schuey has combined his love photography with his passion for BBQ and created a very successful YouTube channel Schuey's BBQ , where you c...