Hello, hello. It's been a minute, hasn't it! Some of you may have thought the show was over, but it is not. But don't read this, press play and get the down low there. This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast was recorded LIVE at the Emerald BBQ and Beer Festival, in beautiful outback Queensland. Enjoy! Wanna continue the conversatio…

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is Part 2 of a 2 part ‘After Dark’ series recorded at the always amazing Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer and BBQ Festival. In Pt 2, I’m joined by Chad Griffin from Smoke Masters BBQ in a stint as co-host, as well as Matt Brien from Smokin’ Forties, Drinkin’ Shorties, and Cheyne Whitemore from Long …

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is Part 1 of a 2 part ‘After Dark’ series recorded at the always amazing Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer and BBQ Festival. In Pt 1, we’re chatting with Matt Harris from Shire Smokers BBQ and James Wilson from Smokeface Grillahs, two of the most seasoned BBQ competitors in Australia. Get your pens a…

If you’re serious about BBQ, and let’s be honest, you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t, then you’ll know about Butcher BBQ. Their BBQ rubs and injections are staples of competition BBQ kitchens around the world and have been credited with more trophy wins than any other product out there. The founder is David Bouska - world championship winning Pitm…

If there’s one man who knows how to build an ugly drum smoker, it’s Adam Yorke, founder of Ugly Drum Smokers Australia. A fellow Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner and BBQ lover, it didn’t take long for Adam to go all in on the BBQ game, starting his own BBQ business. And he has several different options available for potential barrel smoker fans. Fo…

There’s not much that Steven West of Moist BBQ enjoys more than going to a BBQ Competition. Except of course winning a trophy at that BBQ competition. Using his own BBQ rubs of course! Steven is the pitmaster and team captain of Moist BBQ, a competition BBQ team that enjoys a good reputation on the circuit. Be it a low and slow Australasian Barbecu…

You have a dream. You’re onto something. You can feel it in your bones. You just have to get there. But there’s a problem. Money makes the world go round, and you don’t have much of it. In fact, you only $500 left on your last good credit card. Do you back yourself and go all in, or do you play it safe and bow out while you still can? One man who c…

Game meat isn’t for everybody. Atleast, it hasn’t been historically. However one man, Rob Gallina, is set to change that. He’s a builder, contract shooter and BBQ freak who loves nothing more than getting out in the bush for a few weeks at a time and living off the land. Yes, you read that right - he hunts, catches, cleans and cooks what he eats. H…

When asked for their best piece of advice, many BBQ pitmasters will pause, reflect, and say ‘Relax, it’s not rocket science.’ Except, sometimes it is. Such is the case for Dr Howard Conyers, a pitmaster from South Carolina, currently living in Louisiana. Why Louisiana? Because by day, Dr Conyers is a rocket scientist for NASA. Yep, during the week …

Julie-ann Tindall-Davies returns in this very special episode of our BBQ Podcast. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll know that she’s one half of the dynamic duo behind JAGRD Woodfired, one of the most successful smoker manufacturers in the country. Their competition team was also awarded the KCBS International Brisket Team of …

There are few people that you will meet in your life that deserve the moniker, ‘a force of nature’. However Sunny Moody is exactly that. Sunny was awarded, and is the current reigning World Steak Champion, taking out the annual Steak Cookoff Association Championships in 2021. Now winning that prestigious BBQ competition is no mean feat, but there’s…

Barbecue can be as conformative or as creative as you want to make it. One BBQ pitmaster who refuses to relegate her food to the banality of conformity is Cassie Strohmeyer, head cook and team captain of Smoke on the Water competition BBQ team. Hailing from Gladstone, Queensland, Cassie spends her time traveling the east coast of Australia, competi…

What do kangaroos, emu and crocodile have in common? They are all delicious on the grill. Jokes aside, despite a reputation of being a barren land, Australia actually has an incredibly large and diverse range of foods - enough to support countless generations of Indigenous Australians for approximately 50,000 years. Sadly, much of this knowledge ha…

We continue our podcast series featuring the most influential women in BBQ with Ceri Ford, one of the most prolific BBQ judges on the circuit and founder of the Women of Low ‘n Slow Australia Facebook group. She’s a registered judge with the Australasian Barbecue Alliance, Kansas City Barbeque Society and the Steak Cookoff Association. I would chal…

Bronnie Durston has led a successful career in hospitality, having made a name for herself as a wedding planner. However, after discovering the delicious food of Texas BBQ, Bronnie has dedicated herself to low and slow BBQ. Together with husband Paul, they are active on the competition BBQ circuit, competing as the award winning BBQ team, Bulldogs …

Karina Rumens is a woman on a mission - to ensure that competition BBQ in Australia is held to the highest standards and maintains a reputation equal to anywhere else in the world. Karina is one of the highest Kansas City Barbeque Society Representatives in the country and when you meet her, it’s easy to see why. A consummate professional, Karina i…

Meatstock is not just a BBQ festival - it’s an experience. It’s a BBQ competition, an expo, a rock concert, a car show and much much more. And so it was that I was very excited when it was announced that Meatstock was coming to Queensland. And boy, was it a show. In partnership with Toowoomba Regional Council, Meatstock Toowoomba set the standard f…

There’s BBQ joints, and then there’s Fire and Brimstone Barbeque - one of the best BBQ joints in Sydney. BBQ Pitmaster Brad Shorten is the man behind the smoked meat phenomenon and he’s our guest in this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. Fire and Brimstone is well known by Sydney foodies as the place to go for delicious smoke…

Slinging brisket for cash is no easy feat, but Mackay pitmaster Blair Tomkinson sure makes it look that way. His BBQ catering business, Bears BBQ Low and Slow Catering, has been recently nominated for ‘Catering Operation of the Year’ in the annual Australasian Barbecue Alliance Awards. His brisket and beef ribs are the stuff of legend, and his prow…

John Austin is many things. A husband. A Father. A serviceman. A backyard BBQ lover. And now a TikTok superstar!It is impossible to argue that TikTok is a fad - it’s clearly here to stay, and BBQ business owners would do well to get on board. The TikTok algorithm is still very generous, offering a lot of organic reach that has become very hard to c…

Kyle Leffers is a man who loves his BBQ. So much so that he has started not one, but two BBQ businesses, as well as a competition BBQ team. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Kyle and his team compete as Rub and Grub and are carving it up, particularly in Steak Cookoff Association competitions where, at the time of publishing, team mate Adriano An…

If there is one name that is synonymous with competition BBQ, it’s Malcom Reed. Malcom Reed and his competition BBQ team Killer Hogs are legends of the competition BBQ scene, winning trophy after trophy over a period of nearly two decades. He’s particularly well known for his long history of success at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contes…

There are big changes afoot for both the Meatstock food festival and BBQ competition, and the Australasian Barbecue Alliance itself. Jay Beaumont is a co-founder of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance, the founder of Meatstock and man oh man does he know how to put on an event! Meatstock is foodie heaven! It is without a doubt the biggest and best B…

Amy Jungk is undoubtedly the Queen of Spice. Her official title is Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Old World Spices & Seasonings. However, her actual role is much more and deeper than that. She's actually the third generation to be owning and running one of, if not the biggest co-packer in the United States. In turn, Old World Spi…

The Arctic Circle is a low way from Australia. Almost the exact opposite end of the Earth. But there is one thing that unites us - BBQ! Olav Skogaas is one Norwegian who is seriously into his barbecue. Not only does he run the biggest BBQ blog in the Arctic Circle, he's also on the Traeger Pro Team, using his Traeger Pro 34 to compete and create in…

If you've been with our channel for a while, you'll know that here at Smoking Hot Confessions, we're all about low'n'slow BBQ. You'll also know that we love to mix things up. And so when I met Adriano Andrade for the first time, I knew I had to have him on the show. You see, Adriano Andrade is from Brazil and now calls Australia home. His passion i…

Joe Wilson is a man who can see the future. And what does he see from his front porch in Bentonville, Arkansas? Squirrels, that's what. And so the World Champion Squirrel Cook-Off was born. Now, many of us outside of the USA have grown up with Disney squirrels and can't imagine a cooking competition where squirrel is the main dish. However, for a l…

Steven Raichlen is a legend in the world of meat and all things BBQ. I’ll wager there isn’t anyone reading this right now who hasn’t heard of him. Furthermore, I’ll wager that many of you have one of his many BBQ books on your shelf right now. He’s a best selling author of incredible cook books such as ‘Project Smoke’, ‘The Barbecue Bible’, and mos…

Erica B Roby is a woman on a mission. Her mission: to become the best pitmaster in the world. And here’s a hint: she’s already up there with the best! Her work has been recognised around the world via her incredibly popular Instagram profile (@bluesmokeblaire), however it was when she was invited to appear in Season Two of BBQ Brawl from The Food N…

There are those of us that love BBQ, and then there’s Chris Terlikar. What makes Chris different? Not many of us have, or would, go and live in Austin, Texas for three months and work for free in an internship under Tom Micklethwait from legendary Texas BBQ joint Micklethwait Craft Meats, known for having some of the best barbecue in Texas. Chris b…

Junior Urias is a man of action, who isn’t afraid of a little hard work. Or a lot of hard work for that matter. Odds are, you’ve seen Junior before - he was a competitor on the popular TV show ‘BBQ Pitmasters’. But there’s so much more to Junior than a season of reality television. He started in the BBQ industry at a very young age and has explored…

Texas BBQ, often regarded as the best BBQ in the world, has inspired many, many pitmasters around the world. One of those pitmasters is Rob Thraves, from Smokin Hot N Saucy. Together with his wife Randi, herself a native of Texas, Rob took a tour of Austin, Houston, and all the best BBQ joints in between. They came home inspired with a vision cemen…

Stand-up comedy is not an easy game. You have to be very, very brave to get up on stage and try to make a room full of people laugh. And yet this is the career that southern gentleman Vic Clevenger pursued, working for over two decades as ‘The Cooking Comedian.’ The big world changes in 2020 saw Vic’s business model brought to its knees, and so he …

Low and slow BBQ is a growing food movement all around the world. It now has a solid competition scene not just in Australia, but also in New Zealand. In fact, the scene is growing so quickly in NZ that there are now several BBQ rub and BBQ sauce companies as well as BBQ joints and restaurants that rival the best in the world. One man leading the c…

BBQ Spit Rotisseries is a success story in the world of BBQ businesses, and co-founder Rhiannon Peterson is a driving force behind it. Rhiannon is a highly motivated, hard working entrepreneur and foodie who, starting with just a rotisserie, an idea and a never give up mindset, has built the country’s largest independent BBQ store with shops in Mel…

There are BBQ restaurants, there are BBQ joints, and then there’s Bluebird Kitchen and Smokehouse. Inspired by American barbecue, Jim and Katie Osborn have brought authentic Texas BBQ to Warwick, Queensland. Armed with a love of food, a do it yourself attitude and plenty of brisket, pork ribs, sausage and chicken, this husband and wife barbeque foo…

Designing and Building Smokers is Glenn Tindall-Davies passion. Half of the husband and wife duo that is JAGRD Wood Fired, Glenn designs and builds the smokers that he and Julie-ann then use in BBQ competitions to great success. All of their smokers are competition proven, with JAGRD Wood Fired currently sitting at #1 for Brisket and #2 for Pork Ri…

BBQ has a power to connect people and heal relationships. It's no secret to anyone who's a part of the barbecue community. This unique ability of BBQ, among all of the different styles of food out there, has been recognised by Matt Logie from Smokin' Sappers BBQ Team. He uses barbeque, and his team to help rehabilitate current and veteran service m…

If you’ve been following SHC for a while now, then you’ll know that I love to cook BBQ, eat BBQ, and talk about BBQ. One man that loves barbecue almost as much as I do, is Ryan Guinea, from the BBQ Talks podcast, based out of the United Kingdom. Now a quick confession - I bungled the audio on my end. Ryan still sounds awesome, but the recording of …

Daniel Barrington from Smoked Beyond Smoked joins me in The Confessional for this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. We recorded this shortly after he was awarded Grand Champion on the second day of the incredible Brisbane BBQ Festival. This was an Australasian Barbecue Alliance double-header event, an Australian first, and just ma…

Luke Nagel is a man who knows meat. Luke is a career butcher and the manager of Kelly’s Meats. One of the most well known low and slow butcheries in Melbourne, Kelly’s Meats is responsible for sponsoring many of the best competition BBQ teams in the country, supplying them with only the best steak, beef, lamb, pork, brisket, chicken, and whatever e…

If you’re in the mood for American BBQ in Sydney, you absolutely have to check out BlackBear BBQ. The Texas BBQ inspired restaurant has become a Sydney food destination thanks to its delicious, mouth watering low and slow smoked meat including brisket, beef short ribs, pulled pork and even picanha. There are many that argue that BlackBear BBQ is on…

Sonia Cattell is one of the top BBQ pitmasters in Australia at this time. She and her competition BBQ team Signature Smoke have risen from Beginner to Pro level in just two short years, racking up a number of trophies and two back to back Grand Champion wins. Whether it’s an ABA, KCBS or SCA BBQ competition, they always bring out their best competi…

If there is one thing that separates Aussie BBQ from American BBQ, it’s got to be lamb. In fact, we love lamb so much that it’s a standard category at almost every BBQ competition we have. There are many that even believe they have perfected this iconic Aussie protein. However, there is one man that keeps coming here and beating Aussies at lamb. Th…

AmazingRibs.com is without a doubt one of the most highly used BBQ resources in the world. In fact, Forbes Magazine recently announced that it was the #1 BBQ website in the world. Furthermore, it’s founder and chief content writer Meathead Goldwyn was very recently welcomed into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame. This is an honour that is re…

The Que Club is without a doubt, one of the country’s most iconic BBQ spots. But it’s hard to define exactly what it is. The brainchild of competition BBQ pitmasters Andrew Kavanagh and his amazingly patient wife Pam, The Que Club is all things to all BBQers. Is it a BBQ joint? Yes. Is it a BBQ shop? Yes. Is it a bar? Yes. Is it an import and distr…

In the world of competition barbecue, Kell Phelps of the Barbecue News Magazine is a man who’s seen it all. Since 1990, Kell and his family have been documenting the competition BBQ scene in their magazine. From their HQ in Georgia, there is nary a BBQ contest that they haven’t been to, including Memphis in May and the American Royal BBQ Competitio…

I’m not going to lie - this is a total fanboy episode for me. Mark Lambert is a goliath in the BBQ world. Firstly, he’s a ridiculously successful competition BBQ pitmaster. He’s a 6 time World Champion, 4 time Memphis in May World Champion, and 2017 American Royal World Champion in Ribs. He’s also the founder of the powerhouse rub, sauce and distri…

The Houston World’s Bar-B-Que Contest in Texas is quite possibly the most highly contentested BBQ competition in the world. And our very own Grant Coleman from the Smooth and Smoakey Salad Dodgers has represented Australia there not once, not twice, but three times! Competing as Manning Valley Natural Smokers, Grant and his team took it to the worl…

There isn’t a butcher in Australia who knows more about the butchery industry than Glenn Dumbrell from Char Char Char in Melbourne. He has several decades experience in butchering meat, and for the last ten years has been running a butcher shop of his own, Char Char Char. He’s seen all the market shifts and changes, has been a huge part of Butcher …