Barbecue in Australia is booming. As Wood fired or charcoal ‘low and slow’ cooking continues to take over many backyards and cafes, The ABA’s co-founder and general manager, Adam Roberts, tells us about the gradual birth of a movement.
Low n Slow barbecue, like the name suggests, sees large cuts of meats – usually fattier or tougher cuts such as pork shoulder or brisket – cooked over coals on low heat for a longer period of time. The meats are usually cooked within or on a barbecue smoker which can come in various shapes and sizes and can range in price from pocket change set-ups to second mortgage-size contraptions with endless shine.
Some slow-cooks can take more than 12 hours, and over that time the fat breaks down to reveal an often very lean and very moist finished product that sets off one hell of a party in the lucky eater’s mouth.
Throw in some pork ribs, a chicken and various cuts of lamb and you’ve got a pretty wide range of options to throw onto the barbecue.
Co-Founders Jay Beaumont, Jess Pryles and myself formed the ABA in 2014 off the back of the successful inaugural Blues & BBQ Festival, an event which saw Port Macquarie become the unofficial birthplace of American style low and slow barbecue competition in Australia.
The 3rd annual Blues & BBQ Festival broke all previous records with 84 teams competing for national pride and honours in what is arguably the largest barbecue competition outside of the United States.
This year’s festival saw women competing alongside men and the first all-Australian all-female barbecue team who proved to have serious skills behind the smoker’s lid. They took out 5th place in the Chef’s Choice category and beat more than 50 teams in their first competition.
In support of the competing teams there were also 84 pre-trained official judges tasting 36 servings of barbecue goodness across six categories of beef, pork, lamb, pork ribs, chicken and an open chef’s choice category.
The progression of competition barbecue in Australia has been rapid and widespread and has also led to the coming together of a genuine barbecue industry, which was also one of the aims of the ABA.
In recent years the ABA has sanctioned many more barbecue competitions including events in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth with a full calendar of around 15 competitions in 2016 alone. All of these competitions form part of the Australian Barbecue Championship series that will see the crowning of Australia’s first National Champion Barbecue Team with all competing teams receive a national ranking at the series’ end.
May through July of 2016 will see five ABA-sanctioned barbecue competitions attached to some of the country’s most exciting festivals and events including the Bundaberg BBQ Battle, Just Smokin @ Gloucester, the Rockhampton Brahman BBQ Battle, Brisbane BBQ Festival and the Burleigh BBQ Championships.
A new wave of barbecue competitions for the back-end of 2016 are yet to be announced and will include Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.
The ABA encourages first-time competitors to grab some friends together, guys or girls, and get involved in one of the most friendly, supportive and tasty sports around.
For more information on upcoming events or on the ABA can be found at www.ausbbq.com.au or by contacting adam@ausbbq.com.au
Story by ADAM ROBERTS, Co-FOUNDER AUSTRALASIAN BARBECUE ALLIANCE
