smoking and barbecue

For my 30th birthday my mates pitched in and bought me a smoker, a Weber Smokey Mountain. Already a proud owner of a WeberQ I knew the brand and was very confident it would be a quality product. Since then I have added a couple of Kettles to my collection having well and truly caught the barbecue bug.

My addiction to smoking has become so great I quit my job of 11 years to work at a store called The Outdoor Chef selling Webers and outdoor kitchens. Working with a product you use yourself and genuinely feel passionate about certainly makes for an enjoyable day. Being able to cook your lunch or dinner out the back of the shop is also handy.

The art of smoking, both learning it and putting it into practice, is complex but a lot of fun. Whilst smoking and barbecue does require a certain amount of experimentation there is a lot of help out there. Smoking meat is becoming more and more popular and there are a lot of reliable sources when it comes to learning the art.

At the top of my go to list is Meathead Goldwyn. Both his website www.amazingribs.com and his book Meathead: The Science of Great Barbecue and Grilling are literally amazing. Along with great recipes and techniques Meathead debunks a lot of myths when it comes to not only smoking and barbecue but cooking in general.

Another figure as equally as important in the barbecue and smoking world is Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue. His restaurant is so popular customers begin lining up at 5am… doors open at 11am. Franklin’s cookbook Franklin Barbecue, A Meat-smoking Manifesto is similar to that of Meathead’s in that delves deep into all aspects of barbecue and will well and truly set you on your way. Towards the end of 2017 we began supplying recipes to three barbecue related businesses. SmokeyQ is a producer of rubs and sauces from Western Australia. Their products are found all over the country in ever increasing numbers. Steak School by Stanbroke is a community based website providing recipes, preparation techniques, cooking methods and information on beef cuts. Stanbroke Beef is one of Australia’s largest producers and exporters of beef. The Outdoor Chef is where Craig works selling barbecues and outdoor and alfresco kitchens. They have been very supportive of Messy Benches and we’re very excited to have our recipes featured on their website.

I’m always after tips, ideas so feel free to contact me and let me know!