The Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast

What does it take to become one of Australia's most successful competition pitmasters? Recorded live at the Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer & BBQ Festival, Ben sits down with Dan Barrett from Big Smoke BBQ, a three-time Australian BBQ Alliance Team of the Year winner and the owner of Four Monkeys BBQ Rubs & Sauces. Dan shares his thoughts on the current state of competition barbecue, how rising costs are affecting teams around Australia, and what the 2026 season has looked like so far. The conversation also explores what's next for Big Smoke BBQ and how Dan earned a coveted invitation to compete in the BBQ World Cup, a winner-takes-all competition in Las Vegas with $1 million USD on the line. If you're into competition BBQ, pitmaster stories, barbecue business, or the future of the sport in Australia, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

🔥 In this episode:

• The Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer & BBQ Festival
• The current state of competition BBQ in Australia
• Cost of living pressures affecting BBQ teams
• Dan's 2026 competition season
• Big Smoke BBQ's success on the circuit
• Four Monkeys BBQ Rubs & Sauces
• The road to the BBQ World Cup in Las Vegas
• Competing for a $1 million USD prize

#BBQ #CompetitionBBQ #BigSmokeBBQ #DanBarrett #BBQWorldCup #KangarooValley #SmokingHotConfessions #Barbecue #Pitmaster #BBQLife #FourMonkeysBBQ

It's that time of year again - the always incredible Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer and BBQ Festival. In an impossible feat, this year was bigger and better than last year, with a round of the Steak Cookoff Association competition as well as a round of the Australian Barbecue Alliance competition. This is of course in addition to live music, BBQ vendors or all styles, craft beer breweries, distilleries, racing pigs and more. Oh, and how could I forget the always entertaining crew from Pro Wrestling Australia! So join me here as I take you with me on a journey through the two day meat and beer spectacular that is the Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer and BBQ Festival!

#bbq #festival #craftbeer

It's that time of year again, where I head down south of Sydney, Australia, to a tiny town called Kangaroo Valley. KV is famous for having one of, if not THE best Craft Beer and BBQ Festivals in the country. And 2024 did not disappoint.

Join me for another of our 'AFTER DARK' specials where I settle in for a beer and a chat with some of the best competitors out there.

#bbq #bbqfestival #podcast #bbqpodcast

It's that time of year again, where I head down south of Sydney, Australia, to a tiny town called Kangaroo Valley. KV is famous for having one of, if not THE best Craft Beer and BBQ Festivals in the country. And 2024 did not disappoint.

Join me as I spend the weekend at the festival, chatting with competitors, vendors, suppliers and more!

#bbq #bbqfestival #podcast #bbqpodcast

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 conversation? Come join us over on Facebook at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smokinghotconfessionsbbqcommunity

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 Paddock Meats and That South Coast Rub Guy. So settle in and get comfortable for this really interesting chat with some up and comers on the competition BBQ scene.

Wanna continue the conversation? Come join us over on Facebook at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smokinghotconfessionsbbqcommunity

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 and papers ready, as these guys share some seriously tasty tips and tricks!

Keep the conversation going in The Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/smokinghotconfessionsbbqcommunity

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 Pitmaster, BBQ Pitmasters competitor and champion archer. A butcher by trade, David fell in love with competition BBQ and it wasn't long before his knowledge of meat gave him an edge over his fellow BBQ competitors. And the rest, as they say, is history.

In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, David and I get into:

• Smoking Wagyu Briskets (0:59)
• The difference between a meat market and a butcher (8:41)
• Appearing on BBQ Pitmasters (12:30)
• How Butcher BBQ became a business (27:58)
• Butcher BBQ Classes (39:55)
• David's best tips for people looking to get into competition BBQ (43:37)

Looking to get more from your BBQ? Check out Barbe Con. The library is now open. Learn how to cook better BBQ and become the envy of family and friends. And if you have a BBQ business, learn how to sharpen your game to make those fat stacks of brisket cash!https://barbecon.smokinghotconfessions.com

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. For those who want a DIY smoker and are confident to build a drum smoker of their own, he has a wide range of drum smoker parts including a complete UDS kit. And for those who aren't so brave with the do it yourself stuff, he also sells complete ugly drum smokers. All of his smokers are completely customisable so your UDS build will be your own.

In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Adam and I get into:

• Adam's love of BJJ (0:47)
• Where Adam's love of food and barbecue came from (6:28)
• What fish Adam likes to catch and cook in his drum smokers (13:36)
• How Ugly Drum Smokers Australia got started (16:15)
• One of his other hobbies that is also popular with BBQers (20:51)
• Why his drum smokers don't have form lines (31:22)
• Adam's best tips for cooking on ugly drum smokers (44:57)

Want to continue the conversation, join over on Facebook at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1676305375916142/

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 Barbecue Alliance competition, or a Steak Cookoff Association competition, Steven and his team are up for the challenge and are regularly at the pointy end of the board. In fact, they are currently waiting for the next World Championship round of the Steak Cookoff Association, having won a 'Golden Ticket' invitation to head to the United States and represent Australia, cooking up the perfect ribeye steak. Off the back of his competition BBQ successes, Steven has also founded Slow Burner BBQ, a BBQ rub company whose spice rubs are on high rotation here at Smoking Hot Confessions.

In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Steven and I get into:

• How Steven got into barbeque and how Moist BBQ got started (1:31)
• How Moist BBQ keep up on trends in competition BBQ and the wider food scene (12:34)
• Their recent successes at Meatstock Melbourne (15:25)
• What he thinks about a quadruple Steak Cookoff Association competition (22:49)
• How he started his rub business Slow Burner BBQ (26:26)
• Steven's best tips for starting a BBQ rub business (41:50)

Barbe Con is here! The world's first live online BBQ summit is just around the corner and we have three goals - to save you time, save you money and to become the envy of friends and family. We have the best BBQ pitmasters and BBQ business owners from around the country as well as one or two international guests and we're bringing them into your living rooms, LIVE! A two day event, the first day is dedicated to cooking BBQ, and the second day is dedicated to the business of BBQ. We're bringing you cooking demonstrations on Saturday and business presentations on Sunday. Get your tickets now:https://barbecon.eventbrite.com.au