The Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast

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 for a BBQ event this side of the border. Never one to rest on his heels, founder Jay Beaumont decided that he was going to reinvent his signature event. Meatstock Toowoomba had the signature round of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance BBQ competition, a BBQ expo, a championship rodeo round, live country music on stage from 2pm til late every day, a strongman and strongwoman competition, cooking demonstrations, children's activities and of course only the best food trucks and drinks wagons on the East Coast. There was also this year's Australasian Barbecue Alliance Awards - an industry event recognising the best of the best from within the BBQ industry.

In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I grab my camera and mics and chat with:

1. Brad Shorten from Fire and Brimstone Barbeque
2. Grant Coleman from Smooth & SmOakey Salad Dodgers
3. Rob Beswick-Davison from Meatee Goodness
4. Lloyd Budd and Brendon Jones from Lanes BBQ Australia
5. Jake Davey
6. Bryan Murphy from Hazy Peak Barbecues
7. Lukas Armstrong from The Jacks Creek BBQ Team
8. Trevor Blanch from Deep South East BBQ Condiments
9. Mike Johnson and Christina Fitzgerald from Sugarfire Smokehouse
10. Aaron Palmer from Low n Slow Basics
11. Chris Davey from Smokin' Hot Bros
12. Michael Page from Heavenly Hell

Barbe Con is coming! We're bringing the best BBQ Pitmasters and BBQ Business Owners from around the country live into your living room. We're going to help you save time, save money and become the envy of friends and family. PreRegistrations are open now. So to be the first to know when tickets become available, Early Bird deals, specials, presenter announcements and more, head on over to the website below and register your interest. See you soon!

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/barbeconprereg/

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 smoked brisket, bbq pork ribs, bbq chicken and more. But that hasn't been enough for Brad. He's also got his line of Fire and Brimstone BBQ rubs, thought of by many as the best BBQ rubs around.

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

• What it's like to be nominated for the Australasian Barbecue Alliance Awards (1:05)
• The thing about chicken skins (7.29)
• The birth of Fire and Brimstone Barbeque (22:15)
• How they balance the wastage margins to maximise profits (29:21)
• Their bottomless Beer and BBQ deal (33:52)
• Brad's tips for cooking better BBQ (46:10)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

#bbq #bbqjoints #bbqrestaurants #bbqfamily #bbqlove #fireandbrimstone #barbecue #barbeque #brisket #pulledpork #bbqchicken #sydney #sydneyfoodie #foodie

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 prowess in Texas BBQ brought him to the attention of competition BBQ royalty 'Country Boys BBQ'. Blair was quickly recruited to the team and is now in charge of cooking all the beef at the Country Boys' BBQ competition events. So, not only is he an award winning BBQ pitmaster and an award nominated BBQ business operator, he is also a renowned barbecue pit builder. Yes, he builds all the pits that he cooks on!

In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Blair and I get into:• His long history with Australian BBQ legend Barbecue Mafia (3:10)

• His collection of BBQ smokers that he built himself (7:11)
• The most common problem with Gateway Drum Smokers in competition BBQ (13:17)
• Bears BBQ Low and Slow Catering (20:19)
• What type of events he prefers to service and why (28:57)
• Blair's best tips for smoking brisket (42:18)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

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 come by on other platforms. As such, TikTok should be a part of any healthy social media marketing strategy. John recognised this early on and TikTok is where he has focussed his marketing energies for his BBQ rub business 'AussieQ Backyard BBQ'. He's refined his TikTok marketing strategy, paid attention to the TikTok algorithm, and has gained hundreds of thousands of TikTok followers. Even Gordon Ramsay has dueted his BBQ videos. Twice. Which officially makes John Austin TikTok famous!In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, John and I get into:

• What John had in his BBQ smoker while we were recording (0:46)
• John's time as a serviceman in the Australian Army (2:16)
• Cooking BBQ with Nepalese soldiers in Afghanistan (9:15)
• Cooking BBQ while at work with the Army in Australia (15:02)
• Taking BBQ out to Indigenous communities in Central Australia (17:10)
• How his BBQ rub business AussieQ came about (22:29)
• Gordon Ramsay duetting his videos (32:56)
• How John balances active duty with running a BBQ business (39:26)
• John best TikTok Tips (45:48)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

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 Andrade is sitting at #2 on the Australian ladder. Rub and Grub has also evolved into a BBQ business, producing a very successful line of BBQ rubs. In addition to these, they also produce the Weber Go Anywhere Riser, one of the most popular Weber Go Anywhere modifications on the market which enables portable charcoal grill lovers to use a Weber rotisserie with their favourite camping barbecue. And as if this wasn't enough, Kyle has also co-founded popular low and slow butcher shop 'Meat Your Needs' which has been nominated for this year's Australasian Barbecue Alliance Annual Awards.

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

• Reminiscing about Meat Meet in Horsham (0:48)
• How Kyle got into barbeque (3:36)
• His first experience in competition BBQ (8:08)
• How the Rub and Grub BBQ business was formed (17:39)
• The Weber Go Anywhere Riser (25:59)
• The low and slow butcher shop Meat Your Needs (34:00)
• Kyle best advice for making better BBQ (44:57)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

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 Contest, aka Memphis in May.

However, Malcom is a high achiever and a room full of competition BBQ trophies was never going to fully satisfy him. Together with his wife Rachelle, they founded the How To BBQ Right YouTube channel and the How To BBQ Right website. How To BBQ Right was a rapid success with audiences religiously tuning in each week to catch Malcom's latest BBQ recipes. And watch they did, with the How To BBQ Right Channel racking up 1.3 million subscribers at the time of recording, with Malcom's delicious barbecue food recipes garnering millions upon millions of views. Some of the most popular include his pork ribs recipe, his mac and cheese recipe, his philly cheesesteak recipe, and of course his how to smoke brisket recipes.

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

• What does Malcom Reed love to BBQ when he's NOT making videos? (3:12)
• What is Malcom's preferred style of BBQ smoker? (6:28)
• What Malcom can remember of his first BBQ competition (11:33)
• What the experience was like hosting a BBQ competition for the first time (21:08)
• How the How To BBQ Right YouTube channel was created (24:21)
• When and why they started the How to BBQ Right Podcast (30:54)
• A disastrous BBQ recipe video (39:54)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

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 BBQ festival Australia has ever seen. But there's not just one, there's three! There's Meatstock Sydney, Meatstock Melbourne and Meatstock Auckland, in New Zealand. That's right, the love of smoked meat and low and slow barbecue has spread across the Tasman. In fact, the Meatstock barbecue competitions have become so popular that they regularly attract famous, special guest pitmasters such as Tuffy Stone, and Big Moe Cason. But never one to rest while his brisket is resting, Jay is switching things up for both Meatstock, and the Australasian Barbecue Alliance, and I gotta tell you, it's pretty exciting!

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

• Jay's new barbecue video studio in Port Macquarie (0:35)
• Everything to do with Meatstock Toowoomba (5:41)
• Local celebrity pitmasters coming to Meatstock Toowoomba (18:23)
• Meatstock Brazil (22:03)
• Meatstock Saudi Arabia (27:58)
• Recent changes at the Australasian Barbecue Alliance (29:20)
• How the annual Australasian Barbecue Alliance Annual Awards are changing (32:09)
• The new, transparent judging process (37:18)
• The new Awards ceremony (43:50)
• Jay's Tips for Better Food Videos (46:03)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

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 Spices is the co-packer behind many of your favourite brands, including Loot'n'Booty BBQ and Kosmos Q, producing BBQ rubs and more on their behalf.

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

• Her favourite BBQ food for Game Day (4:22)
• Living in a BBQ legacy (11:37)
• An insight into Old World Spices (26:44)
• How BBQ Juding works at Memphis in May (30:20)
• Advice for pitmasters wanting to start their own BBQ rub line (43:55)
• Tips and Tricks for Pitmasters with plans for more (49:07)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

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 incredibly delicious smoked meat.

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

• How to smoke Beef Chuck on a Traeger Pellet Grill (3:46)
• Why he can't make smoked brisket in Norway (4:38)
• How he got his Traeger Pro 34 (8:04)
• How he got into the Traeger Pro Team (18:09)
• Traditional BBQ of Norway (22:40)
• Tips and Tricks for managing temperature in a BBQ (46:29)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to the Smoking Hot Confessions website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

#norway #traeger #traegerproteam #meat #smokedmeat #bbq #barbecue #barbeque #brisket #beefchuck #beef #pelletgrill

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 is Brazilian BBQ Fusion. Yep, you read that right. He's bringing traditional Brazilian flavours to the world of low'n'slow barbecue. And he's got some killer flavours. His picanha rub is a favourite here at Smoking Hot Confessions and is on high rotation!

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

• How he likes to cook a picanha (3:41)
• Growing up with BBQ in Brazil (6:08)
• His favourite competition BBQ experience to date (13:57)
• How Brazilian BBQ differs to Australian BBQ (21:01)
• Brazilian sausage flavour profiles (26:56)
• Creating Brazilian flavoured BBQ rubs (34:47)
• How to Grill Chicken Hearts (41:55)

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we'd love to hear from you. Send Ben an email at [email protected] and let's get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', including some smoked meat recipes, head to:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com