Love delicious slow cooked meats? Love food vans? You’ll likely be head over heals when Big Smoke BBQ rolls into town! We spoke to BBQ boss Dave, who has 18 years experience in the hospitality industry, about his plans for this new venture and what makes his fare extra special.

What drew you to the world of smoked meats?

I’ve had an interest in smoking meats for some time, I’m a keen on American BBQ and anything to do with smoking. We have a small hobby farm where we grow our own pigs and therefore I have been applying what I’ve learnt on our own meat over a couple of years. We are a big believer in knowing where your meat comes from, how they’ve been treated, and to cut out as much processing as possible.

Tell us a bit about your smokers and techniques.

I built our smoker myself. it is a reverse flow stick burner. We use a number of rubs on the meat – a sweet and hot for the pork and a salt and course cracked black pepper Texas style for the beef. We use Tasmanian oakwood from our farm in the smoker and set the temperature low and slow. We set the cooker for 14 hours for the pork and 18 for the beef. The result is amazing. The beef melts in your mouth like butter and the pork is just so succulent.

What kind of dishes can people expect on the menu? Any specialties?

We really just focus on the meat. We have sourced some brioche buns, we add our meat and a choice of hot or medium bbq or a chipotle mayo with some coleslaw and pickles. Simple but packs a powerful punch. We’re working on our sides. As we are just starting out we’ve trialled our house cut fries, cornbread and we are thinking of doing some smoked beans in the future. We make all our own bbq sauces.

Where is your pork sourced from?

The pork is reared on our farm free-range, we like to call them our bulldozers as they are always digging up fern root and making mud holes. They like sleeping in but know their feed times and can get a bit hangry at times, the dogs need to watch they don’t end up as a pigs meal! They have a happy life on the farm.

Best beverages to enjoy with your BBQ?

Beer works well. But beer works well with most things!

Anything else you’d like to add?

We are just starting out so come out and give us a try, you won’t regret it!

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