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

When asked for their best piece of advice, many BBQ pitmasters will pause, reflect, and say ‘Relax, it’s not rocket science.’ Except, sometimes it is. Such is the case for Dr Howard Conyers, a pitmaster from South Carolina, currently living in Louisiana. Why Louisiana? Because by day, Dr Conyers is a rocket scientist for NASA. Yep, during the week he sends rockets worth countless millions of dollars hurtling through space, and on the weekends, cooks whole hog in the most traditional of ways and teaching the missing history of barbecue on his family farm as part of The 100 Acres Project. Dr Conyers is truly a Guardian of BBQ and The 100 Acres Project is an initiative of his BBQ operation, Conyers Family BBQ. Cooking under his own name is a right that was denied his ancestors and this is the driving motivation behind everything Dr Conyers does. 

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

• Life as a NASA Rocket Scientist (1:18)
• The story behind his BBQ nickname ‘The Guardian of Tradition’ (7:43)
• Creating the Kingsford Preserve the Pit Program (15:07)
• The Conyers Family BBQ LLC (25:34)
• The Hundred Acres Project (36:40)
• Dr Conyers’ lesson on the missing history of barbecue (46:34)

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/

Nawaf Refai, owner and head pitmaster of 2 Smokin Arabs would have to be one of the most gentlemanly fellows in the Australian BBQ scene. Known as Raf by his friends, he was bitten by the BBQ bug several years ago, and what started out as a casual toe-dip into the competitive BBQ scene has evolved into so much more.

Raf has gone all-in with his food truck - 2 Smokin Arabs and has grown the business to an incredibly successful level in an incredibly short period of time. And there’s big things coming for him just around the corner - but I’ll leave that for him to tell you in the episode. 

But it’s not just his track record on the competition circuit and the food truck scene that sets him apart. He is a man who understands that his business owes its success to the support of the community that he services. And so he does everything he can to give back. In last year's bushfires he and his team hit the road and not only served the first responders, but also put on fundraising dinners, with the proceeds paid directly to said first responders to help them make sure they had everything they needed. And this is just the tip of the iceberg that is this man’s generosity.

In this episode we not only discuss the phenomenal growth of 2 Smokin Arabs, but also the community work that he does, and we close out the episode with a lesson from Raf on how to cook the perfect brisket. Check it out!

Check out 2 Smokin Arabs at: https://www.instagram.com/2smokinarabs_/

Grab the hottest BBQ merch in the world: https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Ever wondered what a virtual BBQ festival would look like? In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast I'm giving you a look at how the 2020 Virtual Mike Carney Toyota- Townsville BBQ Battle went down. It was a full day of BBQ, live music, crosses to sponsor sites and more. We were literally jumping in and out of peoples' back yards, from Melbourne all the way up to Townsville. 

This episode is a window into the day's events. We have a Q&A session with Chris from The Smoking Hot Bros, we jump into the back yards of competitors Anthony from Heat Check Barbecue, Dean from Beserker BBQ, Glenn from Smoking Dog BBQ, and the one and only Chloe from Chloe's Que.

Get some of literally the best BBQ merch in the world:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Heavy Kettle Smokers hail from New Zealand, and considering how much they love BBQ over there, the nickname of ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’ seems fitting. Daniel Tate is the team captain of the competition BBQ team ‘Heavy Kettle Cookers’. His passion for BBQ is overwhelming, and he’s competed at almost every competition ever held in New Zealand. His passion has been recognised by some big name sponsors such as Kingsford charcoal and Matangi Angus Beef. His real passion however, is for Weber BBQs. In fact, Daniel and his team cook exclusively on Webers - kettle and Smokey Mountains. Daniel is very proud of his collection of both new and rescued Webers and clearly knows how to use them!

In this episode we find out about how Daniel got into BBQ, and his life growing up in rural New Zealand cooking BBQ with his grandfather. We get into the BBQ scene in New Zealand - we learn about BBQ in NZ culture before the explosion of low’n’slow, including a quick lesson on the iconic ‘Hangi’. Then we explore the boom of low’n’slow and competitive BBQ in NZ. Finally, we close out the episode with a lesson from Daniel on how to restore rescued Webers to life and make them look brand new again. 

To learn more about Heavy Kettle Smokers, check out:

https://www.facebook.com/HeavyKettleSmokers/ 

Stay warm this winter with some killer hoodies and beanies from SHC:https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Smoky Pastures BBQ are an award-winning competitive BBQ team based in South Australia. Tom Damin is the team captain and Pitmaster. He just also happens to be an expert in Agriculture and Primary Production. Whilst the year has been quiet with regards to BBQ competitions, Tom and the rest of the lads from Smoky Pastures BBQ have not been resting on their laurels. They have headed into the lab, and have come to market with an exciting new range of rubs. 

In this interview we not only cover the development and release of these rubs, but we also get into what is very clearly a passion for Tom - Agriculture and Primary Production. Focussing specifically on beef, we discuss the impact of Covid on the Australian beef industry, the development of the Black Angus breed, the importance of pasture balance on the final product, and we put the argument of grass vs grain fed to bed for good!

Stay tuned for Tom to return in another few weeks - an hour was just not enough. We barely scratched the surface in regard to the agricultural industry and the relationship with BBQ. 

Learn more about Smoky Pastures BBQ:

https://www.facebook.com/smokypasturesbbq/ 

Grab our award winning merch now:

https://www.smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/ 

The Townsville BBQ Battle was a highlight of the 2019 BBQ Competition Circuit - and I’m not the only one to say so. It was the perfect combination of sunny Queensland weather, a beachside location, and an incredibly warm and welcoming public. In fact, on a per capita basis, the Townsville BBQ Battle had a better turnout than any Festival I’ve been to before. Quite the feat for a debut event. 

But all that has changed for 2020. 

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I chat with Dan Wilschefski, a co-founder of the Townsville BBQ Battle. We get into the ins and outs of the competition, learning how they managed to pull off such an incredible BBQ festival on their first run out of the gate. We also talk about the monumental changes they’ve had to put in place for 2020. Like so many other events, the Townsville BBQ Battle is unable to go ahead in 2020 due to Covid. So, the 2020 Townsville BBQ Battle is going Virtual!

To find out more about the festival, be sure to head on over to their page on Facebook, throw them a ‘Like’ and turn on Notifications to make sure you don’t miss any of the action: 

https://www.facebook.com/events/874201009724033/ 

Winter is here! Check out our range of winter merch in our online shop:

https://www.smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Meatstock founder, Jay Beaumont, is a fan-favourite amongst the BBQ scene in Australia and New Zealand. Not only is Jay the founder of Meatstock, the largest and most successful BBQ festival in both Australia and New Zealand, but he’s also one of the co-founders of the Australasian Barbecue Alliance (ABA) - the organisation responsible for kicking off the competition BBQ scene in both countries. Moreover, what really stands out is Jay’s ability to create brands that people not just like, but flock to get behind. 

As stated above, Meatstock is the biggest and most successful BBQ festival in Australia and New Zealand with 3 festivals per year across the two countries. The festivals are all-encompassing, including not just a BBQ competition, but live demonstrations, butchering competitions, barber competitions, hot rod shows, axe throwing and so much more. The Meatstock festivals go far beyond just the meat and fire, and embrace all aspects of alternative rockabilly culture. The festivals have proven so successful internationally, that they attract famous international guest Pitmasters, such as Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone, and Big Moe Cason.

Starting in Sydney, the Meatstock festivals have become a phenomenon, growing rapidly, with festivals now occurring annually in Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland. They have become a staple of the BBQ scene for anybody interested in meat and fire and make regular appearances of everybody’s calendars. 

In this chat, we get into how Meatstock came about, how it’s been affected by Covid, and we wrap up the interview with a lesson in how you too can build a brand that people flock to. 

N.b. In this interview, we won’t be getting into the story of how the ABA was formed. To catch up on that piece of BBQ history, check out Episode 001 with Adam Roberts, another of the ABA co-founders. 

More on Meatstock: https://meatstock.com.au/ 

The history of the ABA with Adam Roberts: https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shcpodcast001/ 

Check out our killer merch and support the show: https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/ 

Bush Cooking has won the National Barbecue and Grilling Association’s award for Best Website for the last three years, which is an extraordinary achievement. Saffron’s passion for cooking with fire and her technical prowess earned her the recognition of the NBBQA, resulting in her being appointed as Executive Director. Well, her time there has recently finished and in this interview we discuss what she learned from that experience, before getting into what social media platform BBQers should be focussing their attention on, and finally we get a lesson in SEO - essential for every BBQ business with a website. Oh, and we also talk Doomsday Prepping!

Learn more about Bush Cooking here: https://bushcooking.com/

Grab your SHC Beanies before they run out! https://smokinghotconfessions.com/product/shc-beanie/ 

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is something very different to anything we’ve done before. In this Episode, I interview Jim Fuller, the founder of FABLE. FABLE is a mushroom-based meat substitute, backed by Heston Blumenthal and is set to take the world by storm. I’m not gonna lie - I was super skeptical. But I was also intrigued. It’s not every day that a BBQ podcast is contacted about a meat substitute so I had to admire the guys cahones. He essentially threw his gauntlet at my feet in a challenge. 

So we emailed back and forth for a while and it turns out, Jim is a BBQ-lovin’ good ole boy from Texas who just happens to be a mushroom scientist. So a guy with this background is bringing me a meat substitute? I knew it was going to be a good story. And you will too!

Find out more about FABLE at: https://fablefood.co/

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, we dive into the deeply complex world of butchery. That’s right, we’re chatting with Scott Evans, owner of East Blaxland Butchery in western Sydney, Australia. Scott and his team sponsor many of the hottest teams on the competitive BBQ circuit, in NSW and beyond. But we’ll get into that later. In fact, not only has his passions for low’n’slow BBQ taken him all the way to ‘The Royal’ in Kansas City, Scott and the team at East Blaxland Butchery are the most recent winners of the highly coveted ‘Butchery of the Year’ Award at the annual Australasian Barbecue Alliance Awards.

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of the #1 butchery in the country, we find out about their extensive involvement in the competitive BBQ scene, Scott’s wild ride to The Royal, and we close out the episode with Scott giving us some advice for how BBQ teams can initiate and build a working relationship with their butcher. It really is ‘What Women Want’ for BBQers!

Learn more about East Blaxland Butchers here: https://eastblaxlandbutchery.com.au/

Anju Khanal is undoubtedly one of the pillars of the BBQ community in Townsville, Far North Queensland. Not only is she the team captain of FNQ’s first ever all-female BBQ team, she’s also co-owner of the very popular Townsville Barbecues Galore. She literally lives BBQ 24/7. Her passion for BBQ is so strong that now only is her Barbecues Galore store the #1 sales leader for Traeger in Australia, they also attracted Diva Q to F.N.Q for an incredible in-store cooking class and exclusive dinner!

In this episode we learn about how Anju came to be involved in BBQ, their store and how they’re battling Covid-19, and of course Queens of Q, one of the most interesting and fun teams on the national circuit. 

Learn more about Queens of Q: https://www.facebook.com/queensofq/ 

Learn more about Barbecues Galore Townsville: https://bit.ly/3eFKBR1 

Grab yourself some outstanding BBQ merch: https://smokinghotconfession.com/shop

Julie-ann Tindall-Davies returns in this very special episode of our BBQ Podcast. If you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll know that she’s one half of the dynamic duo behind JAGRD Woodfired, one of the most successful smoker manufacturers in the country. Their competition team was also awarded the KCBS International Brisket Team of the Year in 2020. Recently, she’s taken over the running of the Smokin’ Charity BBQ Competitions, which holds the majority of the BBQ competitions in Western Australia. Combine all that with being a wife, mother, grandmother and business owner and you’ve got a woman who’s earned her title of ‘The First Lady of BBQ’. 

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

• How Julie-ann likes to do an entire crackling pork roast dinner (2:31)
• Winning Runner Up Pit Builder of the Year (6:23)
• Winning Best Innovative Outdoor Design (14:45)
• Taking on Smokin’ Charity BBQ Competitions (23:51)
• Handing over the reigns of her competition BBQ team to Glenn (40:23)
• Tips for staying cool at a BBQ competition (44:30)

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/

Another podcast that was also recently recognised by the National Barbecue and Grilling Association’s Annual Excellence Awards was the BBQ Beat Podcast. Kevin Sandridge is the host and does a fantastic job covering the BBQ scene in the United States. Similar to the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, the BBQ Beat podcast has episodes that are deep dives with industry experts as well as LIVE episodes that are recorded on site at BBQ festivals and competitions. Make sure you subscribe to the BBQ Beat podcast for more delicious goodness in your earbuds.

In this episode, Kevin and I chat about the BBQ scenes in our respective countries and Kevin gets the full backstory on Smoking Hot Confessions - where we came from, how we grew, and where we’re going from here. Enjoy!

Check out the BBQ Beat Podcast on Spotify:

https://spoti.fi/2VpRm1R

The thing about BBQ is that it brings people together. We all know that. Matt Staunton especially knows that. That’s why he’s brought Kids Que Nation to Australia. If you’re not familiar with KQN, it’s a competition BBQ body from the United States that is only for kids. They have competitions similar to Steak Cookoff Association competitions with trophies, a ladder and a championship round in Texas at the end of the year. Matt saw this incredible initiative and has brought the organisation to Australia so our kids can join in the fun too!

Also in this episode we talk about his relationships with B&B Charcoal and M Grills, and we explore his BBQ career, from his very first experience right up until the current day. Check it out!

The award winning Hail Mary BBQ T-Shirt is available now in our shop. Get yours today at: www.smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/ 

The Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is turning 100! In this episode, Mrs Smoking Hot Confessions, Bree, interviews your host Ben to take you behind the scenes of Smoking Hot Confessions. In this episodes we get into Ben’s background, what lead him to BBQ, and how Smoking Hot Confessions was formed. We get into the various milestones that SHC hit throughout its growth, how those milestones were hit, and where SHC is going from here. 

In this episode we talk about:

The NBBQA - https://www.nbbqa.org/ 

The Smoking Hot Confessions Shop - https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Graeme Stockdale, the man with the magnificent beard is our special guest this week on the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. Graeme is the pitmaster of Pit Crew BBQ and the Stockpot Kitchen in Lismore, author of ‘Red Hot & Smoking’, founder of Big Red’s Rubs & Sauces, and you’ve undoubtedly seen that hilarious Baywatch spoof video they did to announce the opening of their restaurant! 

In this Ep we chat about Graeme’s movement from back yard, to pit yard, to full-time smokehouse. We discuss how the Corona Virus has affected his smokehouse and what strategies he’s put in place to ensure they can continue dishing up that glorious Crack Chicken and brisket. And we also get a lesson aimed at beginners in BBQ - which is a great opportunity for those just getting into the game to hear some words of wisdom from one of the greats in Aussie BBQ. 

As promised in the episode, here’s the link to check out that hilarious video:

https://bit.ly/2Vgos2Z 

Beanies are coming! Check out the Smoking Hot Confessions Merch Shop at:https://bit.ly/2URXRKn

Cairns. It’s a long way away. In far north Queensland, it’s a good three day drive from Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland. But you know that’s not going to stop BBQ’ers from getting it done! And that’s definitely the case with this week’s guest, Drew White from Cairns BBQ Company. Starting from his own garage, Drew has built his dream into a reality, founding Cairns’ first dedicated low’n’slow BBQ shop. 

In this episode we find out the story behind Cairns BBQ Company, and Drew not only shares some important business marketing tips but also drops some knowledge on his favourite grill - the Big Green Egg!

Grab the hottest BBQ merch in town:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

They say it's not what you know, but who you know. And that's certainly been the case for Dan Ryan of Gryphon Smokehouse. Dan is one of the originals of the Australian BBQ scene with his career in the smokey arts starting over a decade ago. Starting with one Weber Smokey Mountain, Dan has dedicated himself to studying the art of barbecue and has built Gryphon Smokehouse from the ground up. He now owns and runs one of the most popular smokehouses in Perth. I've been there personally and can vouch that it is definitely the business!

In this episode, Dan takes us behind the scenes of the development of his fantastic smokehouse, reveals his mentors and shares a lot of wisdom from his years of experience as a professional BBQ'er, competitor, and international student of BBQ!

If you'd like to support the show, please head on over to the SHC Online Shop and check out the killer merch we have available - t-shirts, hoodies, tumblers, caps, and of course, stickers! 

Links for this episode:

http://gryphonsmokehouse.com.au/

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/ 

Steve Allan of Smokin’ Steve’s BBQ joins me in the Confessional for this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. Steve had a ripper of a year in 2019, finishing 5th of the KCBS Australia ladder. Hailing from the city of Perth in Western Australia, Steve has been a part of the BBQ scene over there since its inception. And his experience shows in his results. 

In this episode, we get into how his 2019 went as well as what he’s got up his sleeve for 2020. We also cover how he got into BBQ, the Western Australian BBQ scene, and then Steve drops some serious chicken tips. Did I mention that he was #1 on the KCBS Australia ladder for chicken for 2019? Oh yeah, very cool!

Get your hands on the hottest BBQ merch in town! Check out our awesome t-shirts, hoodies, caps and tumblers. No doubt, the best looking gear around. Check it out:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Our special guest in this episode is Dan White, captain of the legendary Country Boys BBQ. Dan and his team are known for two things - winning BBQ competitions, and travelling huge distances to get there. The last time I met up with Dan in person was at the Townsville BBQ Battle. I flew there. Dan drove 1600km in each direction!

In this episode we catch up on how his 2019 season went and what his plans are for 2020. Here’s a hint - that awesome new logo is just the start! We also get into Dan’s best tips for competing interstate, the pros and cons of competing solo and as a team, and we round out the episode by getting into the highly contentious Open Beef category. It’s a ripper of an episode!

Check out the most awesome BBQ merch out there at our shop on the Smoking Hot Confessions website. We have the coolest hoodies, t-shirts, caps and tumblers! Check them out at:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Dan Barret is about as close to BBQ Royalty as it gets in Australia. As the one man team ‘Big Smoke BBQ’, Dan has risen through the ranks on the competition BBQ scene and now travels around the country, and the world, absolutely dominating on all fronts. In 2019, Big Smoke BBQ finished 4th on the KCBS Australia ladder, which is already very commendable, but when you find out how many KCBS competitions Dan had to do to get there, you’ll be surprised!

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Dan takes us through the whole Big Smoke BBQ story, starting in 2015, right up to the present. We discuss the highs, the lows, and most importantly the lessons that he’s learned that’s made him a better BBQer. We find out about exactly how his 2019 went and what got him to the pointy end of the KCBS Australia ladder. And very excitingly we learn about what he’s doing (or should I say where he’s going!?) in 2020. 

We round out the interview talking about some very interesting topics. We learn about different business opportunities that his success in competition BBQ has led him to, as well as a complete career change. More interesting though, is the closing segment where we discuss pellet grills. As a brand ambassador for Green Mountain Grills, Dan was the perfect person to explain all about how they work and why he’s so in love with them. In fact, Dan was cooking on pellet grills years before they were trendy on the Australian competition BBQ scene. He even shares some secret tips and tricks to make sure that you can get the most out of your pellet grill!

If you’d like to get some of the best looking merch around, check out our line up in our online shop. We have our sensational Hail Mary T-Shirts and Hoodies, Kettle Caps, Tumblers and some large, high quality stickers. They are hands down the best looking gear around!

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

Grillas in the Mist most definitely need to be on your list of teams to watch. Originally a two man team and now a husband and wife team, Grillas in the Mist charged through 2019 to take out The Invitational, Australia’s first world invitational, which has set them up beautifully for their future.

In this full episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Wookie fills us in on their backstory, including their career-long love affair with GMG Pellet Grills. We get into the his competition bbq experiences, complete with all the ups and downs. Wookie does his absolute best to sell me on GMG pellet grills and convince me as to why he thinks a GMG Pellet Grill is the best grill on the martket today, and we close out with a lesson that’s very different from anything we’ve had to date. Wookie is going to let us know some of his little secrets - his BBQ tips and BBQ tricks that get him those extra couple of points and separate him from the pack. Armed with these BBQ tips and BBQ tricks, your outdoor cooking is going to soar to new heights. Your brisket, pulled pork and more will become the best BBQ in your neighbourhood!

If you want some of the hottest merch around, you gotta check out the Smoking Hot Confessions shop. We’ve got the best t-shirts, hoodies, caps and tumblers going around. Check them out at:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

There are few people that you will meet in your life that deserve the moniker, ‘a force of nature’. However Sunny Moody is exactly that. Sunny was awarded, and is the current reigning World Steak Champion, taking out the annual Steak Cookoff Association Championships in 2021. Now winning that prestigious BBQ competition is no mean feat, but there’s more to Sunny than ‘just’ being a legend on a grill. She’s a mother to two teenagers, volunteers taking groups of even more teenagers out into the bush and teaching them how to cook, is a certified nutritionist and physical trainer, and if that wasn’t enough is also a Multiple Sclerosis sufferer. Though in truth, it looks more like she’s kicking MS’s butt rather than suffering from it. 

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

• The charity work that she does with teenagers (1:12)
• Winning the World Steak Championships (10:31)
• Her special role at the recent NBBQA event (23:16)
• An insight into how the Georgia BBQ Association (36:19)
• Her background in forensic science and how that helps her in BBQ (39:56)
• Sunny’s best tips for delicious chicken wings on the BBQ (46:20)

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/

Big Boy BBQ are big in the Australian BBQ scene and it’s obvious to see why. The brainchild of pitmaster Lance Rosen, Big Boy BBQ is just one piece of his multi-pronged take on the BBQ industry. Firstly, there’s the Big Boy BBQ Competition BBQ team, which is usually Lance running solo, at KCBS competitions all over the country and in the United States. Then there’s the Big Boy BBQ restaurant, the Southern Grace Diner, and of course his cookbook ‘Temples of BBQ’. The latter winning the international ‘BBQ Cookbook of the Year’.

In this episode we get into Lance’s background and how he got into the BBQ. We hit each of his different BBQ projects mentioned above. I choke on my jealousy as we talk about his most recent  trip to Texas for Camp Brisket. And we close out the episode with a lesson from Lance on the importance of, and how-to, select the best ingredients for your cooking adventures - whether they be in the backyard or on the competition circuit. 

Want to be a part of the best BBQ group on Facebook? Come join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community. It’s fun, friendly, respectful, and family-friendly. Check it out at:

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

In this episode of The Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I pick the brains of Jye Healey, the captain / not captain of the multi-championship winning BBQ team Smokeface Grillahs. These lads are absolutely at the pointy end of the ladder, finishing 3rd on the Australasian Barbecue Alliance ladder in 2019 and 2nd in 2018. They have competed around Australia, New Zealand, and the United States and have found success everywhere they go. 

Here we chat about their story so far in competition BBQ, and what they have lined up in 2020. Most interestingly though, Jye has a background in science and a nose for statistics and identifying patterns. So in this episode we have a very interesting chat about patterns he’s identified in competition BBQ in different states around Australia. And we round out the episode with a look at how he’s taken a buzzword from the business world and applied it to his BBQ team and the results he’s found. 

For more BBQ goodness, check out:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I chat with Nathan Armstrong, captain of the Smoke N Daggers BBQ team. Smoke N Daggers BBQ are still comparatively young in the world of competition BBQ. They have completed a grand total of ten competitions, yet in 2019 managed to finish number 2 on the KCBS Australia ladder!

Here, we chat about how they got into competition BBQ, where they want to go with it, and of course, how their 2019 season went. In a show-first, Nathan sent me a spreadsheet of all their results from every BBQ competition they've been in. We go over these results, examining both the highs and the lows. We also chat about how winning the stunning Burleigh BBQ Championships has changed their lives. Finally, we close out the episode with a deep dive into the contentious 'Open Beef' category, discussing why it's such a big deal and if all the concern is warranted. 

For more BBQ goodness, check out:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

Rollin Smoke BBQ is one of the biggest names in the Australian competition BBQ scene. They are also one of the longest competing teams, and in that time, they've proven themselves to be nothing if not consistent. If you see Rollin Smoke BBQ at a competition, you know they aren't going home without at least three trophies. 

Lukas Armstrong is the team captain of Rollin Smoke BBQ, and this is his second time on the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. He was first in the Confessional way back in Episode 8 of season one, when he shared with us his tips and tricks for achieving consistency in BBQ. 

In this episode, we find out about his journey through 2019, which saw the lads finish 2nd on the Australasian Barbecue Alliance competition ladder. We find out what this success has led to in 2020, why he's moved on from offset smokers, what the transition was like and what he's moved on to and so much more. 

For more BBQ goodness, check out: 

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I get into it with Paul King, the Head Pitmaster of The King and his Q. Last year was their very first year on the competitive BBQ scene and what a year it was! But Paul had a few tricks up his sleeve that I'll let him fill you in on!

I learn all about Paul's history in the food industry and the BBQ scene before diving into his 2019 year on the Australian KCBS competitive BBQ circuit. From there we dive into what he's got planned for 2020. Then, before we round out the show, Paul gives us a step by step breakdown of how he likes to do his pork butts. And remember, this is KCBS BBQ style we're talking about here, where pork butt is a category all to itself. Listening to this man's secrets absolutely made me hungry and want to go light up my own grill!

As I announced on the last episode, the Smoking Hot Confessions team are heading stateside again in April. We're heading back to the NBBQA annual conference, except this year, I've been invited to be a presenter. I'll be delivering a session called 'Building Brands with Social Media: A Strategic Approach to Digital Media Management'. To say we're excited is an understatement! 

If you'd like to help us out, head on over to our shop and check out the awesome lineup of merch we have available. We have t-shirts, hoodies, caps, tumblers and sticker packs available. Any purchase you make is greatly appreciated and will give us a few bucks towards our trip. 

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

So without further ado, grab yourself a nice big bowl of KCBS BBQ style pork butts and join me as I found out about life at the top of the ladder, with Paul King from The King and his Q!

Butchers Axe BBQ have had an absolutely incredible 2019 on the Australasian Barbecue Alliance and Kansas City Barbecue Society (Australia) circuits. They had a seemingly endless run of back to back Grand Champion wins and were heads and shoulders above the competition. 

In this episode Michael and I break down the 2019 that the Axe boys had - the good, the bad, and the... oh who are we kidding, 2019 was great for them! I find out what their success has lead to, what's coming up in the future, and very excitingly, a step-by-step walk through of EXACTLY how they do their multi-trophy winning pork ribs! Caution - don't listen hungry!

Grab the hottest BBQ merch now!

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/

This is a bonus episode for Season 5. There is one comp on everyone's lips right now - the Cairns BBQ Classic. And there's one reason why. The Grand Champion winner is going to walk away with a cheque for $20,000. This will make it one of the richest BBQ competitions in the country! The total prize pool is $50,000, equal to that of Australasian Barbecue Alliance's Invitational. 

But where has this competition come from? How have they managed to secure so much prize money, and why host one of the country's richest competitions in Far North Queensland, so remote from 95% of the Australian population? Evo, the promoter behind the Cairns BBQ Classic reveals all this and more in this very candid interview! 

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

This is Episode Fifteen of Season Five. And this episode is very different from anything you’ve heard from Smoking Hot Confessions before. Typically, SHC podcast eps are quite structured and have a clear purpose and outcomes. For this episode, I was chatting with Nick from Scotch n Smoke and Matt from Shire Smokers when we decided to flick on the audio recorder. Shark Island Brewing saw what we were up to and made sure we had all the hydration that we’d need. The result is a kind of ‘relaxed fit’ episode, which when I think about it, is probably perfect for BBQ! Make sure you let me know in the socials if you like this style of episode and if enough of you are into it, I’ll add it to the roster for 2020! Oh, and there are a couple of bad words in this episode, so if you’re listening with kids you might want to warn them.

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

This is Episode Fourteen of Season Five. The last ABA comp of the year is always the Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer & BBQ Festival, and fittingly, it’s always a great party. With meat, mates, beer, pigs, helicopters and racing ride on lawn mowers, this year was the best by far! Located 2 hours south of Sydney, the festival drew competitors from as far as Brisbane and Adelaide. Some came for a last chance to score some points for that hotly contested ladder, and others came based purely on the reputation of the event. Whatever their reason, the result was a weekend of incredible fun and good times with mates. 

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out on our shop now!

This is Episode Fifteen of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. If you haven’t heard of the Steak Cookoff Association, you might well be living under a rock. It is the fastest growing competitive cooking association in the world and is borne completely from the work of Brett Gallaway and Ken Phillips. In this interview we’re going to get into the nitty gritty of the SCA and learn some shortcuts from their experience to help us start our own competition bodies!

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQCommunity is a great place to continue the conversation. 

This episode is the end of this Season. But don’t worry - I’ll get plenty of Smoking Hot Confessions into your earbuds again real soon. Til next time, take care of each other, and keep on Q’ing.

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Smartfire - An Australian designed pit temperature controller, to make your BBQ life easier

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in November!

Barbecue can be as conformative or as creative as you want to make it. One BBQ pitmaster who refuses to relegate her food to the banality of conformity is Cassie Strohmeyer, head cook and team captain of Smoke on the Water competition BBQ team. Hailing from Gladstone, Queensland, Cassie spends her time traveling the east coast of Australia, competing in low and slow BBQ competitions with the Australasian Barbecue Alliance and hot and fast BBQ competitions with the Steak Cookoff Association. And it’s in these SCA competitions that Cassie truly shines with her creative culinary skills firmly at the forefront. Indeed, her dishes are so creative that she’s captured the attention of the World Food Championships, and at the time of writing, she’s on the final list of potential candidates for their Le Cordon Bleu Academy. 

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

• Why a potato bake is her favourite thing to cook in a BBQ (1:39)
• Her unique approach to the SCA competition at Meatstock Toowoomba (7:32)
• Her role as a peer judge in the Australasian Barbecue Alliance Annual Awards (18:35)
• The BBQ classes and lessons she delivers (23:19)
• The local products she likes to include in her cooking (35:32)
• Her BBQ catering operation (37:59)

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/

This is Episode Thirteen of Season Five. 2019 is winding down, which means it’s the perfect time of year for me to head across to WA for the Smokin in the Valley Charity BBQ Competition put on by the Mondo Community Warriors. This year, the funds raised were going direct to Lifeline WA who do some incredible work over there, helping out the most vulnerable people in our community. It was however, one of the hottest Spring days ever, at just over 40 degrees and the total fire-ban really threatened to throw a spanner in the works! Not just that, but being the last KCBS competition in Australia for the year, made it the most important of the year - the Australian Team of the Year was going to be decided at this very comp, which drew teams all the way from Sydney and Melbourne, desperate to snag the top spot!

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQCommunity is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a wide-brimmed hat some broad spectrum sunscreen and join me at the fantastic, community focussed Smokin in the Valley 2019!

This is Episode Fourteen of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. Kathy Pullin is a dynamo in the world of BBQ. She’s the owner and founder of renowned BBQ catering setup ‘Pullin’s Premium BBQ’. She’s got a regular TV spot as ‘Grillin’ with Kathy’ and she’s a successful Brand Ambassador for not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR separate brands. All this is in addition to her work raising awareness of domestic violence issues of which she herself is a survivor.

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a slab of un-sauced pork ribs and something sudsy and join me as I learn about the world of brand ambassadorship.

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Harvey's Kitchen - Rubs, Sauces and Signature Dusts, Harvey's got what you need!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

This is Episode Thirteen of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. Legends of the BBQ scene don’t come much bigger that Ray ‘Dr BBQ’ Lampe. He got involved with the competitive BBQ scene when it first kicked off in the ‘80’s. He’s apparently ‘Retired’, and I use that term very loosely, he’s still extremely active in the comp scene as a Brand Ambassador for Big Green Egg, is frequently involved in BBQ TV Spots and has even opened a bricks’n’mortar BBQ joint in Florida, essentially bringing ‘real’ BBQ to that part of the States. Whew!

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQCommunity is a great place to continue the conversation. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a thick, salty slice of Picanha and some Irish-upped Alabama White Sauce and join me as I get  to take a trip in the way-back machine and find out what competition BBQ was like in the 1980’s with the one and only Ray ‘Dr BBQ’ Lampe!

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Ranch Hand Foods - With over a decade of spice rub manufacturing, Ranch Hand are the OG's of spice rubs in Australia!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in November!

Ozpig - It's the ultimate cooker for the ultimate outdoors person!

This is Episode Twelve of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. There is one world champion BBQ’er who has done so much to grow the BBQ scene in Australia that we should just make him an honorary Australian. And that man is Andy Groneman, Pitmaster of Smoke On Wheels Competition Team. Born and bred in Kansas City, Andy preaches KC Style BBQ around the US and indeed the world. And so he was the perfect person for us to get a lesson in what makes KC BBQ so unique.

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQCommunity is a great place to continue the conversation. 

So without further ado, grab yourself some Kansas City Style Ribs and some Bourbon, and join me as I learn about what makes Kansas City Style BBQ so unique!

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in November!

Harvey's Kitchen - Rubs, Sauces and Signature Dusts, Harvey's got what you need!

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

This is Episode Twelve of Season Five. As you’re aware, I’ve spent a lot of time this year in the southern states, working with BBQ Promoter Rob Moir. He started with one competition in 2018, four competitions in 2019 and 2020… well… I can’t tell you about that until he makes it public, but it’s going to be big and will change the BBQ scene in the southern arena. For this episode of the podcast, I headed to my 3rd comp of Rob’s, Fat Drip. Fat Drip has been on my bucket list for a while - I mean, it’s a BBQ comp, in the Barossa Valley, one of the most famous tourist icons in Australia. Well, Rob found a way to up the ante this year by holding it at a craft brewery. Yep, you heard that right. A BBQ comp, at a craft brewery, in the heart of Australia’s wine country. It. Was. Awesome.

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQCommunity is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a medium-rare ribeye steak and a cheeky, icy cold craft beer, and come behind the scenes with me at Fat Drip - the BBQ competition in a brewery, in the Barossa Valley!

This is Episode Eleven of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. While I was at the NBBQA Conference, there was one name that seemed to get called out more than any other at the Excellence Awards, and that was Veterans Q. So naturally, Steve was one of the people I had to grab for a deep dive episode of the podcast. A Veteran himself, Steve has founded a BBQ business whose sole purpose is to support his fellow Veterans, a group of people in our community who do so much for us and receive little in return. But I can’t tell you much more about that without giving too much away!

With summer coming up, it’s time for a new favourite t-shirt, and I’ve got just the thing. Drawing inspiration from the iconic BBQ pop culture art by Gil Elvgren, the Hail Mary T is black, like all good BBQ shirts should be, comes in both men’s and women’s cuts in a variety of sizes and of course feature Mary, who likes her BBQ smokey, spicy and just a little bit naughty. Check her out now!

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a sweet, sticky chicken lollipop and some malt liquor and join me as I learn about life behind the lines of a successful community-focussed BBQ business.

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Ozpig - It's the ultimate cooker for the ultimate outdoors person!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

Ranch Hand Foods: - With over a decade of spice rub manufacturing, Ranch Hand are the OG's of spice rubs in Australia!

This is Episode Ten of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. This is the third and final episode recorded live that the NBBQA’s annual conference in Kansas City. The last day of the event was a double-headed Steak Cookoff Association competition. That’s right, two rounds in one day. The competition was fierce as all of the professionals who’d just spent two days cooped up in the Mariott for two days came bursting outside to the square across the street ready to light charcoal and have a good old throw down. There was an awesome festival feel to the event, despite being literally in the middle of busy Kansas City. There was even one BBQ trailer that periodically shot bursts of flame into the air while blasting out rock music. It. Was. Awesome!

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Hail Mary T-Shirt as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a perfectly grilled rib-eye steak and whatever day-time BBQ Festival drink you like, and join me at Barney Allis Plaza in the middle of down town Kansas City for the NBBQA BBQ Classic!

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

Ranch Hand Foods: - With over a decade of spice rub manufacturing, Ranch Hand are the OG's of spice rubs in Australia!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

This is Episode Nine of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. In this episode I once again head to the Marriott in downtown Kansas City again for the second Day of the NBBQA Conference. Not only was I able to record a series of killer interviews, but you’ll also find the recording of the Excellence Awards Ceremony where the who’s-who of BBQ were recognised for all their hard work. 

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Smoking Hot Confessions Tumbler as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a truffle loaded, 70/30 blended burger topped with bacon jam and something cold and bubbly and join me for another day of juicy BBQ know-how at the NBBQA Conference.

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Ozpig - It's the ultimate cooker for the ultimate outdoors person!

Fired Up BBQ - For all your catering needs, AND a BBQ school!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

This is Episode Eight of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. This episode sees us hit up Kansas City for the NBBQA Conference. The full event was four days long. There was a pre-event on the Wednesday where we hard core BBQ junkies jumped on a bus and headed to Plowboys, Slaps and Joe’s. That was an incredible experience and I was super excited to find the person sitting behind me on the bus was none other than Meathead from amazingribs.com! Thursday and Friday were the Conference days with sessions delivered by numerous experts within the BBQ industry. The annual Excellence Awards Gala was on the Friday night, and Saturday was the Steak Cookoff Association’s NBBQA BBQ Classic competition where they actually ran two rounds in one day! 

In this episode, you’ll find a collection on interviews I recorded on the Thursday - the first day of the conference sessions. The beauty of these industry conferences is that attendees are the most hardcore BBQ professionals who as also keen to network and share their knowledge and skills with others and I definitely found that to be the case here. I’m excited to be able to share these stories and lessons with you. 

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Smoking Hot Confessions Tumbler as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself some homemade bacon and some brown liquor and join me at the NBBQA Annual Conference!

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Ranch Hand Foods: With over a decade of spice rub manufacturing, Ranch Hand are the OG's of spice rubs in Australia!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

This is Episode Seven of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. In this episode, Saffron Hodgson, the woman behind Bush Cooking steps into The Confessional. Saffron is an Aussie expat, living in Seattle, Washington who is taking the US by storm. It was actually Saffron who kicked off this year’s trip to America when she invited Smoking Hot Confessions to be part of the official media team covering the National BBQ and Grilling Association’s annual conference. Here, we get an insight into what it takes to get a profitable website off the ground and then we go even deeper into what it takes to run a successful professional conference within the world of BBQ. 

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Smoking Hot Confessions Tumbler as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a hearty cyber-brisket burger, and join me as I go behind the scenes at a professional conference with Saffron from Bush Cooking!

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

Fired Up BBQ - For all your catering needs, AND a BBQ school!

What do kangaroos, emu and crocodile have in common? They are all delicious on the grill. Jokes aside, despite a reputation of being a barren land, Australia actually has an incredibly large and diverse range of foods - enough to support countless generations of Indigenous Australians for approximately 50,000 years. Sadly, much of this knowledge has been lost. However, one woman is determined to restore and share this knowledge. Amanda Trapnell is cofounder of Native Harvest. She works with Indigenous Australians to harvest Indigenous ingredients and uses them in BBQ products such as rubs and sauces. Her work ensures that Indigenous Australians are equitably compensated for their products and knowledge, and non-Indigenous Australians learn about and gain respect for said products and knowledge. It’s important work and another example of how BBQ can bring people together. 

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

• Just how small the BBQ world is at times (1:10)
• How Amanda likes to make BBQ pork ribs (3:12)
• Incorporating Indigenous cooking techniques with smoking meat (8:34)
• Her ideas for Indigenous proteins in a BBQ competition (15:55)
• How Native Harvest got started (20:35)
• How all her products are ethically and sustainably sourced (29:19)
• A lesson in how to make a native basil and thyme crusted beef tenderloin (44:10)

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/

This is Episode Six of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. In this episode I get to have a good yarn with my old mate the BBQ Ninja. You know the guy. Bushy beard. Wears a bandana. Has a real thing for flame throwers. The plan was originally to record this session on site at Hogs for the Cause, but he arrived into New Orleans a little late and I had to leave New Orleans a little early. However being the kind of guy he is, we found another time to record over the phone and we had a great chat about the incredible ways in which BBQ can be utilised for philanthropy before getting into the finer details of hunting, cleaning and smoking alligator!

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Smoking Hot Confessions Tumbler as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a fan boat and a shotgun, and join me as I learn all about smoking alligator with The BBQ Ninja. 

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

Barbeques & More - The smoker shop with the lot!

This is Episode Five of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. It is party time in this episode, as you might tell by the time we get to the last interview! In this episode I head to the University of New Orleans for the annual Hogs for the Cause BBQ competition. This is a charity competition who’s sole purpose is to raise money for kids with brain cancer. The beautiful people from Ubon’s BBQ Of Yazoo, Mississippi had adopted me for the weekend and man oh man did I learn a lot from them about cooking whole hog! Interviews in this Ep range from professional competitors to champions of BBQ fundraising to one man who was hand-picked by President Barrack Obama to be a culinary ambassador to Australia!

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Smoking Hot Confessions Tumbler as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a Michelob Ultra Light and a fist full of pig spaghetti and join me as I wander around the always incredible Hogs for the Cause Charity BBQ Festival.

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

Ranch Hand Foods: With over a decade of spice rub manufacturing, Ranch Hand are the OG's of spice rubs in Australia!

JAGRD Woodfired - One of Australia's biggest smoker manufacturers: Smokers, Asado Grills, and Custom Builds!

Dragon's Breath Charcoal - made from native Australian Gidgee, Dragon's Breath launches in October!

This is Episode Four of Season Six, my U.S. Road Trip Part II. In this episode I jump back in my Chevy and head across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway again to head up to Covington, about an hour north-ish of New Orleans. If you’ve been watching my videos for a while, you will have seen me using a bunch of Grill Beast gear. Well, in this episode I meet with Dave Johnson, Founder and Owner of Grill Beast. Grill Beast is what happens when a career marketing guy is ALSO a BBQ fanatic. Dave’s social media marketing techniques are so refined that he’s built a following on Facebook of over 200k Followers, a Facebook Group of almost 40k and another 30k Followers over on Instagram. In this episode I get the history of Grill Beast and then take a deep dive into how to master social media to skyrocket your sales. This was a great interview and it went so well that Dave even invited my family to come back to his home the following Sunday to be part of his Feast with the Beast online TV show where we had a huge cook up of traditional Louisianan Crawfish and Bloody Mary’s. 

Before we get into it, I’d like to let you know about our awesome merch shop. We’ve got our incredible Smoking Hot Confessions Tumbler as well as hoodies, hats, t-shirts and stickers. There’s also two amazing ebooks - 27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ and the delicious Bacon Manifesto.

I’d also like to invite you to join us at the Smoking Hot Confessions Community on Facebook. If you’re looking for a BBQ group full of open-minded people who just love to help each other out, the Smoking Hot Confessions Community is a great place to continue the conversation. 

Finally, however you’re listening to this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the show. It really helps me spread that BBQ love. 

So without further ado, grab yourself a pile of fresh-boiled crawfish and a jug of Bloody Mary’s and join me as I learn how to master social media marketing!

Please show your support for the people that supported this episode including: 

JAGRD Woodfired - Smokers, Asado Grills, and custom builds!

Clean Heat Charcoal - Burns Hot, and Burns long. Available nationally!

Fired Up BBQ - For all your catering needs, AND a BBQ school!