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/
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