smokinghotconfessions

If you had a catastrophic, life-changing accident involving a BBQ, I'd wager that you'd never want to go near a barbecue ever again. But not Cam. 

Cam House, from Cam's Q suffered a huge accident in 2019 when a fully loaded Weber Kettle grill fell on him, resulting in 3rd degree burns to his arm and hand. The resulting surgeries, skin grafts and complications have taken their toll on his and his partner's lives and finances, but Cam is not to be deterred. 

His love of low and slow BBQ food, smoked brisket, pulled pork, BBQ chicken and BBQ ribs as well as all things wood and charcoal just couldn't be denied. Despite his horrific burns, he's now rebuilding himself a brand new BBQ life, centred around barbeque and is forging a new path, creating an industry for himself that didn't exist before. 

In this Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, we get into:

• Live on a cattle station outside of Townsville, QLD (6:07)
• His past life as a chef (10:27)
• The Accident (12:50)
• His new business 'Cams Q' (28:33)
• What is a freelance BBQ sales rep? (32:22)
• Becoming a BBQ TV star (39:57)
• How to properly represent yourself and your brand on social media (43:58)

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, Heat Beads®. Heat Beads® have been a part of the BBQ family in Australia for over 50 years, fuelling fires and have a wide range of BBQ charcoal, briquettes, and other products. Learn more at: 

https://heatbeads.com.au/

New to the world of smoked meat? Grab your free copy of our ebook 'The Beginner's Guide to Real BBQ' at our website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/

Support the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast on Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/smokinghotconfessions 

Gus Gallagher from Perth BBQ School is a man who has discovered his true passion and is now living his dream. Imagine this. You love BBQ. You love hanging out with your mates. How good would it be if your job could be hanging out with your mates and teaching them how to cook barbecue? And what if you could actually pull it off? 

This is exactly what Gus has done with Perth BBQ School. He teaches people how to use a Weber kettle, how to smoke a brisket, how to make pulled pork and so much more. This is in addition to operating a BBQ Food Truck, and catering events. If it can be cooked with fire, Gus is all over it, and teaching his students how to do it too!

In this Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, we get into:

1. Gus' giant offset smoker trailer (6:47)
2. The challenges and victories and opening Perth BBQ School (9:12)
3. How Perth BBQ School had to adapt in the face of COVID-19 (20:35)
4. What is a 'Brisket Lab'? (29:24)
5. How to smoke and glaze a ham at home (35:53)
6. Busting Beginner BBQ Myths (40:21)

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, Heat Beads®. Heat Beads® have been a part of the BBQ family in Australia for over 50 years, fuelling fires and have a wide range of BBQ charcoal, briquettes, and other products. Learn more at: 

https://heatbeads.com.au/

New to the world of smoked meat? Grab your free copy of our ebook 'The Beginner's Guide to Real BBQ' at our website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/

There are many who believe that there is an overreliance on gadgets and technology in BBQ. One of the Pitmasters pushing for a return to traditional ways of preparing barbecue is David Ong, from Pitmaster University. As well known as he is for his long Facebook posts, David has been a part of the Australian Barbeque scene since Day 1, and was even awarded the first ever Australasian Barbecue Alliance Personality of the Year Award. Since then, he’s started a YouTube channel that’s garnered millions of views (if you haven't seen his Crispy Pork Belly Recipe you haven't lived), and now heads up Pitmaster University, a BBQ school based in Perth, Western Australia, teaching traditional Texas BBQ to those who want to learn how to make barbeque at home. 

In this Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, we get into:

• How Ongy nearly burnt his house down using a Weber Kettle (10:50)
• The likelihood that Ongy is a serial killer (13:11)
• How he got involved with KCBS in Australia (23:55)
• When and how Pitmaster University came about (30:16)
• How you can best use your five senses when cooking barbeque in your backyard (40:22)

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, Meat N Fire Media Services. To save 50% off their 'Brand Building through Strategic Social Media Marketing' course, use the codeword 'Santa' at checkout!

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com/

New to the world of smoked meat? Grab your free copy of our ebook 'The Beginner's Guide to Real BBQ' at our website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/

It's no secret that wood is essential to barbecue. Not only can it be used as a fuel to burn, but also as smoking wood on a charcoal fire. In fact, it's the smoke from the wood that gives barbeque it's unique flavour profile. Whether you're making BBQ ribs or a smoked brisket, wood is an important ingredient. But how important is it to get the right wood? And what is that right wood exactly? What's better - logs, chunks or wood chips? Those are the questions I seek to get answered in this conversation with Russ from Natural Smoke BBQ Woods, a family owned and operated business from Adelaide, South Australia.  

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

• Why he loves his offset smoker and his brand new ugly drum smoker (UDS) (3:48)
• How his kids influence his cooks (8:08)
• How Russ got into BBQ (9:16)
• Why Russ is so interested in wood (22:39)
• Russ' grassroots, guerilla marketing techniques (30:55)
• Tips for matching and pairing woods and meats

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, Meat N Fire Media Services. To save $100 off their 'Brand Building through Strategic Social Media Marketing' course, use the codeword 'Podcast' at checkout!

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com/

New to the world of smoked meat? Grab your free copy of our ebook 'The Beginner's Guide to Real BBQ' at our website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/

Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. I first heard these words when I spoke with Paul Lange for the first time at Smokin’ on the Water in Perth, Western Australia when I spoke with him about Smokey Q - his barbeque rub and bbq sauce business. I was really impressed with his attitude to planning and execution. Not just hard work, but smart hard work. So it was a great pleasure to catch up with him two years later. Not only had he done all the things he told me he was going to do, he’s exceeded them and is really blazing the path for successful BBQ businesses in Australia. In short, he’s building a BBQ rub empire. And these successes haven’t gone unnoticed with Paul having secured a spot in the second season of Dipper’s Backyard BBQ Wars on TV’s 7Mate - if you haven’t seen it yet, you need to get onto it quicksmart! 

In this Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, Paul and I get into:

• His fascination with the Weber Kettle (6:02)
• His secret way of importing BBQ rarities into Australia (7:12)
• Life on Dipper’s Backyard BBQ Wars (14:40)
• A deep dive into Smokey Q and how he’s grown the business so successfully (24:28)
• Tips and advice to help you successfully write your own business plan (45:41)

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, JAGRD Woodfired Smoker Ovens. If you’re looking for your next Barbeque, smoker or grill, be sure to check them out. They have a wide range of well-performing units available, and love doing custom work and commercial kit outs as well. Check out:

https://jagrdwoodfired.com.au   

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we’d love to hear from you. Shoot Ben an email at ben@smokinghotconfessions.com 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  

Check out our award winning eBooks, 'The Bacon Manifesto' and '27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ' on our website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/ebooks/ 

James Grubbs, known simply by surname as ‘Grubbs’ is known around the world as the ‘Backwoods Grill Billy’ (his words!). You know him as one of the pitmaster contestants on Netflix’s ‘The American Barbecue Showdown’. While he didn’t win, he was definitely one of the most interesting people to watch, and one of my personal favourites. His work on the BBQ was inspiring, fun, and looked delicious! This was easily the best Netflix show I've seen this year, and would have to get my vote for best Netflix Series 2020.

Given that Thanksgiving is just around the corner in the US, we spend a lot of time talking turkey, turkey brine, and we even get into hunting and processing deer and bear. Yes, bear!

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

• Grubbs' background in BBQ - 2: 55
• Georgian style BBQ - 7:10
• Game meats including bear - 16:25
• His experience on Netflix - 23:59
• Lesson on brining poultry - 50:58

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, JAGRD Wood Fired. If you’re looking for your next Barbeque, smoker or grill, be sure to check them out. They have a wide range of well-performing units available, and love doing custom work and commercial kit outs as well. Check them out at:

http://www.jagrdoutdoorovens.com/ 

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we’d love to hear from you. Shoot Ben an email on ben@smokinghotconfessions.com  and let’s get that conversation started!

How to cook the perfect steak is a question that has haunted one of Australia's leading BBQ Pitmasters, Dane Cowan, and has done for almost as long as he can remember. Starting out in Australasian Barbecue Alliance competition BBQ, it wasn't long before Dane discovered the Steak Cookoff Association and was hooked. He soon dedicated his life to mastering the ribeye steak and has since represented Australia twice in the Steak Cookoff Association World Championships in Texas!

If you're familiar with competition BBQ in Australia, you'll know that the Australasian Barbecue Alliance is a low'n'slow competition, using wood-fired smokers. SCA competitions however, use charcoal grills, with two of the most common being the Weber Kettle and the PK Grills. In this episode we not only talk about which Dane thinks is the best charcoal grill, we also get into:

• How Dane got into barbecue (10:26)
• His transition into competition barbeque (11:40)
• Early successes and disasters in competition BBQ (16:42)
• Representing Australia in Texas (27:20)
• Tips and Tricks for How to Cook Steak (40:22)

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, JAGRD Woodfired Smoker Ovens. If you’re looking for your next Barbeque, smoker or grill, be sure to check them out. They have a wide range of well-performing units available, and love doing custom work and commercial kit outs as well. Check out:

https://jagrdwoodfired.com.au  

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we’d love to hear from you. Shoot Ben an email at and let’s get that conversation started!

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com 

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

https://smokinghotconfessions.com 

Check out our award winning eBooks, 'The Bacon Manifesto' and '27 Lessons Learned from Competition BBQ' on our website:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/ebooks/ 

Shannon Walker from Butcher Wars and Black Bear BBQ is our guest on the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast this week. A man who is often behind the scenes, Shannon steps out on to the centre stage here and let's us know what really goes on at so many of the BBQ icons we know and love. 

In this Episode we get into:

• His career as a butcher (4:15)
• Working at Black Bear BBQ (11:55)
• Butcher Wars (22:14)
• 'The Butcher's Cookbook' (34:15)
• Hunting, Cleaning, and Cooking Game (40:35)

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, JAGRD Woodfired Smoker Ovens. If you’re looking for your next BBQ, smoker or grill, be sure to check them out. They have a wide range of well-performing units available, and love doing custom work and commercial kit outs as well. Check out:

https://jagrdwoodfired.com.au 

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we’d love to hear from you. Shoot Ben an email at ben@smokinghotconfessions.com and let’s get that conversation started!

To get your free copy of 'The Beginners Guide to Real BBQ', head to:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com

David Linton from Lick of Smoke BBQ joins me in The Confessional this week. You’ll remember David from Episode 78, recorded LIVE at the Fat Drip BBQ Competition last year. In that episode, David and I had a brief chat about how they’d managed to rise so quickly on the national competitive BBQ ladder, getting to 8th place in under a year. And then 2020 happened!

In this Ep we get into:

• David is over brisket! (4:57)
• How 2019 finished up for him and his team (13:41)
• What the BBQ scene looks like for him in 2020 / 2021 (17:43)
• Starting a BBQ rub business in lockdown (21:14)
• Competition Chicken Tips and Tricks (38:47)

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is proudly brought to you by our Podcast Partner, JAGRD Woodfired Smoker Ovens. If you’re looking for your next BBQ, smoker or grill, be sure to check them out. They have a wide range of well-performing units available, and love doing custom work and commercial kit outs as well. 

https://jagrdwoodfired.com.au 

If you would like to become a Podcast Partner we’d love to hear from you. Shoot Ben an email and let’s get that conversation started!

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com

Tom Damin from Smoky Pastures BBQ is our returning guest in this week's episode of the Podcast. Tom is an expert in agricultural science and last time he was on the show we got into the Beef Industry. In this episode we get into:

• The two new rubs in the Smoky Pastures BBQ line up (2:44)
• Different ways to cook bacon (12:55)
• The science behind pork production (15:55)
• The science behind lamb production (31:08)
• How to make bacon at home! (45:00)

Massive thanks to this week's Podcast Partner, Meat N Fire Media Services. Use the codeword 'Podcast' at check out to save $100 off their course 'Brand Building through Strategic Social Media Marketing'.

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com/product/brand-building-through-strategic-social-media-marketing

If you'd like to become a Podcast Partner, shoot Ben an email and let's have a conversation!

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com

Wanna know how to make award winning BBQ sauces, and how to use them? We’ve got your back! 

Ray Sheehan is a man on a mission. His mission is to put New Jersey on the BBQ road trip map. Founded in 2015, BBQ Buddha has built an incredible reputation for BBQ sauces and more recently, rubs. The awards started coming early and simply haven’t stopped. This year in particular, BBQ Buddha performed extremely well at the National Barbecue and Grilling Association’s Excellence Awards, winning a first place award for Vinegar Mild BBQ Sauces, and getting several other call ups. As well Ray’s wins at the NBBQA, he’s also achieved a serious life and professional goal, publishing his first cookbook, Award Winning BBQ Sauces and How to Use Them. And, you guessed it, it’s winning awards, taking out 1st place at the Page Street Publishing International Book Awards. 

In this Ep Ray and I get into what New Jersey has to offer to the BBQ scene, his path to success with BBQ Buddha, and of course we close out the Ep with a fantastic lesson in sauce making for those of you keen to get into it at home!

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If you need photography, videography, podcasting or social media help, Meat N Fire is here for you. Learn more at:

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Also, we are currently calling for businesses to partner with for the show. We have experienced massive growth in the last few months and are now looking for passionate enthusiastic businesses who are keen to get their message seen and heard by raving mad BBQ fans. To find out more, shoot Ben an email at:

 ben@smokinghotconfessions.com  

BBQ and Mexican food is a match made in heaven. Michael and his partner Miroslawa definitely agree and have created an incredible fusion restaurant, named Mexican Street Food by Little Flock, in Melbourne, a city known for its new and exciting restaurants. However, I don't need to explain how 2020 has been difficult for restaurants.

In this Ep, Michael and I talk about restaurant life under COVID restrictions. We talk about forced evolution, the coming together of the industry, including finding new ways of supporting each other, and of course we get right into some of those delicious fusion flavours of traditional Mexican and low'n'slow BBQ.

This is a much watch for anyone working in the industry!

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If you need photography, videography, podcasting or social media help, Meat N Fire is here for you. Learn more at:

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Also, we are currently calling for businesses to partner with for the show. We have experienced massive growth in the last few months and are now looking for passionate enthusiastic businesses who are keen to get their message seen and heard by raving mad BBQ fans. To find out more, shoot Ben an email at

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com   

Admit it - you want his job. I want his job. We all want Kevin's job. Being Head Grill Master at Weber has to be one of the coolest jobs ever dreamt up. The opportunities and the experiences are mind blowing. Such as? Think key roles in new product development, recipe development, BBQ classes, competitions, world travel and so much more! Kevin has also landed a sweet gig teaching meat science at the University of Illinois. 

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, I chat with Kevin about how he came to be at Weber, what the last two decades have been like working at the most well known BBQ brand in the world and we close out the episode with a really cool lesson in meat science. You really don't want to give this one a miss!

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If you need photography, videography, podcasting or social media help, Meat N Fire is here for you. Learn more at:

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Also, we are currently calling for businesses to partner with for the show. We have experienced massive growth in the last few months and are now looking for passionate enthusiastic businesses who are keen to get their message seen and heard by raving mad BBQ fans. To find out more, shoot Ben an email at

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com  

The key principle of entrepreneurship is finding a need, recognising the opportunity and seizing that opportunity. Trent Barrett is one of these people. He and his wife Cassie have just opened the Gold Coast’s first dedicated low’n’slow BBQ store - Smoked BBQ Co. Located in Miami, Smoked BBQ Co is soon to become a familiar haunt for BBQ aficionados from all over South East Queensland. And it’s easy to see why. There’s products to suit every BBQ’ers need, with an unprecedented emphasis on Australian products, including rubs and sauces from all the big Aussie players and the whole suite of incredible woods from Ministry of Smoke. 

In this Episode, recorded during the Grand Opening weekend of the store, Trent and I explore what led to the opening of the store, how the process went, what the store has for customers, and what makes it different from the rest of the BBQ stores. We close out the episode with a bit of a lesson from former chef Trent on how backyard BBQers can put on a perfect 5 course BBQ degustation!

Check it out now!

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If you need photography, videography, podcasting or social media help, Meat N Fire is here for you. Learn more at:

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Also, we are currently calling for businesses to partner with for the show. We have experienced massive growth in the last few months and are now looking for passionate enthusiastic businesses who are keen to get their message seen and heard by raving mad BBQ fans. To find out more, shoot Ben an email at

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com  

There aren’t many people that can claim their family as Royalty in the Aussie outdoor lifestyle, but Anthony Shepherd is one of them. His parents were the founders of OzPig - the outdoor BBQ / camp kitchen / wood stove that has become an integral part of quality family time for so many Australian families. Now Anthony is running the family business and the OzPig has gone from strength to strength, with a whole host of new products and distribution in several countries around the world. 

In this Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, we get into the early days of OzPig, the development process, and the transition of the business from one generation to the next. We learn about the growth that’s happened now the company is in the hands of the second generation, the wide range of new products now available, and we get a sneak peek into what’s next for this family-owned Australian business. We close out the interview with a lesson on how to put together the Ultimate Camp Dinner - an easy topic for Anthony given his family legacy of camp cooking. 

Check it out now!

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If you need photography, videography, podcasting or social media help, Meat N Fire is here for you. Learn more at:

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Also, we are currently calling for businesses to partner with for the show. We have experienced massive growth in the last few months and are now looking for passionate enthusiastic businesses who are keen to get their message seen and heard by raving mad BBQ fans. To find out more, shoot Ben an email at

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com 

Rusty's Food and Barbecue hasn't been open long, having launched during, yes during, the COVID lockdowns. However, in these brief few months, Rusty has managed to create something very special. Every night, their venue is filled to the COVID capacity, the crowds are ecstatic with the food and, most importantly are loyal, with the majority of the crowd being repeat customers. So how has Rusty managed to put such a successful BBQ business together in such a short, difficult time? 

In this Episode we get into Rusty's journey to where he is now. We start right at the beginning and trace all his steps, and missteps, tracking all the decisions to where he finds himself today. We learn about his introduction to BBQ, his obsession with Weber Kettles, and his jump into and successes with competition BBQ. We look at all of these things with particular attention to how those experiences shaped him into the Pitmaster and BBQ joint owner he is today. This episode is a must listen for anybody who's looking to get more from their passion for meat and fire. 

This Episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If you need photography, videography, podcasting or social media help, Meat N Fire is here for you. Learn more at:

https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Also, we are currently calling for businesses to partner with for the show. We have experienced massive growth in the last few months and are now looking for passionate enthusiastic businesses who are keen to get their message seen and heard by raving mad BBQ fans. To find out more, shoot Ben an email at ben@smokinghotconfessions.com 

Jason Meldrum is a man on a mission. A mission to grow the BBQ scene in Western Australia by any means possible. Not only is he a Pitmaster, he's a BBQ Competitor, a Pit Builder, a Caterer, an a BBQ teacher. And you've seen his work before - it was his big beautiful blue offset trailer smoker that I fell in love with when I was at a competition in WA at the end of 2018 and have been fawning over it ever since. 

In this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast, we get into Jason's BBQ origin story, an update on the BBQ scene in WA, and then we get into his three businesses. We chat about building smokers with Southern Ocean Smokers, serving the masses with Smashed As Burger Co and teaching people how to get the best out of their own smokers as a co-owner of Pitmaster University. 

Lastly, we close out this interview with a special session for those of you out there who love a good bit of DIY. Molly gives us a great lesson in how to build your own offset smoker. We talk about design fundamentals, materials, tools, and much more. 

You definitely don't want to miss this one!

We currently have a free mini-ebook available for you all - 'The Beginner's Guide to Real BBQ'. Simply head on over to our website, have a click around and enter your details in the pop-up and we'll send it straight out to your inbox. 

https://smokinghotconfessions.com 

Also, we're currently looking for enthusiastic, modern BBQ businesses to partner with here at the show. We're looking at adding video shoutouts for episode sponsors who have a message they want to get into the eyes and ears of BBQ fans. If this sounds like you, send Ben an email:

ben@smokinghotconfessions.com

Harry Soo is our very special guest in this week’s episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. Harry really needs no introduction, being one of America’s most well-known Pitmasters, having been on BBQ Pitmasters, Chopped, Food Network and many more. In fact, you might remember him as the underdog in Season One of BBQ Pitmasters, who surprised everyone, beating many of the top Pitmasters and favourites to win. And his future has only gotten bigger and brighter since then. He’s since competed very successfully, winning 27 Grand Champions, more than 100 first places, taught over 200 classes, and instructed over 3,000 pitmasters in the USA and around the world.

In this Episode, Harry takes us poolside at his house in Los Angeles where we combine a live cooking demonstration with a podcast interview, resulting in a really unique experience for viewers and listeners alike. As we talk about Harry’s experiences and views on the BBQ scene, Harry also takes us through some seafood recipe experiments on his trusty Weber Kettle, explaining all the different flavour profiles that he’s combining. All the while, Harry draws on his wealth of knowledge and experience to ensure that he shares as much as possible - something that is very important to him. 

This episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast is sponsored by Meat N Fire Media Services. Do you need help with your digital and / or social media? Meat N Fire is here for you. It’s a one-stop-shop to help you get your digital and social media on track and building a strong brand presence in the digital space. To learn more, check out their website: https://meatnfiremediaservices.com

BBQ Judges. They’re often overlooked and under-appreciated. And let’s face it: we BBQ competitors often scapegoat the judges when we don’t get the scores that we want. However, that doesn’t change the fact that BBQ Judges are the ‘other side’ of the coin in Competition BBQ. Sure, you can’t have a BBQ Competition without competitors, but the flip side of that is that you also can’t have a BBQ Competition without Judges. Now, that being said, the reason for this disconnect is a lack of transparency in the BBQ Competition systems. That lack of transparency is both deliberate and essential in order to keep the judging system blind. But it doesn’t help judge - competitor relations. 

So, in this Episode, Australia’s #1 BBQ Judge, James Park, is taking us behind the scenes of the BBQ Judging game and telling us about what really goes down in that big tent. We’re going to talk about James’ experiences judging around the country, take a look at some of the things that the different BBQ sanctioning bodies are doing right, some ways that they could improve and then we’re going to get into a new project James is working on. Hint: He’s designing his own BBQ Judging system!

This episode was brought to you by Meat N Fire Media Services. If your business needs photography, videography, podcasting and more, check out their services at https://meatnfiremediaservices.com 

Stagg and Co founder, Scott Bothe is our guest in this episode of the Smoking Hot Confessions BBQ Podcast. An Australian first, Stagg & Co are a BBQ dedicated co-packer that is committed to helping Australian BBQ brands make a name for themselves and get their products out into the world. Scott himself is no stranger to the BBQ world and has already conquered the scene in Australia, being one half of the 2017 Australasian Barbecue Alliance Grand Champion winning team. He’s even represented Australia at The Royal, in Kansas City - the most famous BBQ competition in the world. Now he has a new team, Bison BBQ, and managed to GC their very first competition straight out of the gate. 

In this interview, we find out about Scott’s experiences with competition BBQ, his proudest achievements in the world of meat and fire as well some hilarious things that have been less than an ‘achievement’! We then move into the story behind Stagg & Co, learning about how it was formed and what they do. This is fascinating for anybody looking to take their spice rubs to market. Scott also drops some great tips for people developing recipes right now. 

Finally, we move into the third segment where Scott shares some tips and advice not only for competing solo, but also for competing FIFO. That is, ‘Fly In Fly Out’. He draws on his extensive experience doing this around Australia and the United States and shares some surprising information about his record doing so. 

This is a great episode and is a real insight into the booming business of BBQ in Australia. 

For the best looking BBQ t-shirts, hoodies, caps and more, check out:

https://smokinghotconfessions.com/shop/