January 2, 2025 • 40 mins
One third of the B's from Triple B BBQ out of Aussie is Dan Barrington, he's an Aussie, but we seem toi have claimed him as a Kiwi - score one back for NZ!
He's here giving us insights left right and centre - don't miss this one!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
This is Phil Breden with Elsey Barbecue and you listening
to Barbecue Base.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome to competition time on the show for people that
are not only like a little low and slow in
their lives, but a little bit hot and fast too.
This is the version of Barbecue Bass that focuses on
the competitive side of our favorite pastime. But even if
you don't compete, stick around as there's always a few
tasty tidbits to take to the backyard too. And hey,
(00:54):
we may even tempt you to throw a team together
or jump into an sea you never know. I'm Alex Lawson,
captain of the Illustrious Beginning's Barbecue Team, and your esteemed host. Now,
Competition Time is brought to you by Jack Daniels. iHeartRadio,
hunting and fishing, Hot Valley and of course rum and
Queue and we'll be back in just a minute to
(01:18):
take you to the episode.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
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Speaker 2 (01:52):
In an earlier show, we chatted to Nate Blackledge, who
was one of the Bees from Triple Bee Barbecue in Australia,
and today we've got his Kei we brother in crime,
the Second B and Triple B. Dan Barrington, Welcome to
competition time.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Dan, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Mote, Hey, we're.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Glad to have you here. So Dan, let's for those
that might not have heard the Nate Blacklach episode, let's
just give you guys a quick intro, like, Who's who
is Triple B? What comps do you running? How long
have you been going? All that kind of stuff?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, that's a good question. So yeah, Nate's Nate's my guy.
He jumped on the barbecue scene a couple of years
after after myself. So I'd been doing it with my
wife and a few bringings from time to time, just
to give us a head and Nate. Nate did his
first competition in January up at Candari Barbecue Festival. And
(02:53):
in the lead up to that, we've had a few interactions,
you know, like because I was working for a company
called Lanes and I was shipping product to all these
different people and I wrote this card to him and
he after a place in order, and he was just like,
I'll make great service, great great, great little company. And yeah,
like we we ended up chatting after that, and then
(03:15):
you know, fast forward, after his first full year, I believe,
we decided to to join forces, and he was he
was really finding his structure towards the back end of
the year, and we thought, you know what, Over had
smoked beyond smoke. He had smoked gods. And we're like,
you know what, if we're going to do it, We're
going to join joint forces, create a whole new team.
(03:39):
And my wife who was on my team as well.
We we we did fairly well. We did. We had
quite a bit of success. And yeah, like we when
we when we joined, I said, can I bring my
wife Jess along? And he's like, yeah, of course, and
and here we are that that makes up the three
b so and we've been going now together for just
(04:00):
over two years.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yeah, that is the third BEE I had, but I
couldn't quite remember what the third B was. But at Barrington,
Barrington and black Ledge, it sounds a bit like a
lawyer firm, like that's what maybe you should go into
the legal practice. The Tree of You as.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Well had so many things because they were world classes
and new teams, so we had all the people that
we knew would be like who's this, like Anti rash
Prime and all these people. It's like a it's a
really good a really good name. We didn't think too
much about it, but it's stuck and there we've had
a glass doing it. Now.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You guys are doing mainly a BA Australian Barbecue Alliance.
You do any s c A or anything like that?
And I know some sort of Nate. I know Nate does,
but do you do you dip your foot toe in
the s c A.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
He absolutely became obsessed with it, to the point where
I think he just really wanted to just prove to
himself that he could do it, you know, especially the stakes.
I think you ask him every five minutes he would
turn around and say, stuff, ancillaries, I can't do it anymore.
I was wait, wait, way too much time, and then
(05:02):
you walk up to a competition and he'd be like,
I've done this for ancillaries and then the end up
getting place and walking it. So he's a funny guy.
But yeah, I do. I do sea as well. I've
I do. I was mostly in my first couple of years.
If there was a competition, I'd never really bothered with steak.
I'd just do the ancillaries. And back then you'd be
able to buy, you know, multiple entries to like your ancillary.
(05:26):
So if you want, if you wanted to do like
an ancillary dessert ancillary, you could go okay, yeah, well
it's anything baked and sweet dessert, and you'd go, okay, well,
I'll buy three entries at twenty five bucks a pop.
So I'd be like a week leading up, I'd be
bacon cakes and just making all this silly stuff and yeah,
(05:47):
just entering it and assembling it on site and wishing
for the best. But I never really worried about steak
until I actually started cooking with Nate, like as the team,
and yeah, I had the last two years we've had.
Both both had some success. He finished equal second on
the leader board and stakes last year and he's going
to win it for the year this year, which is
(06:07):
I'm super proud of him of and I think I
finished tenth in both of them, and I didn't really
do many this year, so just my focus was ABA.
But yeah, I've I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Well, obviously you guys have had a bit of success
in the last couple of years. But what's the thing
that you're most proud of in your competition barbecue career.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I thought this was going to be the hardest question
to answer because there's so many things. But in all fairness,
I think the biggest highlight and the first thing that
happened for me was the first GC at Brisbane Barbecue
Festival as my original team. And not to take away
anything from what we've done in the past, but it's
(06:48):
I think when you know that you've strung it together,
you know you've had a good cook, you start getting
all these calls and it's like, oh man, do we
have a chance of winning this? And then they ended
up getting too I think brisket and the brisket was
the second last category of that competition, which was weird,
and then the pork pork category was last, I believe,
(07:10):
and we ended up getting first place, but I didn't
hear a call for brisket. It turns out we finished
sixth and two categories because they were only calling from
fifth back then, and I was like, oh, there's nothing,
nothing's happening. But I was just stoked to win some trophies,
isn't it. When they said that we'd won, it was
That was a really cool experience because we're knocked on
the door of a fair bit throughout the last year
(07:32):
or two before that, and to actually win it was special.
So I'd never forget that. But you can't discredit any
of the GCS or I d cs that you do
as a team and what you've your success from that,
like it and the feeling from that is really good
because we do go to competitions to cook and have fun,
but we also do do it competitively. We do have
(07:53):
that little bit of competitive spirit in us and we
do want to go and do well, but we also
just know that we get to catch up with all
our mates, have a bit of fun, cooks and barbecue, hopefully,
don't mess it up, don't burn anything, and well unless
it's like the Kiwis they burn everything. And still, yeah,
(08:15):
I see Troy cooking at brisket in six minutes, and
I was like, yeah, man thinks that's funny. That's a
that's another thing. The Kiwi's they're funny, like Troy. I
told Troy, my mum's from Teapooky. I'm not born in
New Zealand and I've been to New Zealand once and
everyone just thinks some of this honorary in New Zealand,
(08:39):
it's just quite funny. But yeah, I love going there
in the sea and it's such a good competition over
there that you guys are absolute animals when it comes
to cooking. Man, Like, there's some tough, tough competition. They're like,
you know, rendered Jane Mack and Mikey and and then
you can't discredit the cook cartel boys. They're just always
(09:02):
on and where they come over here and they do well,
it's it's and you know what, that's the good thing
about us is that we look at that and as
opposed to you know, turning your nose up and going
we can't beat these guys. I've got to like the
Dusty Queue, Dan Barrett, all these people here that are
just absolutely unsolvable. And Nate no will talk on the
phone every second day and say, well, what are we
going to do, Like, what are we going to do
(09:23):
to make this more competitive for us? And it's a
little bit closer.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Well, I think we probably felt you're probably getting a
little bit of a taste of what we had for
the last few years when people like Dan Barrett and
you know, Jeff and Amanda from Dusty would come over
and they kind of clean up, and it's quite nice
that we've managed to. Yeah, I think everybody was like, hey,
we've got to stop this and we got to like
get turn those tables back around and let's go give
them a little taste of their own medicine now.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
So they think they think figging's a thing, and I'm
glad it is a thing, because you've got to give
the new people a bit of a and look into
what you're doing to give them a bit of success
and a bit of momentum to sort of go to
the next one or a bit of hope. I'd say,
but you know, you go to the you know, like
(10:10):
you still got to develop your own flavors. I would
not feel at all comfortable, you know, buying or owning
a recipe off somebody and and having success from it.
I'd rather try and figure it out on my own
and but then take take to one percent is like,
you know, I've been doing this lot a lot longer
than the cook Cartel, and I'd message Steve not that
(10:33):
long ago about hey, I'm having trouble with these poor groups,
and Nate and I like we just couldn't. We couldn't
figure it out. We're tasting, We're going this is rock
and roll like texture everything, and he just he it
was one percent. He just asked me a question and
then it like a little light bulb went off. And
I don't even think I told Nate. Nate ended up
(10:54):
going out and doing a couple of competitions himself and winning.
But I think that's just the name of game. But
like you know, there's never stopped learning, and there's guys
like the Cartels and the Barracks and those type of
people that and it will always give back in their
small way to make sure that you return. And they
want the competition. They don't want to just keep winning
by landslides. They want people to give them a run
(11:15):
for their money.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, So I mean we talk about learning a lot
right and sharing and all that kind of thing. But
what's been your biggest learning moment then? Was it the
ReBs or was it something else that you kind of
go that's that's the point. That's when I learned the most.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Yeah, I think I think the biggest thing that I
learned Alex was not getting absolutely munted on a Friday
night before a Saturday competition. It's funny because, like you know,
in my early twenties, when I started started doing barbecue,
it was like, you know, I still had that sort
of you know, like my kids who are really young,
(11:52):
I've worked full time. I remember coming to one of
these competitions and just being like, you know, worked, you know,
fifty sixty hours away, can you know, like had a
really busy week and like no let up, and then
I could go away and be like I can let
my hand out a little bit. My biggest learning curve
was actually just being responsible looking after myself. And now
(12:12):
I don't even drink, and it had nothing to do
with with drinking, but it was more so more so
about just taking care of myself and not putting a
mand aid over your life problems and actually going there
and realizing what are you there to do? And that
was to cook, barbecue, catch up with your mates and
try and do well. And as soon as we did,
as soon as I did that, you know, personally, I
(12:33):
started improving tenfold.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, I think I think everybody goes through that little
journey right where you go when you first start. You know,
you get carried away and it's a great party and
you kind of have fun and there's no expectations, and
then you either decide, this is how we're going to
do competition barbecue and this is like a good excuse
for a weekend away with the lads or whatever, and
(12:57):
you know, we're not that bothered. If we get call great,
that's awesome, but we're not going to be or you
flip and you go, actually, we need to knock all
that on the head because we're here if we want
to compete, and you fall into the two camps, and
both camps are absolutely fine, Like as long as you're
it's very rare that you can be in both camps.
(13:19):
There's a couple of people who can do it, a couple,
but it's the exception, not the raw.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Hey mate, exactly. I I love having a loved having
a beer back then and cracking on and doing all
those silly things. But I realized what was more important
to me was actually still being able to go and
catch up with my mates and have fun, but actually
just be responsible, because then what's the hindsight, like, well,
(13:44):
what's the what's the end goal? Was to actually go
and and not not actually just have the success. But
really all I ever wanted was to get get a trophy.
I think that was the first thing. And then you know,
then when you put aside you know, the partying and
fun and you know all those things that a lot
of people do and and good on them, like that's
(14:05):
what you want to do, man, just just do it.
But we as soon as I've put that aside, I
ended up getting more trophies, and then the goal change
from hey, let's just instead of winning ones and twos,
let's win a Grand championship. And then it happened, and
now want more.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
It's an addiction, isn't it. It's just another thing that
we can addict ourselves with. So you may have already
answered this, really, but what's that protein you're working on
the most right now?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Is it still the ribs? Or have you moved on
something else? And you go, hey, we've cracked ribs. Now,
let's let's move on to this.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Well, I think I'm a little bit crazy like the
things that we cook. Well, I'll still cook at home
just to keep it, you know. In June and I
was talking to Stevens Stephen Cook maybe two nights ago,
and he I sent him my photo of the ribs
because Nate, Nate was actually out of them out at
work and I ran my first solo cop in almost
(14:58):
three years as Triple Big went out had some success.
Just realized that, you know, having the big fellow there
was it is so much better because we cook better.
I mean he does a lot of the stuff with
the ribs and the pork, and I do a lot
of stuff with the brisket. We both share the duties
with lamb and but you know, the good thing is
is that we're both learned from each other where we
(15:19):
can actually, you know, if one's not there, you know,
where a phone call away or where we've sort of
gone at that many times now that it's become second nature.
Like Nate, Nate rings me and to get I take
this brisket off around that temperature and I'm like yeah,
He's like yeah, perfect. I just wanted to clarify, But yeah,
I think I'm always cooking. I'm going to cook some
(15:40):
poor grips today. I mean it's only early this morning,
and in Australia where we're going to cook, cook some
poor grips today. I injected them last night and just
give them a well even though it's been our biggest
success at the moment, but really just always trying to
get brisket perfect. And like I was going to say that,
the cook boys were, you know, they were saying to me,
(16:02):
like you've got a two ninety nine, or like how
can we get you that three hundred. It's like, you know, good,
ain't that bad? But if you want to win barbecue
competitions these days, you need to be damn near perfect.
It's crazy. So yeah, I just keep practicing, man, all
the all the four main categories. We have lamb that
pops up a fair bit here, which we're really good
(16:22):
with lamb. I don't know how it happened, but we
ended up just finding a real groove. And if we
don't cook it for six to eight months, we can
still come in and get a top four's top five,
you know, and top three win a trophy in it
because we're he just became secondary, so don't really cook
the Plus it's expensive, but yeah, always brisket and ribs
(16:42):
and portrol. On the other day. It was a lot
of fun.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So tell me about your comp set up, you guys.
I think you guys cook out of a trailer, right,
but tell us about the trailer. Tell us about what
pits are you using.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Yeah, so Nate, Nate bought a trailer just after we
joined forces because he had always this intention of making
life easier for himself. And then when we joined teams,
he was like, well, now you get to cook out
of trailers. Were always out of marquees and gazebos. And
I'll tell you what, it makes a hell of a
lot of difference cooking in a place where you can
sort of put your walls up and close it, not
(17:16):
to block anyone out, but you know better than anyone
doing competition. It's like you have a gust of wind.
I think we had that one in christ Church late
last year in November, and like everyone's gazebos. I mean
Ken from Barbecue Boy lost his brisket. It flipped or
something like that, and his aws you went everywhere, and
(17:36):
you know, like having that setup of the luxury of
being able to set up in a trailer is nice
because you don't have to particularly you know, worry about
those those the environment so much. But it's still pretty
it's still pretty nice to be able to cook out
of but raise platform, close your doors when you need
to box up and go. But yeah, apart from that,
(17:58):
we cook on Drew BQ, drums. I cooked with a
little bit with Oklahoma Joe back home. I do a
lot of content with them, and yeah, like mostly drums,
gmgs and yeah, just whatever makes it easier for us.
Like we found that drums when we switched to drums
was really good because you could cook your proteins the
(18:21):
same way and it doesn't matter if you're on a
great level of say two fifty two hundred and seventy
five and you're at like great level three hundred fahrenheit.
You cook your stuff at the same temperature as you
would on an offset, but the cook it goes so
much quicker, more humidity in the pits and that sort
of thing. So you know, we found that you know,
(18:41):
they're light duty, can roll them around, keep them at
comps and have your same cook where you practice on
at home and have some killer results. So yeah, mostly
drums man.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yeah, we switched well we've always kind of had a
barrel in there and that kind of thing, but we
brought in drums this year, same same one, so drew
the cue ones, except I think we just got the kits,
you know, sent over. So one of the boys, yeah,
well one of the boys in our team. He works
for a company that has already access to those drums,
(19:15):
so that that bit's fairly easy. He just had to
work the kits on and make them up so they
run pretty well. Yeah. Yeah, he's sorted out a few
people with some some drums here, so it's definitely definitely
the way forward. Now everybody, I think some people love it,
some people hate it. I kind of love it. I'm
(19:37):
a little bit sadistic, like that comp prep routine, Like
when does your prep start? Who does?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
What?
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Do you split things?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Do?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
You just can't like, does everybody have a like what's
your what's your way of doing comp prep? Because it
can start like weeks in advance?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Does yeah, you know it's sometime that does not week advent.
If we haven't had we haven't had a comp for
a while. Sure, to do the comments anymore. But we've
we found that we're always sort of going from the
next one to the next one. It's almost like fortunately
or monthly, you know, have the next one available, so
like we don't really have much time to prep but
(20:13):
when we do, like we think, okay. So Nate usually
will trim the chicken like he like he's I don't
know why, but he likes scraping chicken skins. I'm like, man,
you can do that, you can We get to the
compel like pork shoulders are pretty pretty easy, you know,
like cove out a couple of moneies, and you know,
(20:34):
we we we don't really worry about that until we
get there on the day and then brisket ultrim trim
the brisket at home, you know, separate the point of flat, vacuum,
seal it and then take it with me. And then yeah,
like I think, I think, poor cribs. We we end
up getting we shot out to sun Pork. We get
some poor cribs. The whole saddles. They send it to
(20:58):
us and then Nate takes it. He brought band saw
for home because he just you know, as opposed to
having to take it to your local butcher, and that's
just another step. So like you know, a three hundred
dollars band saw off off off someplace online and it
just saves us a lot of time. So we just
cut them when they're frozen, take them out, vacuum, see them,
(21:20):
and then you know, we look at them when we
get there and if they're just like you know, got
a fair bit of meat on them, we just knock
off a bit off the top, yeah, and then just
take our memory and stuff off there. So it's a
bit of a mixture of both. But you know, we
used to make all our injections at home. Now we
do them on site because you know, we're after talking
to you know, Phil bred and Bill Purvos, those guys
(21:42):
from the States that have so much success in a
barbecue driven community and in a country and let alone state.
They yeah, they just tell you little things like you know,
your injections and they stop sort of working after you
make them way ahead of time, so you know, like
the phosphates and stuff that they end up dying off.
(22:02):
So like, yeah, I mean, if you're doing it the
day before, for sure, but like you know, we just
found that he was spending a little bit of time
just before we have everything ready to go, just before
team briefing, will make up our injections. So let us
sit on the counter, we get our instructions, and then
go back start injecting, and then we're off the bed
pretty much.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yeah, that's an interesting one. We used to make our
injections up like on a Wednesday for a Saturday camp.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
And it was always the general general consensus to do
that right, Like it was like, hey, you've got to
do it, and it has time to develop in the liquid.
But you know, like just talking to those guys, I'm like, well,
I'm going to listen to a three time world champion
as opposed to anybody else. You know.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah, I think I heard it from I think I
heard it from David Bosca, which is barbecue, and he
was like, if they're phosphates in there, they don't last.
And I was like, oh, I didn't realize that I'm
going to stop doing that on a Wednesday. That's not
I think you can still. Like what I still like
(23:03):
to do is portion out the injection. I might put
it in the shaker cup just dry, just so I
know that it's there and it's ready and it's kind
of one less thing I have to worry about measuring
or anything like that. But then I definitely try and
make it up much later on.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Now. Shout out to Bobeque for fly Coo for bringing
in LC Bobeque like wearing the hat because they do
like they do like their injections, so you can make
the injection at home, but then they've got like a
rain maker or I know, texas or all dust. Yeah,
I don't know. I think Ken brings a lot of
that stuff into where you can buy the individual phosphates.
(23:40):
So like if you make up your injections at home
and you want to like all these things and put
all the stuff, you can then end up just putting
your liquid that's already made in the shaker cup with
the phosplates, shake it up and throt of to go.
So like those type of things are pretty cool now,
like these they're bringing out products and they realize there's
that science behind it that the phosphates are in their product.
They do dissolve and diminish over time. So if you
(24:03):
want to make it and have do it preheaded time,
by all means to do it and just add your
phosphates when you get there.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Now we can all prep as much as we want,
and we can do all that, but there's a little
bit of magic about competition barbecue, and there's a little bit.
And I don't believe anyone who says they don't have anything,
But what are your guys rituals or superstitions, Like what
do you have to do or have to have with
you to know that you're going to have a good cook?
Speaker 1 (24:30):
That's a good question. Nate. Nate probably has sixteen dim
suns because he loves dim sums. I don't know, like
Nate's the organizer. I mean, I forgot how to organize,
and that was a fairly fairly apparent when I got
to this last competition by myself. I've done it for
two and a half years, three years. And he's the organizer,
(24:53):
so he does a lot of that sort of stuff,
but I think mostly just making sure that our proteins
and everything are perfect. I don't wear any lucky underpants,
so I know Troy wears like a like a funny
hat or something like that that hasn't had success or
something like that you know that he believes in. But no,
no said decisions to just go out and make it,
make it work.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
You know, I think half of the superstition stuff or whatever,
it's just keeping you in the right right mindset, right,
it's just getting you at the whole, like just getting
you in that groove. Like I have a pair of
socks that I like to wear, and then there's certain
things that just like you know, we just keep some
stuff in the trailer. I'm like, there's a piece of randomly,
(25:33):
we have a piece of wood that sits in the
pocket of my chair and everything. Now and again I
forget it's there, and then I'll find it and I'll go,
oh good, the woods in the chair. That's all right,
that's okay, We're okay.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
The think of that. When before we went to Texas
this year, my daughter made me she liked that at school,
she painted a rock and I said, take this frock
to every competition and I forgot, but I took it
to Texas and we call it Bob Rock. And found
another one and that's Dwaine the rock Johnson.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
There you go. You've got. You've got.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
When they when they do, they probably they're not on support.
They're they're somewhere, They're there.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
They're all in there, now, are you guys? Are you
a musical team or are you a quiet team? Like
I think people kind of tend to be one or
the other. They either they either let the noisy team
next door provide the music or they provide their own music.
Are you a music team?
Speaker 1 (26:33):
We we kind of wear music team. But then the
guys they're always next to us. There's always one team
that speak yeah and then setting and you just end
up having no choice their music. But as long as
disturbed sound of Silence doesn't get paid played twenty seven
times in the barbecue competition on fine. But I mean
(26:55):
it's a great song, don't get me wrong, good cover,
But like, I don't have a time I hear.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
That now I'm trying to remember now because is it
coasty boys who are always partying?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Yeah, they're the ones who were near us at Sydney
who I was just like, oh, you're the party team, Okay, cool,
I understand it. Are you always near them or is
it somebody else who drowned you out?
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Most of the time we usually park as as possible,
great guys and really friendly fellas. But they're they're Alaricans.
They love getting on it more ways than one. So
we just you know, like, hey, like we go, it's
getting ten thirty, eleven o'clock, We're going to be up
in a couple of hours to start all this barbecue stuff.
(27:39):
It's like, not not being rude, but it's like, oh man,
we're there to actually still cook as well as have fun.
So like we're got to we're going to find a
happy balance, you know, yeah, like stay away from them.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
So what's one thing that you'd like to change and
one thing that you'd never change about competition barbecue?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Oh, I don't know if I've changed much. I think
I think maybe the if we get into the analytics
of it and stuff, there's a few things that we'd
probably like to see adopted from the States maybe, like
you know, the way that they do you know, like
the table leaders and that sort of thing I think
would be really cool. And they've just brought in the
AABA brought in in back cards, so like you know,
(28:27):
it doesn't really help when you get like a like
a near perfect score and somebody gives you a seven
and they dis card just to go over. So like
we kind of go, well, what did what didn't that
person like about it?
Speaker 2 (28:39):
What's the rule that how are they doing those feedback ones.
I know there was talk a bit over here is
there is it below a certain score they have to
give a comment?
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Is it? Like?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
How does it work?
Speaker 1 (28:49):
No? Like this, we got the ones where we've done
really well at competitions, you know, like a tunnelweth where
we de sed it. We got we got all these
comment cards, like these feedback cards, and it was like
ten ten, ten ten, a great work executive chef, chef
at table, really good ribs or something, and you're like, cool,
It's like there was that one person that gives year
(29:09):
seven or and then one person gives year an eight
knock shift from first to third these days, you know,
like and that's enough to win a Grand Championship. They're
the ones that I want to sort of read and go, well,
what didn't you like about it? Like, you know, you
know what tastes is subjective textures sometimes also subjective, And
I don't know, I wouldn't really change much, man, to
be honest with that. I'd actually probably just have have
(29:31):
the guys maybe adopt a little bit more of a
process with the with the tables, you know, like when
we're talking to Bill from Chicken Fried Barbecue, he'd say
that he'd win his table, like on the day, he'd
win his table, But then you'd look at his scores
and you'd look at all the people that were on
that table. It was just a tough table, like they
were just touch going. So it's like that's what happens.
(29:52):
What happens at the invitation, or like we cooked at
the invitation of this year, we cooked a really good brisket.
On day one, we got thirty seven, Like how did
that happen? Cook the exact same brisk it. The next
day we've got six on a two ninety nine. It's
like a man like, we don't change nothing, like we
brought our own rugs, brought our injections. We have to
stick to what we've got. And you know, you go
(30:13):
from being like low in the pact to like high
to near winning it. It's kind of you kind of
like strapped your head a little bit and go, Okay, well,
I'd actually like to see maybe who that cable landed
on and why they scored it pretty poorly or where
they didn't like that was it because they just got
some really rock and roll stuff before it. Maybe, But
(30:34):
you know, like I try not let that the judging
or anything like that affect me. I just like to
I like to just go and cook and have shit sticks.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
And is there anything that you'd never change?
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Yeah, I don't think I've changed the process on we
do things like you know, sometimes we talk about it,
whether he go out and we do do things solo
one day, you like telling himself, or whether I do
that as well, like in the in the year or
two time, I don't know, but I really like as
(31:09):
a team, I don't think i'd change absolutely anything. I
think what we've got and we sort of read each
other's minds in a way, and he goes a then
I think we need to start thinking about pork source
and it's like, hey man, it's all done in the
barbecue eating up. I'm going to start trimming this. And
he's like, I do you reckon? We could do this,
and it's like it's yeah, I was thinking the exact
same thing. I said a reminder on my phone. Well
(31:31):
we're just sorting in tune. Really, CHU wouldn't think to
be honest with its talking. It depends on if stuff
starts falling off, and maybe I'll start changing everything.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
So we'll see, and so you know, you guys have
had a GC, which is probably a lot of people's goals.
But what's your current competition goal. What are you hoping
to knock off in the next twelve months.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Well, i'd like to I'd really like to finish the
year off with the national title. We've we've had some
really good success this year, but we've been Bridesmaids four
times out of five best So we've had you know
GC up at Townsville. We actually won that decisively, which
(32:16):
was really good. Like we just had a really good
cook and then we had and then have been gcs.
Like we've had four r d c's this year, one
one GC, you know, like so yeah, like I mean
for us, we're just we're cooking really well. We just
we're just coming across the best barbecue that this country
and New Zealand's ever seen. I mean, like anyone that
(32:39):
wins it, whether it's Dusty Q, whether it's in Australia
or the cook Cartels, I think they've probably wrapped it
up for the year, which is good on them or Troy,
you know, like those teams are the best the country
has probably seen. And not because not because you can't
discredit j mack And and Mikey and those guys that
(33:01):
have won it all before or Ken even they're the
pioneers in a really young competitive sport where you know,
we've learned from those type of guys, and then it's like,
how do we turn it from being this really good
box to how can it be absolutely flawless? And he
talked to Michael Cooker about it and talked to Stephen
cook and those boys, and they just like that obsessed
(33:23):
with it, like obsessed to making sure that they get
it perfect. They don't like anything to chance.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Yeah, I haven't looked at our table for a little bit.
I'm not I think Troy might be in the lead.
I've got feeling he may be on top of the table,
and I'm not sure if he can be overhauled. He's
just had an incredible year.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
But I think DC's at the Invitational was just my
mind and only mess out like that much. And so
he's yeah, I mean, and he's another one. He comes
over here, we went to we went to the Americans
first competent. He came over and Troy's conquer with us
(34:01):
before too, Like he's joined our team and he's had
a bit of fun and it's been awesome. But you know,
he comes over and there's like no Dusty Queue there
and no Damn Barns. So it's like, well, maybe we've
actually have a chance of actually winning another DC and
and he comes along and it's like, Troy.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Just go Yeah. I think a lot of us feel
that way sometimes. With Troy, was just like, oh, Troy,
you don't need to come to this one.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
You can skip it because yeah. And the thing is
because he's just such a nice guy.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
And he's literally this weekend, the weekend we're recording this,
he's over at the Royal, so we'll see.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
How we He's got seventh seventeenth I think in his
stake out of seventy four. Seventy four that's crazy, man
like that just and I could tell I haven't look
at the scores, but I could almost immediately say seventeen
from seventeenth to third place to get to get in
a walk and a trophy at the Royals, probably point
(35:02):
four of a point or something. I don't think much.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, yeah, he is a machine. I actually think I
think I've said it before, but you know, going back
to having to beat everybody like New Zealand's one of
the hardest places because every competition you turn up to
there's never a respite Like Troy always be there, The
cooks are always there, run and you are pretty much
(35:25):
always there and they're always up there. Like it's a
really you've got to beat the best every to get
a result, you've got to beat the best. So it's
not like the States where you can turn up to
you can choose a competition and go, well, Bill Purvos
isn't going to be at this one, or you know,
Phil Breden's not going to be at that one because
there's somewhere else. There is nowhere else.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Yeah, the guys that party and still can.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Do well, yeah, exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
It's just such a good cook there, Like I don't
understand its like he's just being just turn it on
and win lovely a skuy to him and his wife Tracy,
and yeah, they're just really good people and they're they're
something I don't have the responsor of the show.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
So those it's a it's a hard it's a hard journey,
but we'll get there now, mate, you survived, But where
can people keep up with you? Online? Follow the journey?
Interact with you guys?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Well, we don't really slack the Triple B. So I
don't know what we like. We just like cooking. So
it's like we just don't put any any emphasis on
our social media, even though we've got sponsors and stuff
to look after. So I do a lot of cooking
at home and a lot of stuff. So I'm on
Smoke Beyond Smoke Barbecue on Instagram and smokeing on smoke
On on Facebook. You find me on there. That's a
(36:43):
bit of a that's my original team. So I kept
those pages. Well, I had to restart one of them
on Instagram. We got kicked off for some reason. But
I just did that like to have. I really want
to eventually release my own rubs and that sort of
stuff too. So my goal was while cooking a Triple
be was to create a rubline and something that I'm
(37:04):
really proud of and that's not a carbon copy off
anybody else out there, and stuff that we can win
on and you know, so that's why I've got that
those pages. But you know, mostly it's just it's a blog.
It's a personal journey of food and another way of
just actually just showing people what I love doing. And
it's not for likes of clicks or anything like that.
(37:26):
It's like you ask any of these pubecue guys. It's
like it's a happy place and you know, like just
sharing a cooked brisket or you know, making a bloody
burrito filled with cheesecake. I don't know whatever it may be. Like,
it's something that gets you excited and feel like you
want to share that with people and they're not tasting it,
they can see it and they can interact. And that's
(37:47):
what food's all about, right, That is it.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
That is what it's all about. That is totally what
it's all about. Again, Dan, thanks heaps for joining us.
I hope you've had a good time. We're looking forward
to seeing you over here sometime.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Soon, hoping Hamilton. We'll see what happens. But yeah, if
I can get to Hamilton, I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Well let's see, let's see if you can make it
over to meet Stark. Thank you, and that is it's
for another episode of competition time from Barbecue Base. Guys.
Thank you for stopping by. Okay, you know the drill.
Make sure you hit that subscribe button to never miss
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It's barbecue based end Z on Facebook and just Barbecue
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(38:27):
he's Meet Mafia Collective on every social platform known to man,
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(38:48):
time when we'll have more great barbecue chat, tips, tricks,
and guests On competition Timeout
Speaker 1 (39:15):
To be
This is Phil Breden with Elsey Barbecue and you listening
to Barbecue Base.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Welcome to competition time on the show for people that
are not only like a little low and slow in
their lives, but a little bit hot and fast too.
This is the version of Barbecue Bass that focuses on
the competitive side of our favorite pastime. But even if
you don't compete, stick around as there's always a few
tasty tidbits to take to the backyard too. And hey,
(00:54):
we may even tempt you to throw a team together
or jump into an sea you never know. I'm Alex Lawson,
captain of the Illustrious Beginning's Barbecue Team, and your esteemed host. Now,
Competition Time is brought to you by Jack Daniels. iHeartRadio,
hunting and fishing, Hot Valley and of course rum and
Queue and we'll be back in just a minute to
(01:18):
take you to the episode.
Speaker 3 (01:21):
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They all taste better with rum and Cue. Check out
(01:44):
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plus knockout recipes at rumenqueue dot com.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
In an earlier show, we chatted to Nate Blackledge, who
was one of the Bees from Triple Bee Barbecue in Australia,
and today we've got his Kei we brother in crime,
the Second B and Triple B. Dan Barrington, Welcome to
competition time.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Dan, thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. Mote, Hey, we're.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Glad to have you here. So Dan, let's for those
that might not have heard the Nate Blacklach episode, let's
just give you guys a quick intro, like, Who's who
is Triple B? What comps do you running? How long
have you been going? All that kind of stuff?
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Yeah, that's a good question. So yeah, Nate's Nate's my guy.
He jumped on the barbecue scene a couple of years
after after myself. So I'd been doing it with my
wife and a few bringings from time to time, just
to give us a head and Nate. Nate did his
first competition in January up at Candari Barbecue Festival. And
(02:53):
in the lead up to that, we've had a few interactions,
you know, like because I was working for a company
called Lanes and I was shipping product to all these
different people and I wrote this card to him and
he after a place in order, and he was just like,
I'll make great service, great great, great little company. And yeah,
like we we ended up chatting after that, and then
(03:15):
you know, fast forward, after his first full year, I believe,
we decided to to join forces, and he was he
was really finding his structure towards the back end of
the year, and we thought, you know what, Over had
smoked beyond smoke. He had smoked gods. And we're like,
you know what, if we're going to do it, We're
going to join joint forces, create a whole new team.
(03:39):
And my wife who was on my team as well.
We we we did fairly well. We did. We had
quite a bit of success. And yeah, like we when
we when we joined, I said, can I bring my
wife Jess along? And he's like, yeah, of course, and
and here we are that that makes up the three
b so and we've been going now together for just
(04:00):
over two years.
Speaker 2 (04:01):
Yeah, that is the third BEE I had, but I
couldn't quite remember what the third B was. But at Barrington,
Barrington and black Ledge, it sounds a bit like a
lawyer firm, like that's what maybe you should go into
the legal practice. The Tree of You as.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Well had so many things because they were world classes
and new teams, so we had all the people that
we knew would be like who's this, like Anti rash
Prime and all these people. It's like a it's a
really good a really good name. We didn't think too
much about it, but it's stuck and there we've had
a glass doing it. Now.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
You guys are doing mainly a BA Australian Barbecue Alliance.
You do any s c A or anything like that?
And I know some sort of Nate. I know Nate does,
but do you do you dip your foot toe in
the s c A.
Speaker 1 (04:42):
He absolutely became obsessed with it, to the point where
I think he just really wanted to just prove to
himself that he could do it, you know, especially the stakes.
I think you ask him every five minutes he would
turn around and say, stuff, ancillaries, I can't do it anymore.
I was wait, wait, way too much time, and then
(05:02):
you walk up to a competition and he'd be like,
I've done this for ancillaries and then the end up
getting place and walking it. So he's a funny guy.
But yeah, I do. I do sea as well. I've
I do. I was mostly in my first couple of years.
If there was a competition, I'd never really bothered with steak.
I'd just do the ancillaries. And back then you'd be
able to buy, you know, multiple entries to like your ancillary.
(05:26):
So if you want, if you wanted to do like
an ancillary dessert ancillary, you could go okay, yeah, well
it's anything baked and sweet dessert, and you'd go, okay, well,
I'll buy three entries at twenty five bucks a pop.
So I'd be like a week leading up, I'd be
bacon cakes and just making all this silly stuff and yeah,
(05:47):
just entering it and assembling it on site and wishing
for the best. But I never really worried about steak
until I actually started cooking with Nate, like as the team,
and yeah, I had the last two years we've had.
Both both had some success. He finished equal second on
the leader board and stakes last year and he's going
to win it for the year this year, which is
(06:07):
I'm super proud of him of and I think I
finished tenth in both of them, and I didn't really
do many this year, so just my focus was ABA.
But yeah, I've I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Well, obviously you guys have had a bit of success
in the last couple of years. But what's the thing
that you're most proud of in your competition barbecue career.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I thought this was going to be the hardest question
to answer because there's so many things. But in all fairness,
I think the biggest highlight and the first thing that
happened for me was the first GC at Brisbane Barbecue
Festival as my original team. And not to take away
anything from what we've done in the past, but it's
(06:48):
I think when you know that you've strung it together,
you know you've had a good cook, you start getting
all these calls and it's like, oh man, do we
have a chance of winning this? And then they ended
up getting too I think brisket and the brisket was
the second last category of that competition, which was weird,
and then the pork pork category was last, I believe,
(07:10):
and we ended up getting first place, but I didn't
hear a call for brisket. It turns out we finished
sixth and two categories because they were only calling from
fifth back then, and I was like, oh, there's nothing,
nothing's happening. But I was just stoked to win some trophies,
isn't it. When they said that we'd won, it was
That was a really cool experience because we're knocked on
the door of a fair bit throughout the last year
(07:32):
or two before that, and to actually win it was special.
So I'd never forget that. But you can't discredit any
of the GCS or I d cs that you do
as a team and what you've your success from that,
like it and the feeling from that is really good
because we do go to competitions to cook and have fun,
but we also do do it competitively. We do have
(07:53):
that little bit of competitive spirit in us and we
do want to go and do well, but we also
just know that we get to catch up with all
our mates, have a bit of fun, cooks and barbecue, hopefully,
don't mess it up, don't burn anything, and well unless
it's like the Kiwis they burn everything. And still, yeah,
(08:15):
I see Troy cooking at brisket in six minutes, and
I was like, yeah, man thinks that's funny. That's a
that's another thing. The Kiwi's they're funny, like Troy. I
told Troy, my mum's from Teapooky. I'm not born in
New Zealand and I've been to New Zealand once and
everyone just thinks some of this honorary in New Zealand,
(08:39):
it's just quite funny. But yeah, I love going there
in the sea and it's such a good competition over
there that you guys are absolute animals when it comes
to cooking. Man, Like, there's some tough, tough competition. They're like,
you know, rendered Jane Mack and Mikey and and then
you can't discredit the cook cartel boys. They're just always
(09:02):
on and where they come over here and they do well,
it's it's and you know what, that's the good thing
about us is that we look at that and as
opposed to you know, turning your nose up and going
we can't beat these guys. I've got to like the
Dusty Queue, Dan Barrett, all these people here that are
just absolutely unsolvable. And Nate no will talk on the
phone every second day and say, well, what are we
going to do, Like, what are we going to do
(09:23):
to make this more competitive for us? And it's a
little bit closer.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Well, I think we probably felt you're probably getting a
little bit of a taste of what we had for
the last few years when people like Dan Barrett and
you know, Jeff and Amanda from Dusty would come over
and they kind of clean up, and it's quite nice
that we've managed to. Yeah, I think everybody was like, hey,
we've got to stop this and we got to like
get turn those tables back around and let's go give
them a little taste of their own medicine now.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
So they think they think figging's a thing, and I'm
glad it is a thing, because you've got to give
the new people a bit of a and look into
what you're doing to give them a bit of success
and a bit of momentum to sort of go to
the next one or a bit of hope. I'd say,
but you know, you go to the you know, like
(10:10):
you still got to develop your own flavors. I would
not feel at all comfortable, you know, buying or owning
a recipe off somebody and and having success from it.
I'd rather try and figure it out on my own
and but then take take to one percent is like,
you know, I've been doing this lot a lot longer
than the cook Cartel, and I'd message Steve not that
(10:33):
long ago about hey, I'm having trouble with these poor groups,
and Nate and I like we just couldn't. We couldn't
figure it out. We're tasting, We're going this is rock
and roll like texture everything, and he just he it
was one percent. He just asked me a question and
then it like a little light bulb went off. And
I don't even think I told Nate. Nate ended up
(10:54):
going out and doing a couple of competitions himself and winning.
But I think that's just the name of game. But
like you know, there's never stopped learning, and there's guys
like the Cartels and the Barracks and those type of
people that and it will always give back in their
small way to make sure that you return. And they
want the competition. They don't want to just keep winning
by landslides. They want people to give them a run
(11:15):
for their money.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Yeah, So I mean we talk about learning a lot
right and sharing and all that kind of thing. But
what's been your biggest learning moment then? Was it the
ReBs or was it something else that you kind of
go that's that's the point. That's when I learned the most.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Yeah, I think I think the biggest thing that I
learned Alex was not getting absolutely munted on a Friday
night before a Saturday competition. It's funny because, like you know,
in my early twenties, when I started started doing barbecue,
it was like, you know, I still had that sort
of you know, like my kids who are really young,
(11:52):
I've worked full time. I remember coming to one of
these competitions and just being like, you know, worked, you know,
fifty sixty hours away, can you know, like had a
really busy week and like no let up, and then
I could go away and be like I can let
my hand out a little bit. My biggest learning curve
was actually just being responsible looking after myself. And now
(12:12):
I don't even drink, and it had nothing to do
with with drinking, but it was more so more so
about just taking care of myself and not putting a
mand aid over your life problems and actually going there
and realizing what are you there to do? And that
was to cook, barbecue, catch up with your mates and
try and do well. And as soon as we did,
as soon as I did that, you know, personally, I
(12:33):
started improving tenfold.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, I think I think everybody goes through that little
journey right where you go when you first start. You know,
you get carried away and it's a great party and
you kind of have fun and there's no expectations, and
then you either decide, this is how we're going to
do competition barbecue and this is like a good excuse
for a weekend away with the lads or whatever, and
(12:57):
you know, we're not that bothered. If we get call great,
that's awesome, but we're not going to be or you
flip and you go, actually, we need to knock all
that on the head because we're here if we want
to compete, and you fall into the two camps, and
both camps are absolutely fine, Like as long as you're
it's very rare that you can be in both camps.
(13:19):
There's a couple of people who can do it, a couple,
but it's the exception, not the raw.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Hey mate, exactly. I I love having a loved having
a beer back then and cracking on and doing all
those silly things. But I realized what was more important
to me was actually still being able to go and
catch up with my mates and have fun, but actually
just be responsible, because then what's the hindsight, like, well,
(13:44):
what's the what's the end goal? Was to actually go
and and not not actually just have the success. But
really all I ever wanted was to get get a trophy.
I think that was the first thing. And then you know,
then when you put aside you know, the partying and
fun and you know all those things that a lot
of people do and and good on them, like that's
(14:05):
what you want to do, man, just just do it.
But we as soon as I've put that aside, I
ended up getting more trophies, and then the goal change
from hey, let's just instead of winning ones and twos,
let's win a Grand championship. And then it happened, and
now want more.
Speaker 2 (14:21):
It's an addiction, isn't it. It's just another thing that
we can addict ourselves with. So you may have already
answered this, really, but what's that protein you're working on
the most right now?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
Is it?
Speaker 2 (14:31):
Is it still the ribs? Or have you moved on
something else? And you go, hey, we've cracked ribs. Now,
let's let's move on to this.
Speaker 1 (14:37):
Well, I think I'm a little bit crazy like the
things that we cook. Well, I'll still cook at home
just to keep it, you know. In June and I
was talking to Stevens Stephen Cook maybe two nights ago,
and he I sent him my photo of the ribs
because Nate, Nate was actually out of them out at
work and I ran my first solo cop in almost
(14:58):
three years as Triple Big went out had some success.
Just realized that, you know, having the big fellow there
was it is so much better because we cook better.
I mean he does a lot of the stuff with
the ribs and the pork, and I do a lot
of stuff with the brisket. We both share the duties
with lamb and but you know, the good thing is
is that we're both learned from each other where we
(15:19):
can actually, you know, if one's not there, you know,
where a phone call away or where we've sort of
gone at that many times now that it's become second nature.
Like Nate, Nate rings me and to get I take
this brisket off around that temperature and I'm like yeah,
He's like yeah, perfect. I just wanted to clarify, But yeah,
I think I'm always cooking. I'm going to cook some
(15:40):
poor grips today. I mean it's only early this morning,
and in Australia where we're going to cook, cook some
poor grips today. I injected them last night and just
give them a well even though it's been our biggest
success at the moment, but really just always trying to
get brisket perfect. And like I was going to say that,
the cook boys were, you know, they were saying to me,
(16:02):
like you've got a two ninety nine, or like how
can we get you that three hundred. It's like, you know, good,
ain't that bad? But if you want to win barbecue
competitions these days, you need to be damn near perfect.
It's crazy. So yeah, I just keep practicing, man, all
the all the four main categories. We have lamb that
pops up a fair bit here, which we're really good
(16:22):
with lamb. I don't know how it happened, but we
ended up just finding a real groove. And if we
don't cook it for six to eight months, we can
still come in and get a top four's top five,
you know, and top three win a trophy in it
because we're he just became secondary, so don't really cook
the Plus it's expensive, but yeah, always brisket and ribs
(16:42):
and portrol. On the other day. It was a lot
of fun.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
So tell me about your comp set up, you guys.
I think you guys cook out of a trailer, right,
but tell us about the trailer. Tell us about what
pits are you using.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Yeah, so Nate, Nate bought a trailer just after we
joined forces because he had always this intention of making
life easier for himself. And then when we joined teams,
he was like, well, now you get to cook out
of trailers. Were always out of marquees and gazebos. And
I'll tell you what, it makes a hell of a
lot of difference cooking in a place where you can
sort of put your walls up and close it, not
(17:16):
to block anyone out, but you know better than anyone
doing competition. It's like you have a gust of wind.
I think we had that one in christ Church late
last year in November, and like everyone's gazebos. I mean
Ken from Barbecue Boy lost his brisket. It flipped or
something like that, and his aws you went everywhere, and
(17:36):
you know, like having that setup of the luxury of
being able to set up in a trailer is nice
because you don't have to particularly you know, worry about
those those the environment so much. But it's still pretty
it's still pretty nice to be able to cook out
of but raise platform, close your doors when you need
to box up and go. But yeah, apart from that,
(17:58):
we cook on Drew BQ, drums. I cooked with a
little bit with Oklahoma Joe back home. I do a
lot of content with them, and yeah, like mostly drums,
gmgs and yeah, just whatever makes it easier for us.
Like we found that drums when we switched to drums
was really good because you could cook your proteins the
(18:21):
same way and it doesn't matter if you're on a
great level of say two fifty two hundred and seventy
five and you're at like great level three hundred fahrenheit.
You cook your stuff at the same temperature as you
would on an offset, but the cook it goes so
much quicker, more humidity in the pits and that sort
of thing. So you know, we found that you know,
(18:41):
they're light duty, can roll them around, keep them at
comps and have your same cook where you practice on
at home and have some killer results. So yeah, mostly
drums man.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Yeah, we switched well we've always kind of had a
barrel in there and that kind of thing, but we
brought in drums this year, same same one, so drew
the cue ones, except I think we just got the kits,
you know, sent over. So one of the boys, yeah,
well one of the boys in our team. He works
for a company that has already access to those drums,
(19:15):
so that that bit's fairly easy. He just had to
work the kits on and make them up so they
run pretty well. Yeah. Yeah, he's sorted out a few
people with some some drums here, so it's definitely definitely
the way forward. Now everybody, I think some people love it,
some people hate it. I kind of love it. I'm
(19:37):
a little bit sadistic, like that comp prep routine, Like
when does your prep start? Who does?
Speaker 3 (19:44):
What?
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Do you split things?
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Do?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
You just can't like, does everybody have a like what's
your what's your way of doing comp prep? Because it
can start like weeks in advance?
Speaker 1 (19:53):
Does yeah, you know it's sometime that does not week advent.
If we haven't had we haven't had a comp for
a while. Sure, to do the comments anymore. But we've
we found that we're always sort of going from the
next one to the next one. It's almost like fortunately
or monthly, you know, have the next one available, so
like we don't really have much time to prep but
(20:13):
when we do, like we think, okay. So Nate usually
will trim the chicken like he like he's I don't
know why, but he likes scraping chicken skins. I'm like, man,
you can do that, you can We get to the
compel like pork shoulders are pretty pretty easy, you know,
like cove out a couple of moneies, and you know,
(20:34):
we we we don't really worry about that until we
get there on the day and then brisket ultrim trim
the brisket at home, you know, separate the point of flat, vacuum,
seal it and then take it with me. And then yeah,
like I think, I think, poor cribs. We we end
up getting we shot out to sun Pork. We get
some poor cribs. The whole saddles. They send it to
(20:58):
us and then Nate takes it. He brought band saw
for home because he just you know, as opposed to
having to take it to your local butcher, and that's
just another step. So like you know, a three hundred
dollars band saw off off off someplace online and it
just saves us a lot of time. So we just
cut them when they're frozen, take them out, vacuum, see them,
(21:20):
and then you know, we look at them when we
get there and if they're just like you know, got
a fair bit of meat on them, we just knock
off a bit off the top, yeah, and then just
take our memory and stuff off there. So it's a
bit of a mixture of both. But you know, we
used to make all our injections at home. Now we
do them on site because you know, we're after talking
to you know, Phil bred and Bill Purvos, those guys
(21:42):
from the States that have so much success in a
barbecue driven community and in a country and let alone state.
They yeah, they just tell you little things like you know,
your injections and they stop sort of working after you
make them way ahead of time, so you know, like
the phosphates and stuff that they end up dying off.
(22:02):
So like, yeah, I mean, if you're doing it the
day before, for sure, but like you know, we just
found that he was spending a little bit of time
just before we have everything ready to go, just before
team briefing, will make up our injections. So let us
sit on the counter, we get our instructions, and then
go back start injecting, and then we're off the bed
pretty much.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Yeah, that's an interesting one. We used to make our
injections up like on a Wednesday for a Saturday camp.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
And it was always the general general consensus to do
that right, Like it was like, hey, you've got to
do it, and it has time to develop in the liquid.
But you know, like just talking to those guys, I'm like, well,
I'm going to listen to a three time world champion
as opposed to anybody else. You know.
Speaker 2 (22:42):
Yeah, I think I heard it from I think I
heard it from David Bosca, which is barbecue, and he
was like, if they're phosphates in there, they don't last.
And I was like, oh, I didn't realize that I'm
going to stop doing that on a Wednesday. That's not
I think you can still. Like what I still like
(23:03):
to do is portion out the injection. I might put
it in the shaker cup just dry, just so I
know that it's there and it's ready and it's kind
of one less thing I have to worry about measuring
or anything like that. But then I definitely try and
make it up much later on.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Now. Shout out to Bobeque for fly Coo for bringing
in LC Bobeque like wearing the hat because they do
like they do like their injections, so you can make
the injection at home, but then they've got like a
rain maker or I know, texas or all dust. Yeah,
I don't know. I think Ken brings a lot of
that stuff into where you can buy the individual phosphates.
(23:40):
So like if you make up your injections at home
and you want to like all these things and put
all the stuff, you can then end up just putting
your liquid that's already made in the shaker cup with
the phosplates, shake it up and throt of to go.
So like those type of things are pretty cool now,
like these they're bringing out products and they realize there's
that science behind it that the phosphates are in their product.
They do dissolve and diminish over time. So if you
(24:03):
want to make it and have do it preheaded time,
by all means to do it and just add your
phosphates when you get there.
Speaker 2 (24:08):
Now we can all prep as much as we want,
and we can do all that, but there's a little
bit of magic about competition barbecue, and there's a little bit.
And I don't believe anyone who says they don't have anything,
But what are your guys rituals or superstitions, Like what
do you have to do or have to have with
you to know that you're going to have a good cook?
Speaker 1 (24:30):
That's a good question. Nate. Nate probably has sixteen dim
suns because he loves dim sums. I don't know, like
Nate's the organizer. I mean, I forgot how to organize,
and that was a fairly fairly apparent when I got
to this last competition by myself. I've done it for
two and a half years, three years. And he's the organizer,
(24:53):
so he does a lot of that sort of stuff,
but I think mostly just making sure that our proteins
and everything are perfect. I don't wear any lucky underpants,
so I know Troy wears like a like a funny
hat or something like that that hasn't had success or
something like that you know that he believes in. But no,
no said decisions to just go out and make it,
make it work.
Speaker 2 (25:12):
You know, I think half of the superstition stuff or whatever,
it's just keeping you in the right right mindset, right,
it's just getting you at the whole, like just getting
you in that groove. Like I have a pair of
socks that I like to wear, and then there's certain
things that just like you know, we just keep some
stuff in the trailer. I'm like, there's a piece of randomly,
(25:33):
we have a piece of wood that sits in the
pocket of my chair and everything. Now and again I
forget it's there, and then I'll find it and I'll go,
oh good, the woods in the chair. That's all right,
that's okay, We're okay.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
The think of that. When before we went to Texas
this year, my daughter made me she liked that at school,
she painted a rock and I said, take this frock
to every competition and I forgot, but I took it
to Texas and we call it Bob Rock. And found
another one and that's Dwaine the rock Johnson.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
There you go. You've got. You've got.
Speaker 1 (26:10):
When they when they do, they probably they're not on support.
They're they're somewhere, They're there.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
They're all in there, now, are you guys? Are you
a musical team or are you a quiet team? Like
I think people kind of tend to be one or
the other. They either they either let the noisy team
next door provide the music or they provide their own music.
Are you a music team?
Speaker 1 (26:33):
We we kind of wear music team. But then the
guys they're always next to us. There's always one team
that speak yeah and then setting and you just end
up having no choice their music. But as long as
disturbed sound of Silence doesn't get paid played twenty seven
times in the barbecue competition on fine. But I mean
(26:55):
it's a great song, don't get me wrong, good cover,
But like, I don't have a time I hear.
Speaker 2 (27:00):
That now I'm trying to remember now because is it
coasty boys who are always partying?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (27:07):
Yeah, they're the ones who were near us at Sydney
who I was just like, oh, you're the party team, Okay, cool,
I understand it. Are you always near them or is
it somebody else who drowned you out?
Speaker 1 (27:16):
Most of the time we usually park as as possible,
great guys and really friendly fellas. But they're they're Alaricans.
They love getting on it more ways than one. So
we just you know, like, hey, like we go, it's
getting ten thirty, eleven o'clock, We're going to be up
in a couple of hours to start all this barbecue stuff.
(27:39):
It's like, not not being rude, but it's like, oh man,
we're there to actually still cook as well as have fun.
So like we're got to we're going to find a
happy balance, you know, yeah, like stay away from them.
Speaker 2 (27:52):
So what's one thing that you'd like to change and
one thing that you'd never change about competition barbecue?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
Oh, I don't know if I've changed much. I think
I think maybe the if we get into the analytics
of it and stuff, there's a few things that we'd
probably like to see adopted from the States maybe, like
you know, the way that they do you know, like
the table leaders and that sort of thing I think
would be really cool. And they've just brought in the
AABA brought in in back cards, so like you know,
(28:27):
it doesn't really help when you get like a like
a near perfect score and somebody gives you a seven
and they dis card just to go over. So like
we kind of go, well, what did what didn't that
person like about it?
Speaker 2 (28:39):
What's the rule that how are they doing those feedback ones.
I know there was talk a bit over here is
there is it below a certain score they have to
give a comment?
Speaker 1 (28:46):
Is it? Like?
Speaker 2 (28:47):
How does it work?
Speaker 1 (28:49):
No? Like this, we got the ones where we've done
really well at competitions, you know, like a tunnelweth where
we de sed it. We got we got all these
comment cards, like these feedback cards, and it was like
ten ten, ten ten, a great work executive chef, chef
at table, really good ribs or something, and you're like, cool,
It's like there was that one person that gives year
(29:09):
seven or and then one person gives year an eight
knock shift from first to third these days, you know,
like and that's enough to win a Grand Championship. They're
the ones that I want to sort of read and go, well,
what didn't you like about it? Like, you know, you
know what tastes is subjective textures sometimes also subjective, And
I don't know, I wouldn't really change much, man, to
be honest with that. I'd actually probably just have have
(29:31):
the guys maybe adopt a little bit more of a
process with the with the tables, you know, like when
we're talking to Bill from Chicken Fried Barbecue, he'd say
that he'd win his table, like on the day, he'd
win his table, But then you'd look at his scores
and you'd look at all the people that were on
that table. It was just a tough table, like they
were just touch going. So it's like that's what happens.
(29:52):
What happens at the invitation, or like we cooked at
the invitation of this year, we cooked a really good brisket.
On day one, we got thirty seven, Like how did
that happen? Cook the exact same brisk it. The next
day we've got six on a two ninety nine. It's
like a man like, we don't change nothing, like we
brought our own rugs, brought our injections. We have to
stick to what we've got. And you know, you go
(30:13):
from being like low in the pact to like high
to near winning it. It's kind of you kind of
like strapped your head a little bit and go, Okay, well,
I'd actually like to see maybe who that cable landed
on and why they scored it pretty poorly or where
they didn't like that was it because they just got
some really rock and roll stuff before it. Maybe, But
(30:34):
you know, like I try not let that the judging
or anything like that affect me. I just like to
I like to just go and cook and have shit sticks.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
And is there anything that you'd never change?
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Yeah, I don't think I've changed the process on we
do things like you know, sometimes we talk about it,
whether he go out and we do do things solo
one day, you like telling himself, or whether I do
that as well, like in the in the year or
two time, I don't know, but I really like as
(31:09):
a team, I don't think i'd change absolutely anything. I
think what we've got and we sort of read each
other's minds in a way, and he goes a then
I think we need to start thinking about pork source
and it's like, hey man, it's all done in the
barbecue eating up. I'm going to start trimming this. And
he's like, I do you reckon? We could do this,
and it's like it's yeah, I was thinking the exact
same thing. I said a reminder on my phone. Well
(31:31):
we're just sorting in tune. Really, CHU wouldn't think to
be honest with its talking. It depends on if stuff
starts falling off, and maybe I'll start changing everything.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
So we'll see, and so you know, you guys have
had a GC, which is probably a lot of people's goals.
But what's your current competition goal. What are you hoping
to knock off in the next twelve months.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Well, i'd like to I'd really like to finish the
year off with the national title. We've we've had some
really good success this year, but we've been Bridesmaids four
times out of five best So we've had you know
GC up at Townsville. We actually won that decisively, which
(32:16):
was really good. Like we just had a really good
cook and then we had and then have been gcs.
Like we've had four r d c's this year, one
one GC, you know, like so yeah, like I mean
for us, we're just we're cooking really well. We just
we're just coming across the best barbecue that this country
and New Zealand's ever seen. I mean, like anyone that
(32:39):
wins it, whether it's Dusty Q, whether it's in Australia
or the cook Cartels, I think they've probably wrapped it
up for the year, which is good on them or Troy,
you know, like those teams are the best the country
has probably seen. And not because not because you can't
discredit j mack And and Mikey and those guys that
(33:01):
have won it all before or Ken even they're the
pioneers in a really young competitive sport where you know,
we've learned from those type of guys, and then it's like,
how do we turn it from being this really good
box to how can it be absolutely flawless? And he
talked to Michael Cooker about it and talked to Stephen
cook and those boys, and they just like that obsessed
(33:23):
with it, like obsessed to making sure that they get
it perfect. They don't like anything to chance.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
Yeah, I haven't looked at our table for a little bit.
I'm not I think Troy might be in the lead.
I've got feeling he may be on top of the table,
and I'm not sure if he can be overhauled. He's
just had an incredible year.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
But I think DC's at the Invitational was just my
mind and only mess out like that much. And so
he's yeah, I mean, and he's another one. He comes
over here, we went to we went to the Americans
first competent. He came over and Troy's conquer with us
(34:01):
before too, Like he's joined our team and he's had
a bit of fun and it's been awesome. But you know,
he comes over and there's like no Dusty Queue there
and no Damn Barns. So it's like, well, maybe we've
actually have a chance of actually winning another DC and
and he comes along and it's like, Troy.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Just go Yeah. I think a lot of us feel
that way sometimes. With Troy, was just like, oh, Troy,
you don't need to come to this one.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
You can skip it because yeah. And the thing is
because he's just such a nice guy.
Speaker 2 (34:34):
And he's literally this weekend, the weekend we're recording this,
he's over at the Royal, so we'll see.
Speaker 1 (34:41):
How we He's got seventh seventeenth I think in his
stake out of seventy four. Seventy four that's crazy, man
like that just and I could tell I haven't look
at the scores, but I could almost immediately say seventeen
from seventeenth to third place to get to get in
a walk and a trophy at the Royals, probably point
(35:02):
four of a point or something. I don't think much.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, yeah, he is a machine. I actually think I
think I've said it before, but you know, going back
to having to beat everybody like New Zealand's one of
the hardest places because every competition you turn up to
there's never a respite Like Troy always be there, The
cooks are always there, run and you are pretty much
(35:25):
always there and they're always up there. Like it's a
really you've got to beat the best every to get
a result, you've got to beat the best. So it's
not like the States where you can turn up to
you can choose a competition and go, well, Bill Purvos
isn't going to be at this one, or you know,
Phil Breden's not going to be at that one because
there's somewhere else. There is nowhere else.
Speaker 1 (35:43):
Yeah, the guys that party and still can.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
Do well, yeah, exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (35:53):
It's just such a good cook there, Like I don't
understand its like he's just being just turn it on
and win lovely a skuy to him and his wife Tracy,
and yeah, they're just really good people and they're they're
something I don't have the responsor of the show.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
So those it's a it's a hard it's a hard journey,
but we'll get there now, mate, you survived, But where
can people keep up with you? Online? Follow the journey?
Interact with you guys?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Well, we don't really slack the Triple B. So I
don't know what we like. We just like cooking. So
it's like we just don't put any any emphasis on
our social media, even though we've got sponsors and stuff
to look after. So I do a lot of cooking
at home and a lot of stuff. So I'm on
Smoke Beyond Smoke Barbecue on Instagram and smokeing on smoke
On on Facebook. You find me on there. That's a
(36:43):
bit of a that's my original team. So I kept
those pages. Well, I had to restart one of them
on Instagram. We got kicked off for some reason. But
I just did that like to have. I really want
to eventually release my own rubs and that sort of
stuff too. So my goal was while cooking a Triple
be was to create a rubline and something that I'm
(37:04):
really proud of and that's not a carbon copy off
anybody else out there, and stuff that we can win
on and you know, so that's why I've got that
those pages. But you know, mostly it's just it's a blog.
It's a personal journey of food and another way of
just actually just showing people what I love doing. And
it's not for likes of clicks or anything like that.
(37:26):
It's like you ask any of these pubecue guys. It's
like it's a happy place and you know, like just
sharing a cooked brisket or you know, making a bloody
burrito filled with cheesecake. I don't know whatever it may be. Like,
it's something that gets you excited and feel like you
want to share that with people and they're not tasting it,
they can see it and they can interact. And that's
(37:47):
what food's all about, right, That is it.
Speaker 2 (37:49):
That is what it's all about. That is totally what
it's all about. Again, Dan, thanks heaps for joining us.
I hope you've had a good time. We're looking forward
to seeing you over here sometime.
Speaker 1 (37:58):
Soon, hoping Hamilton. We'll see what happens. But yeah, if
I can get to Hamilton, I'll be there.
Speaker 2 (38:04):
Well let's see, let's see if you can make it
over to meet Stark. Thank you, and that is it's
for another episode of competition time from Barbecue Base. Guys.
Thank you for stopping by. Okay, you know the drill.
Make sure you hit that subscribe button to never miss
an episode, and make sure you're following on our socials.
It's barbecue based end Z on Facebook and just Barbecue
Base on Insta. If you want to keep up with NOL,
(38:27):
he's Meet Mafia Collective on every social platform known to man,
and you can get behind those beefy meat curtains at
Meetmafia Collective dot com, delving into the murky depths of
his brain by paying a small monthly sum. And to
keep up with me on social media, it's burn Beginning's
Barbecue on Facebook and Insta. So come on back next
(38:48):
time when we'll have more great barbecue chat, tips, tricks,
and guests On competition Timeout
Speaker 1 (39:15):
To be
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