Hello brethren! I recently returned from a honeymoon to Australia and New Zealand. While in Melbourne, a city renowned for its cuisine, my wife came across a place called the Hog & Lobster.
With a neon pig that says BBQ inside, how could I pass up the opportunity to see what the Aussies thought of American BBQ?
Of course Australia raises some amazing beef, so I gotta see how the brisket is done (Melbourne's best!). And the other thing they raise is a juicy lamb, so my wife gets the pulled lamb.
So first, it smells awesome, and it's a massive pile of meat on both plates. But a quick look reveals a sweet looking smoke ring? See it? Do you see it? No. No smoke ring ANYWHERE on this brisket. And no smoke flavor, so I don't know if maybe they wrap the whole thing and then put it on the smoker, or maybe they just show the meat pictures of wood while it's cooking. Anyway, it ended up being like a pot roast, falls apart when you try to pick it up with a fork, no bark, no smoke ring, no rub flavor. Luckily I had been craving pot roast for a while, so it filled that need.
In the background of the picture you see my wife's lamb. Whatever they did to this lamb they need to do to the brisket. It was smokey, with a great morroccan-like spice profile to it. Good stuff there.
Also, the mac and cheese was like soup. Good cheese flavor, but you needed a spoon to get the sauce. Definitely a market there for real American BBQ.
I have lots more food pictures you all want to see. And yes, I did try both wallaby (blah) and kangaroo (yum!).
