BBQ is getting serious around here

[SmokinAussie]

G'Day Bruces.

I few years ago I took an extended hiatus from the Brethren. Those of you who remember some of my threads will know of my constant lamentation regarding the state of Australian BBQ. I mean when I first joined in 2009 I could not even find lump charcoal.

Now 10 years on Pulled Pork is a household word and you can buy a brisket most places.

Today I went into one of the newer BBQ stores which is the home of the "Natural Born Grillers" BBQ Team. Had a chat with the owners there and took some pics...

Here's the link to the gallery for those who want a look.
https://postimg.cc/gallery/2bwipevfe/ Without spamming up this with pics.

Anyway, I was quite impressed. Those prices though, are sky high. I bought the following stuff and it cost me $60 Aussie Peso's.

Real happy to get my hands on some Yardbird again and to have a try with some Kosmos stuff for the first time.

KC Mike, I asked the guys if they had any Oakridge. They said they had some when they opened but they found it was something the Comp guys would go for, but the smaller retail packs were slow movers and as such they don't stock it any more. I was pretty disappointed to miss out.

Anyway, I'm sure my time will come to try. Just not today.

Main thing is that the BBQ scene in Downside Up Land is looking pretty good. I was definitely interested in the Traegers.

Cheers!

 

[IamMadMan]

Awesome, Looks like things are moving in the right direction.

It's not a hobby, it's a passion.

 

[Titch]

Oakridge can be got from seaford,bbq spit rotie

 

[SmokinAussie]

Oakridge can be got from seaford,bbq spit rotie

Ya Know that means I gotta go there now and take more PICS!:becky:

 

[Titch]

Pick a day when something is on, you never know who you can have a yap too.
I knew his dad Gus a little

 

[gtr]

I seem to remember talk many moons ago of an ECB getting ordered late at night, outrageous shipping costs and all...things are looking up down under!

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Very nice Bill

 

[SmittyJonz]

:thumb:

 

[jermoQ]

Glad you have a local place to hookup with BBQ enthusiasts! One of my favorite places to go!!

 

[Woody Butthrie]

Way to go Australia.

 

[campdude]

maybe down under will get right side up soon! Nice group of products. Nobody said it was a cheap hobby.

 

[Gary Tomato]

They do pretty good food at the Que Club too. The rubs and sauces whilst expensive are pretty much the same everywhere. Que Club meats are a tad more expensive than my usual butcher, Kelly’s Meats in Cranbourne, who also do free delivery to most Melbourne suburbs.

 

[oifmarine2003]

Glad to hear you guys are getting civilized down there finally Bill!

 

[NickTheGreat]

Glad to hear you guys are getting with the times :razz:

I was in Oz in 2003 and again in 2013. It was amazing how much the beer scene had progressed in that time period. Glad BBQ is doing the same.

 

[jermoQ]

I recently watched a short video series from Facebook called Beyond the Flame. I think it was based out of Australia. It was broad on the subject of BBQ, but touched on the growing popularity and importance of bbq in Australia and the US.

 

[kcmike]

KC Mike, I asked the guys if they had any Oakridge. They said they had some when they opened but they found it was something the Comp guys would go for, but the smaller retail packs were slow movers and as such they don't stock it any more. I was pretty disappointed to miss out.

Thanks for the heads-up, SA and welcome back to the BBQ Brethren! I'll have a chat with my Australian distributor and see what's going on. But, if their prices were super high on the semi-mass produced products you purchased, it's probably because Oakridge was priced well out of reach for the average backyard duffer, which is unfortunate for sure. The weakness of the AU dollar compared to the US dollar doesn't help matters much either.

 

[SmittyJonz]

Seems like somebody down there would come up with a line of rubs made in Country and fill the need for an affordable Rub.? Or is the demand for American products.?

 

[JWFokker]

I don't understand the excitement for Traegers. They're just a brand name now, run by investors. Quality is going downhill. Definitely not worth the sticker price. If you want a Chinese made pellet grill I'm certain you can get one for less than what Traeger charges.

 

[AKMIMNAK]

I need to do a video tour down your way Now THAT would be a cool work trip!

 

[SmokinAussie]

Thanks for the heads-up, SA and welcome back to the BBQ Brethren! I'll have a chat with my Australian distributor and see what's going on. But, if their prices were super high on the semi-mass produced products you purchased, it's probably because Oakridge was priced well out of reach for the average backyard duffer, which is unfortunate for sure. The weakness of the AU dollar compared to the US dollar doesn't help matters much either.

Thanks Mike. I'd say you are right about that. Maybe a bit of additional marketing might help. But apparently that place in Seaford stocks your stuff and I can most likely get down there soon.

Seems like somebody down there would come up with a line of rubs made in Country and fill the need for an affordable Rub.? Or is the demand for American products.?

There are a few local players Smitty. The good ones are hanging out for a price as high as the imports to see what the market will bare. The market is in it's infancy here and the rest of them are no good or coming up with stupid names I'm not willing to try.

I don't understand the excitement for Traegers. They're just a brand name now, run by investors. Quality is going downhill. Definitely not worth the sticker price. If you want a Chinese made pellet grill I'm certain you can get one for less than what Traeger charges.

The market is in its infancy here. Import prices are high because of the exchange rate, distance and volume. Traeger, being one of the biggest name brands is best to start out here. There's just no way a small bespoke US manufacturer will send their stuff here. They have all the work they can handle at the moment. As a result, we will be stuck with getting the ones made in China and for all that, we'd rather it be a Traeger or a GMG.

I need to do a video tour down your way Now THAT would be a cool work trip!

No worries.

Titch and I can hook you up.

Bung some Kangaroo on the Barbie!

:becky: