If in doubt, give dad the gift of meat and fire this Father's Day

While it’s true that we live in a diverse society with all manner of culinary options from paleo to vegan, it is also true that the combination of meat and fire will stir the blood of many dads this Father’s Day.

The good old backyard barbecue is an Aussie institution, and in the past few years it’s been transformed into an art form.

More than 18 million Aussies own a barbecue and the market in ”low ‘n’ slow” smokers and grills is booming.

“We’ve seen a huge, huge influence from America,” says Andrew Nelson from Wagga Meat Supply.

“With COVID and the lockdowns there were more people cooking at home and they had more time just to try something different and to do a different hobby.

“Obviously a lot of people are getting into it through social media because everything’s posted on there.”

Michael Cameron works with Andrew and has a popular side hustle catering events as the Smoking Butcher.

“I think people have found it as another way to relax,” he explains.

“It’s not a fast exercise, you can sit down and relax and put it on and put your feet up and you get a good result at the end.

“It’s good for people who are a little bit stressed out and struggling with their mental health.”

Adam Roberts is a world-renowned barbecue ”pitmaster” and says we’ve come a long way from burning snags and rissoles to charcoal in the backyard.

“There’s still a few old-school butchers punching out the old rissoles,” he laughs.

“But these days, it’s all about pork ribs and beef brisket and the whole lamb shoulder.”

It was a trip to the US a decade ago that really stoked Adam’s fire and he’s now sharing the love for ”low ‘n’ slow” cooking through his award-winning documentary Beyond the Flame, and now with an online Barbecue Pitmastery Masterclass with TAFE NSW.

“It’s really growing the awareness and people’s interest in cooking over wood fires using smokers and grills, but also getting back to using charcoal instead of gas,” he says.

“It’s really intriguing for some people and they just want to get in and have a go.”

He says that while social media is a great starting point, doing a micro-skills course is a great way to build your confidence and know what you’re looking for.

“You don’t want to start off with those thick heavy cuts that can be expensive, just start with a simple cut,” Adam says.

“And it’s just getting that all-purpose barbecue or a smoker, which you can get for as little as 300 bucks and it can be competition quality.

“You can spend very little to get started and at least get your toe in the water and have a good crack at it.”

Smoking Butcher Michael Cameron agrees.

“There’s lots of places where you can get any of the equipment because it’s so popular now,” he says.

“Brisket is my favourite thing to cook and then followed by your beef ribs and then the usual pork ribs or wings and stuff like that.”

Andrew Nelson says there is no end of options for dad to get the barbie fired up this Father’s Day.

“Smoking is the big thing at the moment, so we sell a lot of briskets, the big 1kg tomahawk steaks and short ribs,” he says, adding with a grin, “It’s all good.”