A low and slow barbecue competition at Wingham Showground at the Akoostik Festival proved both enjoyable and educational, with 33 teams vying for first place in the heated cook-off.
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The brainchild of Wingham Beef Exports general manager Grant Coleman, the inaugural competition – attracting smokers from interstate as well as locally – pitted grass fed brisket against its grain fed counterpart, during an all night affair that began Saturday afternoon and ended up in the laps of judges before lunchtime Sunday.
Part of the blossoming Australian Barbeque Alliance championships, the weekend competition, twinned with Wingham’s Akoostik festival, saw teams ‘Smokin’ Hot Bros’ and ‘Double Barrel Barbeque’ tied in first place for the season so far.
Champions of the grain fed brisket were first time competitors from Pappinbarra via Wauchope, Harvey Smith and team ‘Oaky Smokies’, who struggled against the cool night air about four in the morning when the temperature in their smoker plummeted. But they stoically battled on.
Mr Coleman organised the cook-off as one way to settle a long standing debate between grass and grain fed, with Wingham Beef Exports supplying the brisket used in competition.
This was the first event where competitors did not bring their own meat and all teams started their fires on a level playing field.
Mr Coleman personally chose the brisket from two days worth of production and set them aside in cold storage for five weeks before the event. It was a generous statement but one which helped promote the abattoir’s grass fed brand Manning Valley Naturally, and its grain fed equivalent, Wingham Reserve.
While the meat was provided, fuel for the fires was not and there was plenty of burnin’ all night long with the champions from Pappinbarra using a quarter tonne of old hardwood fenceposts with a dash of pecan.
Most meats were cooked simply with just salt and pepper but the low and slow technique delivered a delicious result.
The temperature of the smoke in the ‘barrel’ was only 100-120 celcius but the meat inside bathed at that temperature for 12 hours and crews went on watch to keep their fires alight.
Of the 42 judges 26 preferred the grass fed brisket which pleased Mr Coleman and surprised him, considering pasture beef is leaner than feedlot fed and can leave a texture which some consider too dry.
“The real winners,” said Mr Coleman, “were the cooks.”