Ipswich meat lovers sizzle at Burleigh BBQ Championships

The stakes were high for Ipswich team Smoke N Daggers BBQ, who cooked against some of the best teams in the country

WINNERS: Mark Robinson, Nathan Armstrong and Nathan McMillan from Ipswich were announced the grand champions at the Burleigh BBQ Championships. Picture: Contributed

THREE meat lovers and barbecue enthusiasts from Ipswich have been crowned the grand champions after a sizzling weekend of cooking at the Burleigh BBQ Championships.

The stakes were pretty high for Nathan Armstrong, Mark Robinson and Nathan McMillan, who were competing against some of the best teams in the country.

Their team, Smoke N Daggers BBQ, served up dishes of pork, pork ribs, two briskets, chicken, lamb and seafood which they prepared in their own smoker.

The judges were impressed by the flavours and the taste which they boys served, naming them grand champions.

Smoke N Daggers BBQ impressed the judges with the dishes they served up. Picture: Contributed

Mr Armstrong said the team were thrilled to come away with the win.

"It was awesome. We were stoked with the win because we knew what we handed in was really good," he said.

"It was a massive competition and we had a good cook, so we're really happy.

"The calibre of the teams that competed was really high. There were two teams who even travelled from America."

Mr Armstrong said the team spends hours perfecting each recipe.

"Each team has its own personalised flavours profile, and you develop that through practice and trail and error," he said.

"We are constantly changing and refining our recipes and cooking times. We run with some really good cooking schedules so we know exactly how we want to cook our meat.

"I personally love to cook a brisket. It's known as the king of the cuts because it's the hardest to cook.

"If you're going to win a trophy, that's the one you want to win."

Smoker Nathan Armstrong prefers to cook brisket, saying it's one of the hardest meats to cook. Picture: Contributed

The team is sponsored locally by Schulte's at Plainland, who provide them with their proteins. They also receive firewood and charcoal from a Sydney-based business, as well as receive support from a Brisbane-based team.

The men will head to Aussie World this October for the Sunshine Coast's BBQ Festival where they will be in the running to take the top spot on the leader board.

According to Mr Armstrong, you don't need to be an expert griller to start - you just need to have the passion.

"It's not a bad hobby to have," he said, laughing.

"It was something I was always interested in, but only really started competing recently.

"You don't need an expensive smoker. I started off with a coal Weber which I bought off Gumtree and that's what got me hooked.

"There are still a lot of teams out there what use Webers."

To find out more about the upcoming Sunshine Coast BBQ Festival, log onto www.aussieworld.com.au/events/sunshine-coast-bbq-festival