’A hobby turned monster’: Tradie barbecue takes out Blacktown’s best steak
The meatlovers of Blacktown have spoken and chosen their favourite place to grab a steak in town. Subscribe to find out who took out the top honour!
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When it comes to steak and all things beef, the meatlovers of Blacktown have spoken and chosen Black Bear BBQ as the best place to grab a steak.
In our tightly-contested poll, the Blacktown barbecue restaurant came out a winner, receiving 28 per cent of the vote.
Tying for second place were Kings Park Tavern and Hog’s Breath, Blacktown.
Black Bear opened its doors in Blacktown in late 2017 and has quickly earned a following for its steak, brisket, ribs and sides.
Starting out at food festivals across Sydney, Black Bear is now open in two locations — Blacktown and Moore Park — with a third store in Wetherill Park on the way.
Founder Haydn Graham, a carpenter by trade, said Black Bear started as an idea he had along with some other tradies after struggling to find a good feed on the road.
“We could never find a place that served the food we liked, so we identified that hole in the market and knew if we wanted to go out and do it, there was a market for it,” Mr Graham said.
With skills in low and slow barbecuing up his sleeve, Mr Graham initially planned to open Black Bear once a week as a hobby. Today, Black Bear has and a stream of loyal customers.
He said his food had widespread appeal, but was particularly common among factory workers, shift workers and tradespeople looking for a hearty meal on the go.
As for the secret behind their winning steak, Mr Graham said they were smoked and cooked off over ironbark, using Australian beef from the Riverina.
“Going from nothing to being the biggest barbecue place in Australia overnight is pretty amazing,” Mr Graham said.
“We haven’t been at it for too long and I’m very proud of the product and the people working for us.”
The Blacktown flagship store serves up hearty meals for breakfast and lunch six days a week.
They’re open for dinner every Friday night, with a smoking barbecue, live music and dessert trucks creating a lively atmosphere.
Besides earning a reputation for their mouth-watering steak, Black Bear is also known for its ‘Hungry Bear Box’ — a barbecue box with brisket, pork belly, jalapeño and cheese sausage served with slaw, kettle chips, housemade pickles and barbecue sauce.