Bluebonnet Barbecue has a new home and it’s smokin’ hot

A US-style BBQ joint has reopened in a new home and this addition to the north is guaranteed to give you the meat sweats you’re looking for. But you better book for dinner, as fans are coming from far and wide.

Dan Stock

@dantonstock

2 min read

November 30, 2018 - 3:00PM

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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Unfortunately for barbecue pitmaster Chris Terlikar, that proved painfully true in 2015 when the Collingwood home of his Bluebonnet Barbecue burnt down after the smoker caught fire.

A residency at Carlton’s John Curtin followed, then the North Fitzroy Star hotel was home before it made way for townhouses.

But now Terlikar, his 500-gallon smoker and original team, including bar manager Nate White and chef Eric Baird, have finally found a permanent Bluebonnet base.

EATING YOU WAY THROUGH THE USA IN VICTORIA

A huge space up the East Brunswick end of Lygon St has been transformed into a bustling barbecue beer barn, with lofty ceilings and exposed brick walls and a number of separate areas, including a pool room that overlooks the kitchen from which a tight menu of meats and five-a-day sides are served.

Selection of barbecued meats at Bluebonnet Barebecue. Picture: Kate Shanasy/Bluebonnet

FOOD

One of the earlier proponents of low-and-slow US-style barbecue here, Terlikar trained with Texan heavyweights before lighting the oak and ironbark here. That experience shows, for the brisket is the bomb.

Powerfully smoky, yet elegantly refined, the ribbons of fat marbled through the Black Angus melt away, leaving a subtle but lingering calling card ($13 for 100g).

A juicy twirl of pulled pork is equally more-ish, a salty/sweet treat of meat ($12 for 100g), but today’s housemade sausage is the real eye opener. Dense with beef and a hit of jalapeño heat tempered by sharp cheddar, I’d happily return for another ($11 for 100g).

“You know, we can also serve this deep fried, if you’re game,” our waiter told us conspiratorially of the oak-smoked chicken, and, of course, we were. The smoky chook pieces — your choice of white or dark meat — come in a pickle-brine batter fried until a deep, dark hickory.

The crack of the coating giving way to terrifically tender meat with a wispy smokiness, the one-two combo is a knockout worth requesting ($14).

You’ll need something to balance all that protein, perhaps crunchy quarters of gem lettuce doused in anchovy-spiked aioli and hidden under a blizzard of parmesan ($13), or roasted broccolini served on a cloud of whipped goat’s fetta with smoked almonds ($13).

No, there’s nothing shy about this food, so best to just go all in.

AMERICAN CULTURE IN OZ

Succulent meats at Bluebonnet Barbecue. Picture: Kate Shanasy/Bluebonnet

DRINK

A half dozen taps pour local brews and include $10 Furphy pints, while a tight, mainly Oz wine list sits at the $10 glass, $50 bottle mark. You’ll find boilermakers (beer with a whisky chaser) and picklebacks (a shot of whisky with a shot of pickle juice) and a whisk(e)y list six-dozen deep.

SERVICE

Handsomely aproned staff across the brief keep the food coming and the hordes fed. You can book — which you’ll need to for dinner, as Bluebonnet’s barbecue has fans far and wide.

X FACTOR

There’s country on the stereo and a queue out the door. It’s US barbecue perfectly at home here.

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

Excellent. For meat sweats and a couple of sides you’re looking at around $35 a head.

VERDICT

A smokin’ hot addition to the north. Meat your new favourite barbecue joint.

dan.stock@news.com.au