Q&A With Instagram Chef @thesmokingjoint
For my next Q&A session, I have the honour and pleasure, of chatting with Grant Neil, who runs one of my favourite Australian BBQ Instagram accounts, @thesmokingjoint Australian BBQ Competition Team who is full of delicious, mouth watering BBQ of Ribs, Brisket, Chicken, Sausage, Octopus, and I can go o and on and on... Everything always looking spot on, with a Royal Smoke Ring, and a Nasty (in a good way) Bark. Thank you Grant for giving me this opportunity to know you better. You answers were very entertaining to read. Looking forward to seeing you and your mates grab some more of those BBQ trophies soon.
The team:
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Q. You are an amazing cook, and have an awesome Instagram profile. Can you please tell us a little bit of where you are coming from, and how you obtained your cooking passion and inspiration?
A. The Smoking Joint – Australian barbecue lads. TSJ is a competitive barbecue team. We’re from the south, specifically South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. We are a collective, made up of the team members and “rockstars” that have helped make the team. Rockstars are people that we invite, typically with very limited competition experience (Like Mitch from BadAss BBQJ) and can learn the scene while helping continue to make the whole process exciting and still fun. Barbecue competition are serious business.
Damo (Wolf Creek), Liam (Turtle), Jimi, and me (Hollywood – no I didn’t pick that name) are squad proper. Liams the one girls put up on their wall at night, a Smash Hits centrefold. Damo is the thinking women’s bit of crumpet. Whereas Jim is more your “oh my this rolling stones tour has really gone off the rails (pun intended) I can’t believe he partied so hard Keith Richards didn’t make it out…”, and Im just a shy quietly spoken saintly type that can’t compete on Sundays coz I’m at church with Nansie.
My passion for barbecue is a social one, a shared experience that lets me catch up with mates and fam and drink beer, and then watch them eat food. I get the greatest satisfaction from the ooohs and the aaahs than I do from eating it myself. Truth be told Wolf Creek and I don’t really like eating much barbecue on its own and Liam cooks it almost full time so he’s much happier at the local vegan Indian restaurant in Werribee Victoria. Jimi’s from Tasmania so they see barbecue less as fun and more a desire to one day have electricity that works all the time and the only gas they get is Pops after a dodgy chiko roll…
Q. Tell us a bit of your Hardware: Grills, Thermometers, Smokers, Knives, Special gear…
A. TSJ has evolved (maybe changed is a more appropriate word) from originally using Ugly Drums and the ever faithful weber smokey mountain. Dabbled like teenagers do with some bad things like reverse flow smokers and pellets (just kidding but not really) and settled on the king of smokers – the Yoder! Current weapons in the team include a custom Yoder Double Door Frontiersman on a dual axle plumbed trailer – at nearly two tonnes its dwarfed by Liams latest pit the Rustic Soul behemoth and wake board stereo equipped led flashing hot water giving panty loosening in-built warmer having fit two people in firebox standard flow trailer pit.
@paulthebbqguy makes sure we get all the victorinix knives we need and the monster cimeter is the brisket rib slicing tool of choice.
What wins us the competition is our meat –Ellis Butchers Mclaren Vale, South Australia @ianshawbutcher76. We get produce that most punters dream about. The sickest salt bush lamb and proteins across the board that make the difference.
Q. What is your favorite meat to cook, and why?
A. Octopus -no seriously octopus. Stop laughing. Smoke octopus at the same temps you do pork but take it to 160F. you wont be disappointed. Marinate it in lime, redwinevinegar and olive oil and some seasoning.
Q.What is your favorite way to cook, and why?
A. It needs a Fire, some @clean_heatcharcoal and @sabbqwoods in an offset. Although I discovered the asado and I’m pretty keen on that for parties
Q. Can you share your favorite dry-rub/marinade/sauce recipe?
A. Ours! The Smoking Joint dry rubs for Pork (and fish apparently), Beef, and chicken are #BoltAction #GunPowder & #Slingshot respectively… man they all sound dangerous.
Buy them here, proceeds go to a needy bbq team.
Best sauce is anything out of Jimis kitchen. Anything @spice_maiden makes and @chrismarksbbq Three Pigs and you can’t go wrong!
Q. Can you share your #1 all-time favorite meat dish and recipe?
A. Stole it from @gobluebbq – pulled chuck and peppers. Peppers (all the colours) sliced, garlic, onion, fresh sliced jalapenos, stout, smoked chuck and about 6 hours. Smoke the chuck for a few hours stick it in the veges, cover in foil, cook till pulls. Thank us later.
Q. What non-obvious cooking tip can you share?
A. Your mum is always right, oh non obvious, never ever go by temp! always go by feel. One nifty tip for brisket doneness I got was to stick a for into meat and turn it. If it moves and creates a small gap in the meat she’s done. Always boat Beef cheeks. Never boat beef ribs. Don’t eat beef in India. Don’t eat Emu if another emu is watching. Never trust an aussie, especially about Emus…
Q. Life Goals - What do you wish you could cook in the future? A whole cow? Crossed Lamb? Giant Paella…
A. Ha whats a crossed lamb, one that has a vendetta!?! I wanna get better at the sides and vege game. Im a meat fan but love sides. Im pretty excited to do more seafood, crabs lobsters prawns and oysters for example.
Q. What will you never ever cook or eat and why?
A. Imma never cook my friends! Friends don’t cook friends.
Q. If you could take to an island with you a commercial sauce/dry-rub/marinade, which one will it be?
A. Anything the @spice_maiden makes! And I’d sneak some Three Pigs @chrismarksbbq in there. Id also find something that went well with seagulls coz new diet and all that.
Q. Must Have, can’t live without Grilling Accessory? Digital or non-Digital, other than thermometer.
A. Wolf Creek! And Beers. I’m also loving the new @fireslap_bbq_accessories gloves if you handle fire 🤚
Q. Name 5 awesome inspiring cooks we must follow on Instagram and feel free to elaborate
A. @thebbqninja The Ninja Craig Verhage because rad, @kevin_kolman Kevin Kolman the weber grillmasters-grillmaster, @17thstreetbbq the ever beautiful Amy Mills (and her dad of course Mike, he’s not beautiful I mean sure ruggedly handsome but whatever...), @barbecuemafia Barbecue Mafia coz so hot right now, Da grill sisters – @healthycook4champions and @come.grill.with.me Irene and Desi they are more crazy addicted to cooking than us! @littlebigmanbbq and @northsidersbbq both sneak in because family 🤜🤛 #TSJ4lyf