What Are The Popular Grilled Foods In Melbourne?

Melbourne has a lot to offer when it comes to BBQ. As the saying goes, "less is more" sometimes. The relative ease of making excellent barbeque may be the best example of this worn-out cliche. All it takes to elevate a regular piece of meat to the level of gourmet is some fire, smoke, wood, and time.

Melbourne's top American smokehouses use southern American smoking methods to give their food its signature smoky flavour. The American barbeque restaurants in Melbourne cover the full spectrum, from the Carolinas' hickory and spice to the peculiar sauces of Kansas City and the melt-in-your-mouth smoothness of Texas barbeque, there's something for everyone.

For the record (and the eagle-eyed among you), we'll be using the English spelling of BBQ to show respect for our northern hemisphere relatives. Saddle up, amigo, because we rounded together 13 of Melbourne's finest spots for authentic American barbeque. Have a nice meal.

Top Grilled Foods In Melbourne

There is no such thing as "American" BBQ; rather, there is Texan barbeque, Alabaman barbeque, Virginia barbeque, and so on. The cuisine and customs of each state are unique. And even within a single state, there may be a number of distinct regional varieties.

It's not easy to tell from Melbourne, where barbeque (or "barbeque" if you're being proper) is frequently a fusion of many cooking techniques and styles. Doesn't even matter. An effective smoker and moderate cooking temperatures are essential for tender, flavorful meat.

On both fronts, we're making good progress.

Meat cooked in this manner can only be described as seared, succulent, and intensely flavorful. Don't forget the mac and cheese, potato salad, or slaw on the side, and your favourite hot sauce.

Bluebonnet Barbecue

BlueBonnet Early in his career, Barbeque Terlikar got his start at New York's Michelin-starred PUBLIC restaurant, where he learned the excellent art of grilling. Nonetheless, he underwent a complete culinary paradigm shift after an accidental meeting with Hill Country style BBQ in Brooklyn inspired a 12-week trip around Texas.

Working under the tutelage of pitmaster legends like Tom Micklethwaite and Evan LeRoy in Texas, he put in countless 18-hour days to perfect his brisket.

After travelling around Texas in search of the best barbeque, Bluebonnet Barbecue's executive chef and owner Chris Terlikar came to the conclusion that some things are better experienced outside of Texas. For a taste of classic southern smokehouse fare, Melburnians now come to this Brunswick East restaurant, where they may relax in a dining room with a vaulted ceiling and weathered brick walls or socialise at a bar made from repurposed railway sleepers.

The kitchen's 500-gallon, 280-kilogram wood-fired rotisserie smoker cranks out bourbon-glazed pork ribs, black Angus beef, and sausage made daily in-house, among many other delicacies.

Digging For Fire BBQ Kitchen

To Find a Spark Cooking Area for Barbecues Founded by Dave Walsh, a chef from Yarra Valley, to honour his passion for cooking. Dave has worked in kitchens around the world, and his specialities are contemporary street food and locally and sustainably produced ingredients. Inspired by the beaches of Sri Lanka, the architecture of Italy, and the culture of rural Pakistan, he has explored the globe.

Fancy Hank's

The evolution of Fancy Hank's was a lengthy process. Back in 2012, all that existed at Carlton's Princes Park for this event was a grill and some picnic tables. Then, in late 2016, it relocated from a temporary location in the Mercat Cross Hotel to its current, more permanent home in this stunning Art Deco structure.

Leather banquettes, minimalist Shaker-style furnishings, and a marble splash can be seen on the first floor. Upstairs, you may enjoy the sun while sipping one of the bar's quirky cocktails or one of 18 beers on tap at Good Heavens, a rooftop bar.

At the table's centre. After being cooked for 16 hours, its belly is removed and used to make brisket, beef ribs, sausages, chicken, and pork.

The menu also includes smoked meats, boudin sausage, baloney sandwiches with banana ketchup, and maple-glazed belly ham with red-eye mayo. There is a daily pie and a smoked sweet potato casserole with homemade marshmallows for dessert.

Meat is still ordered by the pound, and the ambience is as lively and enjoyable as it was at the original pop-up. In spite of this, Quealy Winemakers from Mornington have collaborated with the restaurant to produce two wines on tap, and there are thirty wines available for purchase at the tables. Moreover, the bar serves 12 different beers on tap and has an extensive cocktail menu.

Dexter

Any smokehouse that advertises meals like short ribs with salted caramel and hot meat doughnuts and calls itself a "meat project" has your undivided attention. In addition to being ranked as one of the top three burger joints in Melbourne, has named Dexter as one of the city's greatest inexpensive eats and one of the most exciting and best venues in the country.

B’Churrasco Brazilian BBQ Restaurant

The Brazilian barbeque experts at B'Churrasco have brought their skills to Melbourne. Freshly grilled skewers the length of a sword is carved right onto your dish, bringing you all the thrill and theatre of food cooked over an open fire. Simply take a seat, unwind, and let our staff take care of your every need; no menus are necessary.

Fancy Hank's

You should plan your meals at least 22 hours in advance. As does Fancy Hank's. This BBQ business in Victoria, Australia, uses a two-ton, custom-built smoker to slow cook a variety of free-range vegetables from Victoria for at least a week.

The restaurant is airy, the conversation is stimulating, and the bar serves regional libations. The best American smokehouse Melbourne has to offer, what more could you ask for?

San Antone

To get their feet wet, many Australian barbeque cooks travel to the United States to study under master pitmasters there. Bludso's BBQ, owned by Kevin Bludso, is considered by many to be the best barbeque restaurant in the United States.

The real difference now is that the maestri himself has relocated to Melbourne from the United Kingdom. Bludso's barbeque is famed throughout Australia, and you can sample some of it at San Antone, located within the Crown.

Meatmaiden

The Meatmaiden is a fantastic venue. The moody neon signs and ominous maiden's visage at the door foreshadows a sinister establishment. This place is a meat dungeon, no doubt about it.

The entrance is decorated with O'Connor steaks dry-aging in the air, a massive set of butcher's scales serves as a focal point, and framed images of a dark maiden using various cleaving implements set the mood for a meal of some of Australia's finest meat.

There is smoked yoghurt for the kingfish, charred corn mash, and a 20-hour smoked Rangers Valley 5-plus score brisket, just to name a few examples of the many ways smoke is used into the dishes offered. Tom Johnson, the head chef, takes great delight in the ingredients he uses, and it shows in the richness of the flavours and the precision of the preparation.

Meat lovers really must order the dry-aged O'Connor pasture-fed sirloin and the huge bone-in Rangers Valley tomahawk ribeye.

The service strikes a wonderful balance between casual and elegant. The bar is a great place to hang out before or after supper. A smoked Old Fashioned or a caffeinated Manhattan, for example, are delicious variations on traditional cocktails. There are some of Australia's finest breweries featured on the beer list.

Smoke is more than a means to an end when it comes to creating world-class barbeque; it's an essential component. That's why the Blue Mountains of New South Wales are where the folks at Meatmaiden go to get their Ironbark wood chips.

Steaks made from Wagyu cattle raised on the coast of Tasmania are dry-aged in a handcrafted cabinet for up to 40 days to ensure that when you bite down on a T-Bone, it is the tastiest darn cut of meat you have ever eaten. These guys aren't great fans of taking easy ways out. But, boy, does it show.

The Gem Bar And Dining

If you're in the mood for towering beer cans, altars to the King, and something so delicate you can rip it apart with your fingertips, head on over to The Gem in Collingwood. Since opening in 2006, they have become the go-to spot in Melbourne for authentic American barbeque.

Gather the gang, reserve a table in the dining room, and let the Pitmaster put together a platter of Melbourne's finest barbeque in the Texas manner.

Up In Smoke

The Cheech and Chong reference could be lost on someone who did not come of age in the 1970s or 1980s. The co-owner of the Up in Smoke bar in Footscray, Shayne McCallum, is a big fan of the duo and their debut film, Up in Smoke.

The name is perfect for a barbeque business whose main attraction is a $20,000 smoker. The brisket, pork shoulder, ribs, and sausages are smoked and cooked low and slow overnight in the massive red double-barreled beast, also known as a Yoder Frontiersman.

The menu is not particularly traditional, leaning more towards an "American-ish" style. On the menu are retro potato skins, prepared in the style of the '50s and '60s by deep-frying the skins and filling them with mashed potatoes, jalapenos, sour cream, cheese, and chives. And plum sauce-drenched mozzarella sticks stuffed with smoked mozzarella made in-house.

The dining and bar areas of Up in Smoke are macho and modern, with concrete tabletops, black leather chairs, and charcoal-black brick walls. Out front, in the beer garden, patrons can sample any number of the many different kinds of craft beer on offer as they wait for their meals. A good wine list complements a wide array of brown liquors and bourbons.

Bluestone American BBQ

Pitmaster is the friendly host at Bluestone American BBQ. The company's one-ton wrought-iron reverse-flow smoker, which begins its silent everyday rumbling at 6:30 a.m., deserves some of the credit as well (and all night on weekends). If you enter Bluestone, the first thing you'll see is this structure, which is hidden behind waist-high partition gates and has stacks of red gum and applewood to one side.

At Bluestone, they smoke their meat at a steady 225 degrees for a long, slow roast. Smoking time for Black Angus brisket in the Texas manner takes around 14 hours. It's soft and has a pleasant amount of fat. In addition, when meat is cooked Texas-style, it is seasoned with merely salt and pepper and then left uncovered to form a thick and chewy crust.

Smoked for about 10 hours and served with a tangy handmade chimichurri, this 400-gram serving of yearling beef short rib takes its inspiration from the cuisine of Uruguay. 

You can also choose from one of three set menus called Pitmaster's Picks. These menus feature meats including applewood-smoked chicken chops, pork in the Cuban manner, and sticky beef back ribs.

The 60-seat venue's decor, which included enormous sheets of corrugated iron and brilliant, effervescent party lights stretched across the roof, was created exclusively from recycled materials from the Campbellfield Recycle Centre.

Burn City Test Kitchen

Burn City Test Kitchen's smoked meats are influenced by barbeque joints all around the southern United States. Texas, however, stands out as the single most influential state on the menu and cooking methods at this Melbourne eatery.

If you're craving a taste of home while travelling abroad, go no farther than the brisket burger, which crams 14-hour smoked beef brisket and a soft milk bread together.

Every time you eat barbecue from Burn City, whether it's at a wedding, a corporate event, or the restaurant in South Kingsville, you'll know you got the real deal.

Third Wave Café

Go to Third Wave Café if you like grilled meats for breakfast. The Green Eggs, a speciality of the house created with scrambled eggs and slow-roasted lamb shoulder, are a dish not to be missed.

They're open whenever you are, but dinner is when you should go if you want real American barbeque. They have two different kinds of BBQ sauce to go with their pork ribs, and they're rumoured to be the best in town.

Bar Texaco

It's 1960, and the stereo is playing Apache, the twangy hit by The Shadows. The walls are decorated with a ram's skull and photographs of old motorcycles, sombrero-wearing horsemen, dusty frontier towns, lonely motels, and clumps of cacti.

One can confidently begin to feel the Tex-Mex vibes at Bar Texaco. A chef created the bar and did most of the interior design. However, being a bar, it naturally serves a variety of light and refreshing draught beers and tinnies, as well as a respectable collection of wines that lean towards the natural side.

The menu has traditional bar fare including Texas-style brisket with a salt and pepper crust, hog belly that really is soft and melty instead of brittle and crunchy, smoked half chicken, jalapeo Kransky, and usual sides like coleslaw and mac & cheese.

Four tacos on homemade corn tortillas showcase the Mexican flavours:

• Carne asada (beef)
• Pastor Al (pork and pineapple)
• Chipotle mayo with sweet potato and Baja fish

Burgers and vegetable-heavy sides are also on the menu. However, with the exception of the hamburger buns and the macaroni and cheese, the whole menu is gluten-free.

There are deep booths and wide tables inside, as well as a patio in the rear where you can enjoy your meal next to Betty, the restaurant's imported Lang 84-inch Deluxe smoker from Georgia.

Meatworks Co.

Meatworks Co. supplies everything you need to satisfy your meat cravings. Pulled pork, Beef brisket, and some of the best ribs in town are all available here.

This converted mechanic's shop exudes a cheery steampunk/canteen vibe, and the air is heavy with the aroma of slowly smoked meat and the myriad glazes and spices with which it is covered.

Betsy is the ultimate decision-maker at Meatworks Co., so keep that in mind. The meat you just ate was smoked in Betsy, a 450-pound, jet-black, hand-built beast of a smoker. Be sure to tell her how much you value her assistance before you depart.

Burn City Test Kitchen

In 2007, the proprietors began their professional partnership as sommeliers at The Argo in South Yarra, and afterwards at Il Bacaro. They made a U-turn in 2014, trading in their wine rack for a smoker and some smoked meats.

Before taking their food on the road, they did some taste testing in their South Kingsville kitchen. The building was renovated in 2017 into the intimate 25-seat eatery you see today.

Their "Melbourne-style" barbeque is influenced by barbecuing styles from across the United States, but the state of Texas is particularly prominent, as this is where the emphasis is placed on little spice to highlight the meat. Moreover, Pepperberries and other local ingredients are occasionally added to create a distinctive flavour.

Whole smoked chickens, brisket burgers, and beef short ribs are among the most popular items on the menu. To satisfy his inner winemaker, Simonides now makes all of his sauces, pickles, and even kimchi from scratch.

The wine list is an obvious product of Simonides and Guthrie's sommelier training and experience. In a fair split between reds and whites, the focus is on easily obtainable and regional drops with milder flavours to complement the smoky barbecued meats.

Bad Shepherd Brewing Co.

Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. may be one of the most well-known craft beer producers in Melbourne, but you'd be wrong to assume that they only make beer. That was the last trick in the bag.

The barbeque at their main brewery in Cheltenham is made with the same meticulous attention to detail as their internationally acclaimed beer. If we are brought to a table with a mountain of barbeque and a pitcher of cold IPA, count me as tempted.

Wolf of the Willows is another husband-and-wife brewing partnership that shares the brewery's premises with us. To showcase everything great about small, local brewers, the taps feature beer from both breweries with regularly rotating beers from their colleagues in the sector.

Despite the wide variety of beers on tap, the Hazelnut Brown Ale from Bad Shepherd has proven to be a popular choice among bar patrons. There's no mistaking the reason after just one sip of this hazelnut and vanilla-infused beer. Tasting paddles are also offered for those who simply cannot make a choice.

BBQ in the American manner, and there's plenty of it. If you're not interested in the slow-cooked ribs or brisket, perhaps the sweet potato mash with maple syrup, bourbon, and pecan crisp will do the trick.

Le Bon Ton

Although the entire Southern United States serves as inspiration for Le Bon Ton's cuisine, the Cajun and Creole flavours and the Louisiana Gulf Coast distinctively define their BBQ.

Twelve hours of low and slow smoking are given to their meats, and a variety of rare absinthes are available at the vast bar. In case you can't make up your mind between the many BBQ options on the vast a-la-carte menu, we recommend ordering the Southern Pride sharing platter. Last but not least, the American barbeque at Le Bon Ton is among the best in Melbourne.

Conclusion

The greatest Melbourne American smokehouses use southern American smoking methods to give their food a smoky taste. Terlikar started his career grilling at a Michelin-starred restaurant in New York. A serendipitous encounter with Hill Country BBQ in Brooklyn led to a 12-week Texas adventure that changed his food philosophy. The menu now includes Black Angus beef, daily sausage, and bourbon-glazed pork ribs. Good Heavens serves 18 beers from a railway tie bar.

Magazine named Dexter, a top-budget restaurant in the city. The restaurant's two-ton custom smoker slow-cooks free-range vegetables. Bludso's BBQ is considered America's best. Collingwood's Gem serves authentic American barbeque. Potato skins and '70s jalapenos are "American fish" dishes here.

Up in Smoke's hero is a $20,000 smoking apparatus. Bluestone American BBQ starts their one-ton wrought-iron reverse-flow smoker at 6:30 a.m. Texas-style smoked black Angus brisket takes 14 hours. The Campbellfield Recycle Centre furnished and decorated the 60-seat venue. Meatworks Co. has all your meat needs.

Their two BBQ sauces and pork ribs are the best in town. Except for hamburger buns and mac & cheese, the menu is gluten-free. Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. is one of Melbourne's most prominent craft beer brands. They make their barbeque at their main restaurant in Cheltenham to the same high standards as their world-famous beer. They use mild flavours to highlight the meat in their American BBQ.

The broad a la carte menu includes BBQ and absinthe. A taster paddle lets you sample several beers if you can't decide.

Content Summary

• Melbourne has a lot to offer when it comes to BBQ.
• Melbourne's top American smokehouses use southern American smoking methods to give their food its signature smoky flavour.
• The American barbeque restaurants in Melbourne cover the full spectrum; from the Carolinas' hickory and spice to the peculiar sauces of Kansas City and the melt-in-your-mouth smoothness of Texas barbeque, there's something for everyone.
• Saddle up, amigo, because we rounded together 13 of Melbourne's finest spots for authentic American barbeque.
• It's not easy to tell from Melbourne, where barbeque (or "barbeque" if you're being proper) is frequently a fusion of many cooking techniques and styles.
• The kitchen's 500-gallon, 280-kilogram wood-fired rotisserie smoker cranks out bourbon-glazed pork ribs, black Angus beef, and sausage made daily in-house, among many other delicacies.
• The evolution of Fancy Hank's was a lengthy process.
• Then, in late 2016, it relocated from a temporary location in the Mercat Cross Hotel to its current, more permanent home in this stunning Art Deco structure.
• Despite this, Quealy Winemakers from Mornington have collaborated with the restaurant to produce two wines on tap, and there are thirty wines available for purchase at the tables.
• In addition to being ranked as one of the top three burger joints in Melbourne, it has named Dexter as one of the city's greatest inexpensive eats and one of the most exciting and best venues in the country.
• The Brazilian barbeque experts at B'Churrasco have brought their skills to Melbourne.
• Bludso's BBQ, owned by Kevin Bludso, is considered by many to be the best barbeque restaurant in the United States.
• There are some of Australia's finest breweries featured on the beer list.
• That's why the Blue Mountains of New South Wales are where the folks at Meatmaiden go to get their Ironbark wood chips.
• If you're in the mood for towering beer cans, altars to the King, and something so delicate you can rip it apart with your fingertips, head on to The Gem in Collingwood.
• Since opening in 2006, they have become the go-to spot in Melbourne for authentic American barbeque.
• The co-owner of the Up in Smoke bar in Footscray, Shayne McCallum, is a big fan of the duo and their debut film, Up in Smoke.
• Smoking time for Black Angus brisket in the Texas manner takes around 14 hours.
• These menus feature meats, including applewood-smoked chicken chops, pork in the Cuban manner, and sticky beef back ribs.
• Barbeque joints around the southern United States influence Burn City Test Kitchen's smoked meats.
• Texas, however, stands out as the single most influential state on the menu and cooking methods at this Melbourne eatery.
• Every time you eat barbecue from Burn City, whether at a wedding, a corporate event, or the restaurant in South Kingsville, you'll know you got the real deal.
• One can confidently begin to feel the Tex-Mex vibes at Bar Texaco.
• However, except for the hamburger buns and the macaroni and cheese, the whole menu is gluten-free.
• Meatworks Co. supplies everything you need to satisfy your meat cravings.
• Pulled pork, Beef brisket, and some of the best ribs in town are all available here.
• This converted mechanic's shop exudes a cheery steampunk/canteen vibe, and the air is heavy with the aroma of slowly smoked meat and the various glazes and spices it is covered.
• Their "Melbourne-style" barbeque is influenced by barbecuing styles across the United States. Still, the state of Texas is particularly prominent, as this is where the emphasis is placed on little spice to highlight the meat.
• Whole smoked chickens, brisket burgers, and beef short ribs are among the most popular items on the menu.
• Simonides makes all his sauces, pickles, and even kimchi from scratch to satisfy his inner winemaker.
• The wine list is an obvious product of Simonides and Guthrie's sommelier training and experience.
• Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. may be one of Melbourne's most well-known craft beer producers, but you'd be wrong to assume that they only make beer.
• The barbeque at their main brewery in Cheltenham is made with the same meticulous attention to detail as their internationally acclaimed beer.
• Wolf of the Willows is another husband-and-wife brewing partnership that shares the brewery's premises with us.
• BBQ in the American manner, and there's plenty of it.
• Although the entire Southern United States inspires Le Bon Ton's cuisine, the Cajun and Creole flavours and the Louisiana Gulf Coast distinctively define their BBQ.