BUYING SMART: BARBECUES
TURN UP the heat
“ I
s barbecue a religion or an addiction?” ponders chef Ben Farley, whose three-decade career was shaped in restaurants such as Marco Pierre White’ s Michelin-starred Mirabelle in London.“ I think, actually, it may be a bit of both.”
Ben is a devotee of all outdoor cooking and now passes on his wisdom as a director at BBQ School( bbqschool. com. au), which offers nationwide culinary classes. One of his passions is lowand-slow barbecuing, the rich variety of American cuisine that’ s surged in popularity in Australia over the past two decades. From Texan beef rubs to tangy Kansas City ribs, the magical alchemy of the USA’ s cherished Southern-style barbecue has taken the world by storm.
“ What gets you in is that such a weird, big, ugly-looking piece of meat like a brisket, for example, can end up tasting so unbelievable 12 or 14 hours later,” says Ben.“ Just the sheer amount of time you’ ve put into it means there’ s a lot of glory to be bathed in afterwards. That does become an addiction.”
KSU _ SHA / STOCK. ADOBE. COM
There’ s no better place to cook in the Australian summer than outside. Get a taste of the variety available when cooking with fire.
BY BEN SMITHURST
Fuel for thought
Low, slow, charcoal-powered cooking may be close to his heart, but Ben is no barbecue snob.
The grill guru is equally adept on a balcony gas barbecue as he is in the fire pit, and is enthusiastic for everything from portable units to large gas cookers with multiple surfaces.
Put simply, the main factor when choosing which barbecue to buy is weighing up what ' s important: the quick convenience of gas or the richer flavours of charcoal cooking. The classic charcoal may require more prep, but can offer home cooks a huge world of possibilities to explore. >
COSTCO CONNECTION NOV / DEC 2025 | 17