Magicians of meat at festival

BRISBANE’S Shank Brothers Mike “Mikey” Hilburger, Ralph Barnett and Kris Sweres - are bringing their mad barbequing skills to the Heritage Bank Festival of Food and Wine this year as part of the iconic Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers.

Members of the competition barbecue team, which won Channel 7’s Aussie Barbecue Heroes in 2015, are experts on the American-style, low and slow cooking revolution that’s taking Australia by storm. These meat magicians turn the simplest cuts of meat into lipsmacking, finger-licking morsels that even the most ardent of vegetarians find difficult to resist!

Attendees at the Heritage Bank Festival of Food and Wine which runs from Friday, September 21 to Sunday, September 23, will have the opportunity to learn from the boys when they do daily “hot and fast” demonstrations cooking locally sourced beef, chicken and lamb on the barbecue stage.

Then back at their festival base, they’ll be providing samples of their low and slow cuts (the lads like to use cherry wood from Stanthorpe and banksia pods for distinctive aroma and flavour) as well as selling their legendary “picklehead pickles” and “blend smoked honey”.

Shank Brother Mikey Hilburger is pumped to be sharing his tips with festival goers and says that attendees will go home with some sweet cooking skills that will impress the fussiest of dinner guests.

“This is our third year at Heritage Bank Festival of Food and Wine and we keep getting bigger. Then again, who doesn’t love a good bit of barbecue!”