SLOW AND STEADY WINS

There’s no shortage of low ‘n’ slow barbecue on the Coast, but this hinterland favourite has added an Aussie twist that’s close to home

THE times they are a’changing, and nobody is feeling it more than those pubs, cafes and restaurants that have been around for seemingly forever.

Beloved Mudgeeraba institution Woodchoppers Inn isn’t immune – they’re shaking things up with a new menu.

“Woodchoppers Inn has been family owned since 1995 and trading as a bistro-pub style restaurant all this time,” owner Samantha Saill says.

“Back then it was just us and the Wallaby in Mudgeeraba.

“With times changing and competition increasing – my goodness you could try a new restaurant every week on the Coast now and never get through them all – we felt it was time for a change.”

The change comes in the shape of a new smoke and grill menu, embracing the popular Southern American cooking techniques, but with a distinctly Aussie twist.

“It was important to differentiate from the Texan/ American barbecue,” Samantha says. “Our old Queenslander building set at the foot of the Gold Coast hinterland screams classic Australian charm, so keeping to an Australian barbecue theme was important to us. Smoked snags, our homemade pulled pork “chiko roll” and rubs created with Aussie bush flavours such as lemon myrtle, mountain pepperberry and ground wattleseed all come back to that central theme – Australian barbecue.”

In line with owner Steve O’Brien and chef Matt Mee’s research and expertise, Woodchoppers Inn will also feature two top-of-the-line cookers – a cabinet smoker from Canadian company Bradley Smokers and a Yoder Offsett Pellet wood-fired barbecue.

“Steve and Matt have spent the past six months researching and trialling barbecue and smoking techniques with great success,” Samantha says.

“Low and slow 12-hour cooked lamb, melt-in-yourmouth beef brisket, pork ribs with our Aussie inspired homemade lemon myrtle barbecue sauce – they are just a few of the dishes that feature on our new menu.

“Our products are cooked anywhere from two to 18 hours and it’s the low nature of the heat and the slow, patient cooking that creates soft, succulent, moist meats, seafood and poultry.”