Southern barbecue heaven
Want genuine Southern-style barbecue without deep-vein thrombosis or the hassle of American airports? Head to Wilson Barbecue, the food trailer run by husband and wife Casey and Blair Wilson, who serve low-and-slow barbecued meats next to Tuatara Brewery’s The Third Eye bar.
On Friday nights and Saturday and Sunday afternoons this hard-working couple dish up hunks of Wakanui brisket, racks of juicy ribs, and tender pulled pork.
The small but mighty menu does a culinary sweep of the South – borrowing barbecue traditions from Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, and Carolina, including spicy rubs, sauces, and 10-plus hours’ cooking at up to 130 degrees Celsius. ‘‘Each of those states often does only one type of meat but we’re able to cherry-pick the best,’’ says Blair.
Come for the meaty goodness but stay for the burgers – from a towering brisket cheeseburger to a vegan version featuring smoked tofu, pulled mushrooms and a dollop of vegan mayo. Playing a supporting role is the crunchy slaw, creamy potato salad, jalapeno poppers, and deep-fried mac-andcheese bites.
The couple fit their burgeoning business around fulltime jobs.
which is why Blair happily wakes at 4am each weekend to cook the brisket and ribs in the 1900kg Yoder Frontiersman barbecue they shipped from Kansas and installed in the garden of their Woodridge home.
‘‘Barbecue isn’t the kind of thing you can put on and then ignore,’’ says Casey.
‘‘The key is fire management, because a consistent temperature means sweeter meat. So it’s about feeding the fire with the right number of Manuka logs and spritzing the meat every 20 minutes or so with apple cider and apple juice to ensure it stays moist.’’
Weeknights are spent making the sauces, rubs and dressings. The only items sourced externally are the buns (from Aro Bake) and the meat, from Prime Star in Miramar.
‘‘It’s about getting extremely good ingredients and treating them with extreme care,’’ says Blair.
The couple’s love of good food morphed into a barbecue obsession when Blair worked at Mitre 10. ‘‘We ended up with five barbecues in our garden,’’ laughs Casey.
They researched different methods of cooking, rubs and sauces andafter a trip to the US they were ready to start their own business.
Initially they planned to open a stall at the Sunday Te Papa market but, wanting greater flexibility, eventually opted for a mobile food trailer. The long-term plan is to turn it into a fulltime enterprise.
‘‘We’ve always wanted our own food business and no one loves barbecue more than us, so we’re determined to make it happen,’’ says Blair.
Tip: If you’re barbecuing at home with wood or charcoal, focus on controlling the temperature, they say. ‘‘A consistent heat will always produce a better end product.’’ And use smoke sparingly to enhance the meat, not overpower it.
Daily bread
Wellingtonians rejoice, Auckland’s The Midnight Baker’s gluten-/dairy-free loaves are now available at Moore Wilson’s. Yeshe Dawa developed the bread after a health crisis and expanded the business into a cafe in Mt Eden.