- Melbourne Showgrounds
- 17th and 18th March 2018
The battle of the tongs continued over the 17th and 18th of March 2018 at the Meatstock event in Melbourne. It was a music and meat festival fit for a king, well a king of the BBQ anyway. It is a weekend of the “B” word, barbequing, beards, barbers, butchers, bourbons and beer.
There is, of course, the barbers, butchers and barbeque wars in conjunction with demonstrations and workshops.
Cooking at Meatstock 2018
For those dedicated BBQ restaurant dining folks that attend, you will recognise names like:
- Rangers Texas BBQ
- Parrilla Argenchino BBQ
- Fancy Hanks
- Black Bear BBQ
- Burn City Smokers
- Big Smoke BBQ
- Limp Brisket
- Boomtown BBQ
- Black BBQ
Big names for the battle of the BBQ.
Meatstock 2018 Personalities
Some of the more notable people plying their wares at the festival are:
Mike Patrick
Mike has been in the cooking game for 20 years now. He has honed his skills at many a steak joint but now he likes to be known as a dedicated BBQ chef. So much so, his restaurant Fancy Hanks, at 1/79 Bourke Street Melbourne, prides itself in the art of the American slow cooked BBQ method. His free-range meat is sourced from our very own Gippsland region and is cooked in a purpose built 2-tonne smoker.
Big Moe Cason
Big Moe is a consummate die-hard BBQ tragic. Hailing from Iowa, he started mucking around with his grandmother Margaret Casons recipes and methods. What started out as a hobby has now earned him the title of Pitmaster. He has travelled all over the world with his passion and has competed in over 270 contests. He also started a company called Ponderosa barbeques and has been a contestant, judge and star on “Destination America’s Pitmaster’s and BBQ wars” and become a judge on the show SMOKED. He has had more awards than hot dinners. Come and meet the big man.
Hillybilly Wes
This man is not only Australian Pitmaster royalty but he backs up his passion with The Bovine and Swine BBQ Co in Sydney. If the commitment is anything to go by, check out the tattoos on his fingers.
Playing at Meatstock 2018?
If you’re wondering whether Meatstock is just one-bite meat-fest and you might need a little entertainment between courses, check out the line up from this year:
Henry Wagons
Voted by the Age as one of the most top 100 influential people in Melbourne, Henry and his band is the perfect complement to a BBQ festival. He hosts Australia’s biggest Americana/roots weekly music radio show called “Tower of Song”. Henry also went over to Nashville (a little-known place in the US of A) to record an album. So don’t be surprised when his enigmatic charm has him diving into an Elvis song to a Lee Hazelwood classic, all the way to Nick Cave’s eerie tones and back again to Roy Orbison. Henry and the Wagons will rock your socks off!
Tex Perkins
Need I elaborate? With a name like Tex Perkins, you sometimes wonder if you put him in the middle of Mississippi and gave him a southern drawl, we would struggle to call him our own. Of course, starring in the second national tour of “The Man in Black, the Johnny Cash Story”, it was an absolute coup to have him performing at the 2018 Meatstock Festival. You can bet he’ll be wearing his check shirt and banging out some good old country rock.
Davidson Brothers
These boys do bluegrass better than arguably anyone in Australia. They are true country boys from the town of Yinnar in Victoria. Their careers looked promising early on, from the time they both won National Bluegrass Championship Titles – as teenagers. They began recording and performing in 1998. Not only have they performed all over Australia, they answered the call to tour the world and have had much success overseas. Mostly self-taught, instruments they can lay claim to being able to pluck, play or strum are the guitars, banjo, dobro, fiddle, mandolin and of course vocals. One of the greatest sounds you can hear is listening to the Davidson Brothers in action.
Dusty Boots
The best way to describe our Dusty is a mix of coastal folk with a funky root kinda groove. The band love to get the crowd on their feet. With 20 charting hits, he plays many Australian and international Festivals.
And if all that hasn’t got you ready for next year’s event, then there are also the many accessories for sale. You’ll need to bring 2 cars to cart it all home in. Be sure to check out the Heat and Grill stall, with their showcasing many award-winning sauces that are easily available either online or instore after you buy at the Festival.
Can you smell it already?
