After three successful years in Melbourne, The Yak Ales Barbecue Festival is coming to Perth for the first time in April.
Held over two mouth-watering barbecue filled days, Yak Ales Barbecue Festival includes delicious cook ups from local and international pitmasters, barbecue cooking and butchery demos, a barbecue cook-off sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) – the world’s largest organisation of barbecue enthusiasts, bands and more.
Memphis Barbecue Co. and Sugarfire Smoke House, two of America’s favourite barbecue restaurants, join the Yak Ales Perth Barbecue Festival line-up among some of Perth’s best local barbecue joints. Both restaurants are regulars on the American festival circuit including the annual Big Apple Block Party, and Q in the Lou festivals.
Memphis Barbecue Co. will be serving their world-championship whole hog and pork ribs under the masterful direction of three-time world champion John David Wheeler, and Sugarfire Smoke House will be serving their award-winning southern barbecue, led by chef and owner Mike Johnson of St Louis Missouri. 
Other local favourites include the award-winning Gryphon Smoke House, Perth powerhouse Smokies Southern BBQ, Crown Perth’s The Merrywell, Argentinian masters El Asador and Southside Smokers.
Competitive barbecue teams from around Australia, including Eureka Smoke, winners of the 2017 Yak Ales Melbourne Barbecue Festival, will also assemble and set up for an American-style cook-off where they’ll battle it out in Western Australia’s first barbecue contest sanctioned by the KCBS, and the furthest away from barbecue mecca, Kansas City.
The Grand Champion of the Yak Ales Perth Barbecue Festival Cook-Off will be invited to represent Australia at internationally renowned contests in the United States such as the American Royal World Series Barbecue Invitational, and go into the draw for the prestigious KCBS-run Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.
The competition will see competitive barbecue teams cook chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and beef brisket in the American low and slow style, judged to strict KCBS guidelines that include taste, tenderness and appearance.
Those up for the challenge can register to compete in the inaugural 2017 Yak Ales Perth Barbecue Festival at www.bbqfest.com.au
Yak Ales Barbecue Festival Highlights
Dinner: a barbecue feast at The Merrywell smoked up by Mike Johnson from Sugarfire Smoke House on Thursday 6 April 2017;
Masterclass: a four-hour Pitmasters Barbecue Class at The Merrywell on Friday 7 April 2017 by multi-award winning pitmaster and master barbecue teacher, Jim Johnson, offering insights learned through his 28-year career.
Judging Class: a KCBS certified barbecue-judging class at The Merrywell on Friday 7 April 2017, where students will be taught what to look for in award-winning competition-style barbecue, with the chance to judge the main event on Sunday 9 April 2017.
Festival: an outdoor festival at Burswood Parklands Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 April 2017 featuring live entertainment and DJs, food stalls and barbecue cooking demos from some of Perth’s and America’s finest barbecue pitmasters, barbecue cooking demonstrations by local and international barbecue experts, equipment and product exhibitors showcasing the latest local and international products on the market.
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