They say the first time you smoke, you're going to need to chuck it in the bin.
It's not the seasoning that's the issue. It's not even preparing the meat itself. According to Canberra chef, Michael Box, it's the fire that trips people up.
And he should know. As well as working in some of the city's top restaurants - including as the current group executive chef of Harvoc Group, the company behind the likes of Akiba, Wilma and Loquita - he's just launched Big Box Barbecue.
As well as hosting pop-ups at various breweries and a fortnightly slot at Old Bus Depot Markets, Big Box Barbecue also supplies catering options for those wanting Texas-style barbecue in Canberra. This includes a barbecue pack option launched in time for father's day, for those wishing to treat dad to some Texan barbecue come September 1, without having to do much more than order online.
"I was sitting there going 'What's Canberra missing? And how can I try and fill the gap?'," Box said.
"It's always good to fill a gap rather than create a new gap because it's filling in what everyone else is doing. Canberra only had one or two barbecue pop-ups and there are some places in Queanbeyan that do a few things.
"But nothing where a chef joins a hobby. It's generally a hobbyist joining a movement. So if you were to put the two together that's how we got Big Box, at the end of the day."
When it comes to the offerings, Big Box Barbecue has everything you would want from a classic Texan barbecue. Pulled pork, smoked brisket, chicken wings, and sausages - specifically some beef jalapeno cheddar sausages - are all on the menu, with local produce used as much as possible.
Except for one element. The potato buns have been imported from Texas to give the authentic American barbecue experience.
And then there is the time that goes into it. For a barbecue dinner to be ready for 5pm on a Sunday, for example, the prep work begins at 5am on Saturday.
"That's to get it really good," Box said.
"You can do it and rush it. But time is your friend and you have to be patient."
The meat is cooked for about 16 hours, and unlike at-home pellet grills, it's not a set-and-forget. Someone needs to be there tending to it continuously.
Then, there are things such as rest time and keeping the grill at a temperature so that the meat is still warm when it comes time to dish it up.
"Anyone can go buy a Traeger pellet grill for like $1300. They can slug a brisket inside it, fill it full of pellets, put a timer on and walk away. The next morning it's done, but it's not the same," Box said.
"When you do offset smoking, it's very different because you're cooking with heat, smoke, there's a cycle, the weather, humidity - how are you managing all of these things?
"And so what I wanted to do is be able to just basically give people what they didn't know they wanted."
The next Big Box Barbecue pop-up is at the Old Bus Depot Markets on Sunday. For more information go to bigboxbarbeque.com.au.
