There's a Huge, Kansas-Approved Barbecue Festival Coming to Sydney and Melbourne

Barbecuing in Australia no longer dabbles in the carefree realms of cheap snags and piddly steaks. It's 2015 and American-style barbecue reigns in this tender, tender age of pulled pork, slow-cooked brisket and ribs, ribs, ribs. Barbecuing is now serious business, so serious that entire dedicated festivals are popping up, like the wonderfully-named Meatstock. But there is one that comes approved from the folks of Kansas, given the tick of approval by the beating heart of American barbecue itself: The Yaks is coming.

Following the success of The Yaks Melbourne Barbecue Festival at the Queen Victoria Market last year, the crew are bringing the festival back for another round — and this time they're doing a Sydney instalment. The Yaks Barbecue Festival will descend upon The Domain in Sydney on January 30 and Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse on February 6.

Barbecue lovers will find themselves panicked for choice at this juicy festival, with food stalls from some of Australia’s finest pitmasters, barbecue cooking demonstrations by local and international barbecue experts, equipment exhibitors, live entertainment and DJs. Plus, venues around Sydney and Melbourne will host barbecue dinners and classes.

But while you're ploughing into a pork rib, there's serious competition afoot. Competitive barbecuing isn't for rookies, this is serious shit. Watch amateur barbecue teams from around Australia battle it out in in the Southern Hemisphere’s first American-style cook-off sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbeque Society — the real deal. The best performing Australian team at each of The Yaks Barbecue Festival cook-offs will be invited to represent Australia at internationally renowned barbecue contests in the United States. We're talking the American Royal World Series of Barbecue Invitational. Plus, they'll be in the draw for the prestigious KCBS-run Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue. That's no average lamb chop.

If you reckon you're a pretty damn good barbecuer, check out the website (Sydney or Melbourne) and think about entering a team. Otherwise, bib up and get your tickets here.

THE YAKS BARBECUE FESTIVALS 2016

SYDNEY — Saturday, January 30 (The Domain)
MELBOURNE — Saturday, February 6 (Flemington Racecourse)