All fired up: Narrogin Flaming BBQ Festival a winner

Months of effort and organisation came together on September 22-23 as the inaugural Narrogin Flaming BBQ Festival proved a hit. Officially opened by Liberal Member for the Agricultural Region Steve Martin, the big weekend of barbecue drew eight competitors and a host of hungry locals to Thomas Hogg Oval in Narrogin. “I think it turned out alright going by everybody’s comments,” event organiser Mark Walling said. “Especially the blokes who came down from Perth who have done this kind of thing before, they’re all willing to come back next year — I’m pretty sure it’ll be happening again.” Competition was close across all categories with Cumbria BBQ, Ribs and Pig BBQ, Damon Walling and Boss Bear BBQ sharing the majority of placings. Boss Bear BBQ’s Deegan Meldrum, 13, took out the coveted title of best beef and also claimed second place for his pork and third place for lamb. The barbecue wunderkind trimmed his cuts on Friday and began barbecuing early Saturday morning. “With the beef we rubbed it up and stuck it in the fridge overnight to brine,” he said. “The most important thing is fire management, keeping it just right.” The main event saw Outback Beef and Narrogin’s Country Fresh Meat go head to head in a Northwest versus Southwest beef brisket bake off. At the end of the day Outback Beef claimed the title by a single vote. “It was close, they were similar but a lot depends on what piece of meat you get,” Mr Walling said. “It was a good bit of fun.” Another highlight of the festival was the friendly interaction that occurred between competitors. “There was great sportsmanship between the teams,” Mr Walling said. “Damon had a brisket that he’d never cut before and one of the blokes who has done lots of briskets, another competitor, showed him how to cut it and trim it. “That’s the whole idea, having a few beers and learning stuff.” With a range of stalls, live music and activities on offer, the weekend was well enjoyed by all and Mr Walling has his sights set on 2024. “It feels good, we only had a couple of little teething problems but everything was flowing and everyone was happy,” Mr Walling said. “Hopefully now people know we’ve done it once they’ll be interested next year.”