At the heart of Melbourne’s thriving US-inspired food scene is Collingwood’s Bluebonnet Barbecue. It is home to Australian chef Chris Terlikar who has roots in fine dining having worked at Michelin star restaurant PUBLIC in New York. After an eight-week trip around Texas and liaising with Hill Country Barbecue (an NY-based Texas-style barbecue joint) his cooking style altered dramatically. Terlikar is grand master of his custom-built smoker and produces lip-smacking smoked meats.
Terlikar’s early career had its roots firmly in fine dining at the likes of Michelin star restaurant PUBLIC in New York, but a chance encounter with Hill Country style barbecue in Brooklyn led to a 12 week trip around Texas that revolutionised his style of cooking. In Texas, he was guided by pit boss heavyweights Tom Micklethwaite and Evan LeRoy, doing 18 hour stints to make the perfect brisket – a true labour of love.
Since moving back to Melbourne, Terlikar has made a name for Bluebonnet by developing a distinctive barbecue style which tips its hat to the thriving U.S. inspired food scene.
He may have hand-built his first smoker out of a toolbox, a dishwasher pipe and a shed load of black heat proof paint but Terlikar’s new one is a beast of a machine; made out of a 500 gallon tank (280 kilos of barbecue to you and me). The pairing of such a powerful tool with Terlikar’s innovative techniques and near twenty years experience in the food industry unsurprisingly delivers insanely delicious results.
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