Meat cooked on the barbie is as Aussie as wallabies on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, or blowflies and Nick Cave’s mustache. We’re not the only ones who love a good cookout though with the US of A being just as enthusiastic about sizzling meat outdoors. This Australia Day weekend, you can sample American-style grill when the Oxford Tavern relaunches their beloved barbecue smoker the Black Betty.
It’s appropriate that Oxford Tavern team call their outdoor oven (smoker) Black Betty: the name comes from a song with links to both American and Australian culture (thanks, Spiderbait!). The old girl is back at the tavern with a new custom build thanks to Mental Monkey Engineering and she can now smoke ribs, wings and more to meaty perfection. Regulars at the Oxford have had to go a few months sans smoker so the anticipation is high.
If you’ve never experience Black Betty you should know that the barbecue is a bit different to your usual Sunday arvo grill. See, you can’t just “fire up the barbie” at the Oxford. Well you can, but you better start a few days before you want to eat. The meat cooked in the Black Betty barbecue is prepped with a spice rub for three days before it goes into the barbecue, but when it comes out it is sweet, succulent and oh so satisfying.
The Australia Day menu has all the classic American barbecue faves. That means ribs, and at the Oxford they’re upping the ante by glazing them with sweet, sticky bourbon. You’ll also be able to get tender pulled beef, hot wings and sides: think slaw, burnt end beans and golden nuggets of carby joy aka potato tots.
Despite the all-American menu the Oxford aren’t forgetting the theme of the day. One of the great Australian pub traditions – the meat tray giveaway – will be happening as well as cases of beer and bar vouchers up for grabs. But the real prize of the day is the smoker barbecue – and all you need to do to enter is buy a jug of beer.
Speaking of beer, you can wash your barbecued bites down with jugs of $12 Stockade beer. If you already got Australia day plans but are feeling some serious FOMO about missing the barbecue then fear not: the Oxford Tavern team can be found roasting meat in Black Betty every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (including the entire Australia Day long weekend).
The relaunch of Black Betty at the Oxford Tavern kicks off at 1pm on January 26. If you don’t want to miss out on the meat arrive early – once they’ve sold out they’ve sold out.