For those who know Dan White of Country Boys BBQ, you would know how incredibly humble and down to earth he is. Dan is the type of bloke that you meet once and feel like you’ve known a life time.
His fellow competitors will tell know how great of guy he is, but will also vouch how hard the Country Boys team are to trump at a comp.
Not only is the Country Boys team taking out trophies, they are consistently winning at every comp which is one of the hardest things to in the Barbecue Comp scene.
This week, we sat down for a quick chat with our mate Dan to ask him everything BBQ, competition and family and what it all means to him.
Lane’s BBQ: Who are the country boys and how did it originate?
Dan: Country Boys started after my mate Andy and I were out fishing and we talked about watching bbq Pitmasters on TV the day before. The next weekend I got to try ribs cooked by Drew from the BBQ mafia and had a chat with him for about 15mins. He's a really great guy and even helped us to get ready for our first comp with a list of things we need and what to even ask our butchers. I went home and googled bbq comps in Australia and signed up to our first comp at Orange in NSW. So Andy and his brother got set to work building the pit. And in 2 weeks it was done. We had a few practice cooks and we just went with what we thought worked. From then on we have towed that trailer to a heap of locations and competed all over from SA to Melbourne Meatstock, and back up to Cairns in North QLD.
The team has changed a bit over time with Andy leaving ,but we still have Matt who was with us from like 5 comps in from the beginning. Blair has competed with me at every invitational and when he can with his work sequel. We also now have Dave who's been in full-time for 3 years now . Wilba joined last year and I think it’s just lifted the team even further. So it’s a full team now thats for sure, we all play off each other's strengths now.
Lane’s BBQ: Your family comes out to all the local comps, how awesome is it getting to take the kids out and share your bbq passion with them?
Dan: Family is a big part in the bbq community. It’s such a family friendly environment . Most events have some sort of kids entertainment or at least something kids can be involved in. Like sausage eating contest or something like that. The kids see how happy the bbq community is and they want to be involved in it too. A lot more competitions now have a kids comp too. I was a mentor at I think the first kids comp and I saw first hand how much fun kids were having cooking and I was like “I’m definitely going to see if my daughter wanted in on this”. She has done a few now and I’m glad she likes it and asks to go too.
Lane’s BBQ: If you had to plan your perfect day, what would you do from minute you wake up to going to bed?
Dan: Im a pretty simple guy. I do love my cars. A perfect day is jumping in a car, head out to the Macintyre River in Goondiwindi and cooking a steak on the river bank with the family and having a fish. Drive home in the arvo. Oh and no break downs. For me, that’s the perfect day.
Lane’s BBQ : You’ve been an advocate for Lane’s BBQ for sometime now, what is so special about Lane’s BBQ?
Dan: We have been with Lanes BBQ for over 3 years now. I think its success is it is very customer focused and has values. I really do. I think the products themselves are great. You can use them for the family at home , but be sure to pack them up and take them to a comp on the weekend. They are easily accessible as well. The website is easy to use. They are in most butcher shops and bbq store Australia wide. Brett has really put the focus on family friendly bbq products with easy accessibility.
Lane’s BBQ: Do you have a cooking idol?
Dan: A cooking idol, I’m sure we all do.. For me I got 3 that I really have watched many times on TV and I have had the pleasure of meeting a couple too.
I have to say Rub Bagby (Swamp Boys BBQ) is one. His southern style bbq and also him being a World champion as well. And his bbq class sell out all the time. Had the pleasure of meeting him while in the US and was just a real down to earth bloke. Definitely someone to look up too.
My 2nd would Mark West from 10 bones bbq. Mark's a 3 time world champion in pork ribs. He's won over 70 GCs and appeared on BBQ Pitmasters a few times. Deadset champion!
And someone who's just a cooking idol is Believe it or not, is Mitch from Badass BBQ. He is a chef with a few restaurants, has a fine dining background and has a great mind to pick. I run pretty much everything by him before I try it and he has helped us out from our first comp. I really value his opinion on things and he's a great chef and I'm glad to call him my mate too.
Lane’s BBQ: What bit of advice would you give to someone looking to get into competition barbecue?
Dan: The best advice I can give is ask questions. Go do a bbq class and ask questions. Then practice as much as you can . Don't go to a competition thinking you can win because your mate's think you’re cooking is amazing. Before you get to the competition ask questions. Hit up the top teams on socials and ask questions. They may not give you their sauce recipe but I’m sure they'll be more than happy to help you out. That's exactly what I did with Drew from The BBQ Mafia and I’m sure carrying it on with other teams now too. It’s all about paying back to BBQ.
Dan is an award winning bbq champion having taken out over 8x Grand Championships and 4x Reserve Grand Championships.
You can find Dan and the Country Boys on Instagram and Facebook under @countryboysbbqau
