The Smuggler's Journal

⚓ SMUGGLER'S LOG — ENTRY No. 441
Dated this 22nd day of August, 2026.

Today I found the ledger closed on one season and already three entries deep into the next, which is the kind of thing that happens when you're off smuggling contraband and forget to watch the calendar. Time to get the log up to date — there's a trophy cabinet to fill in on both sides of the Tasman.

Updated 6 September 2026: the Gladstone and Grampians events below have now been and gone — results weren't verifiable at time of publishing, so they're noted as past rather than guessed at.

Grab a cuppa, because there's a fair bit of ground to cover this week. The Australian season just closed, the next one's already three cooks in, and across the ditch the Kiwis have a new name sitting near the top of the pile that a few of you will recognise from our own shelves.

The ABA: 2025–26 is in the books — congratulations, Dusty Que

Straight from the horse's mouth (ausbbq.com.au, checked live and last updated 18 August 2026): the 2025–26 Heat Beads Championship Leaderboard is now final, and the season belongs to Dusty Que, who finish on top with 416.95 points. Hot on their heels: Smooth N SmOakey Salad Dodgers (409.11), Butterbeard BBQ (399.89), Big GC's BBQ (399.86) and Grillas In The Mist (397.56) rounding out the top five. Every team that put a rig on a trailer and turned up this season earns a nod from the log — that's eighteen-hour cook days and cold 5am starts for a lot of very ordinary Aussies chasing something extraordinary, and the whole competitive scene is better for every one of them.

The 2027 season is already three cooks deep

Here's the bit that'll surprise a few readers: the ABA calendar doesn't wait for the ink to dry. The Beechmont Hotel & BBQ Supply Co. Beer and BBQ Classic on 25 July was officially the first event of the 2027 season — and Dusty Que backed up their championship form to take the Grand Champion honours there too, with The Jacks Creek BBQ Team as Reserve Grand Champion.

Then, three weeks later on 15 August, the Vegas Showdown Beer and BBQ Classic ran hot — Big GC's BBQ took Grand Champion, with Dusty Que backing up again for Reserve Grand Champion. The event mattered for more than the placings: it was the last chance for teams to lock in their tickets to the World Championships, and by the sounds of it every seat's now spoken for. No pressure on whoever's cooking that one.

The ABA trail, ticked off and coming up

The log, all verified live off the ABA's own competition calendar:

• 5 September (now past) — Gladstone BBQ Showdown, Gladstone QLD, and the Grampians BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival, Halls Gap VIC. Both have run; results weren't published anywhere verifiable at the time of writing, so no placings are printed here — a genuine "watch this space," not a guess.
• 19 September — Kangaroo Valley Craft Beer & BBQ Festival, Kangaroo Valley NSW
• 19 September — The Queensland Open BBQ Championship, Noosa QLD
• 2 October — BBQ @ The Bend, Tailem Bend SA (BBQ Battle – Cairns, QLD, was slated for the same weekend but has since been cancelled per the ABA's own calendar)
• 10 October — Low n Slow Smoke Off, Gerogery NSW
• 17 October — Forbes National BBQ Competition, Forbes NSW (save the date — not yet locked)

Worth flagging: the Grampians BBQ, Beer & Blues Festival was a proper cross-circuit weekend — more on that below.

SCA: a double header at the Grampians, and an honest word about the ledger

Steak Cookoff Association fans get a genuine one this month: the SCA's own international calendar listed a Grampians BBQ Festival Steak Cookoff — run as a DOUBLE event — at Halls Gap, VIC, on 5 September, the same weekend and the same town as the ABA's Grampians festival above, meaning Halls Gap hosted two circuits at once. That event has now run too; results weren't verifiable at time of writing, so — same rule as above — nothing's printed here that can't be proven.

Now the honest bit, because the pledge is no receipts I can't prove: the SCA's Steak Point Leaders by State board lives behind an interactive map we can't pull hard numbers from this run. Rather than guess at a ranking, we're leaving that blank until it can be properly verified — you'll get it the day we can print it straight.

NZBA: Rum & Que still riding high after Beechmont

Across the Tasman, the New Zealand Barbecue Alliance's live 2026 National Championship Leaderboard (checked directly off bbqalliance.co.nz) is now headed "After Beechmont" — and it's still very good reading if you've got a jar of their seasoning in your pantry. Cook Cartel lead on 41 points, with Rum & Que right behind on 39, BEERS Championship BBQ on 38 and Meat Loaf on 32 rounding out the top four eligible teams.

Rum & Que aren't just a name on a Kiwi leaderboard — they're one of the trans-Tasman crossover stories the Journal loves, and we stock their range. Second on the national ledger, and still climbing, is a genuinely strong showing, and it's the kind of thing worth raising a glass to (or, in Darryl's case, a jar).

Recipe: Rum & Que Umami Steak Butter

Makes 1 log (enough for 4–6 steaks) · Prep 5 min · Total 5 min

Ingredients:

• 125g softened unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Rum and Que Umami Port & Black Garlic Sauce
• A pinch of cracked pepper

Method: Mash everything together until even, roll into a log in cling film, and freeze. Slice a coin onto any rested steak, chop or roast straight off the grill and let it melt in. That's the whole recipe — and it's a proper one, not a filler.

The Smuggler's Secret

Rum and Que's Umami Port & Black Garlic Sauce isn't only a steak finisher — a splash stirred through a slow-cooked bolognese or a beef gravy in the last few minutes deepens the whole pot without anyone being able to say why it suddenly tastes better. Off the books, but it works every time.

Grab the gear

Rum and Que Umami Port & Black Garlic Sauce · Rum and Que Dirty Bird Nashville Fried Chicken Seasoning — both New Zealand made, both from a team currently sitting second on their home leaderboard.

Reader level: Everyone.

The Smuggler's marking every leaderboard change in the log, and grinning about it. The whole haul's at the Rub Hub →
— The Rub Smuggler ⚓