The Smuggler's Comp Trail: Big Smoke Win Forbes by Three Points

⚓ SMUGGLER'S LOG — ENTRY No. 473
Dated this 19th day of October, 2026.
Position: Anchored off Grinstead Oval, Forbes NSW — figuratively, anyway.
Conditions: Clear skies, ten smokers ticking, and three points between first and second.

Results landed while the coals were still warm. Two former national champions, one brisket that nearly broke the scoresheet, and a three-point finish that'll have a whole crew re-reading their cards on the drive home. Fresh ink on the manifest, crew. Let's read it out.

Forbes: Big Smoke by three

The National BBQ Championships fired up at Forbes, NSW over 17–18 October, ten teams judged across Chicken, Pork Ribs, Lamb and Brisket under the Australasian Barbecue Alliance. And the top of the table was about as tight as this sport gets.

Grand Champion: Big Smoke BBQ, on 1,377 points. Reserve Grand Champion: The Jacks Creek BBQ Team, on 1,374. Three points, across four meats and a full day of cooking.

Here's the stat that tells the story: both crews finished on exactly 687 for taste. Dead level on the thing that matters most. Big Smoke found their three points in appearance (234 to 233) and texture (456 to 454). That's how fine the margins are at the pointy end — a slightly cleaner box, a slightly better pull, and the trophy goes home in a different ute.

And it's a meeting of champions. Both teams sit on the ABA's own honour roll: Big Smoke won the national title in 2017, 2022 and 2024–25, and Jacks Creek took it in 2023. When those two go head to head, you get a finish like this.

Category by category

• Brisket — Big Smoke BBQ, 357. The highest single-category score of the day, with a 180 for taste. Jacks Creek second on 341, Simply BBQ third on a countback.
• Lamb — Big Smoke BBQ, 346. Jacks Creek second (335), Aussie Pit Boys third (334).
• Pork Ribs — The Jacks Creek BBQ Team, 355. Simply BBQ one point back on 354, Butterbeard BBQ third (350).
• Chicken — Butterbeard BBQ, 353. Jacks Creek second (343), Big Smoke third (336).

Jacks Creek finished first or second in all four categories and still came up three short. That's not a loss, that's a team in serious form.

The podium and the field

Butterbeard BBQ took third overall on 1,355, a week after taking Reserve at Gerogery. Two podiums at two venues in eight days. Simply BBQ (1,346) and Aussie Pit Boys (1,345) rounded out the top five, one point apart, with Tonner Smoke sixth. Then came 1000 degree's Low & Slow, Lucky Squirrel BBQ, Searley's BBQ Smokehouse and Average Joes. Ten teams turned up, cooked four meats and handed in on time. Every one of them deserves a beer.

Gerogery, one week earlier

Rewind to 9–11 October and the Gerogery Hotel Low n Slow Smoke Off. Thirteen teams, and another finish you could cover with a thumb: Butchers Axe BBQ Grand Champion on 1,407, Butterbeard BBQ Reserve on 1,402, and 2 Shorty's BBQ third on 1,396.

Butchers Axe is a name we're proud to have on the shelf. They're the 2019 national champions, and their Bullseye Beef Rub and Big Bark Rub are in the hold right now. Bullseye gets its own feature here on Tuesday.

The season race

The new 2027 Heat Beads® Pitmaster Championship Series has been running since September, with Noosa, Kangaroo Valley and Gerogery all on the board. On the ABA's last published leaderboard (13 October, after Gerogery), the top three are:

1. Dusty Que, 40 points
2. Big Smoke BBQ, 37 points
3. Grillas In The Mist, 33 points

Jacks Creek sit fourth on 27. Forbes points haven't been added yet. I don't print a placing I can't prove, so I'll wait for the ABA's update before calling the new order. What I can say is that Big Smoke were three points off top spot before they won on Sunday.

Word from the docks: The Bend

BBQ @ The Bend at Tailem Bend, SA (2–4 October) never posted a result. Word from the organisers is that it didn't go ahead this year. The ABA's own event page hasn't been updated yet, so treat that as reported rather than confirmed. Here's hoping it's back on the calendar next season.

Across the Tasman

The NZBA's 2026 National Championship Leaderboard is unchanged since Cambridge: BEERS Championship BBQ on top with 43, Cook Cartel on 41, and Rum and Que on 39. Yes, that's the same Rum and Que whose Bull Dust and Blackout Beef Rub sit on our shelf. Four points cover the podium, so the rest of the Kiwi season should be a good one.

What's next on the trail

Next up is the BREW-B-Q Cook Off in Gosford, NSW on 6–7 November. Then the calendar jumps to 2027: Smoked Rockhampton (5–6 February) and Smoked Sunshine Coast in Nambour (19–20 March). Get down to one if you can. It's the best free entertainment in barbecue, and the teams lift when there's a crowd.

The Smuggler's Secret

Here's a comp-table trick most backyards never use. When your brisket comes off, don't rest it on the bench. Wrap it in an old towel and shut it in an empty esky for one to three hours. That's a "faux cambro." It holds the heat while the meat relaxes, and the slices come out juicier and hold together better. It's how comp teams keep a brisket hot for turn-in, and it works just as well for Sunday dinner.

RECIPE — The Faux Cambro Brisket

Serves: 8–10 · Prep: 20 min (plus overnight seasoning) · Cook: 10–12 hrs · Rest: 1–3 hrs

Gear: Smoker, butcher's paper, an esky big enough for the brisket, a couple of old towels, an instant-read thermometer.

Ingredients: 1 whole beef brisket (5–6kg); a generous coat of savoury beef rub, such as Butchers Axe Bullseye Beef Rub or Hardcore Carnivore Black; Butchers Axe Beef Injection, mixed per the pack directions (optional, handy on a leaner brisket).

Method:

1. Trim the hard fat, leaving an even cap about 5mm thick. Inject if you're using it, season all over, and leave it uncovered in the fridge overnight.
2. Smoke at 120°C, fat side up, until the bark has set and the internal temperature stalls around 70°C. That's usually 6–7 hours in.
3. Wrap tightly in butcher's paper and keep cooking until a probe slides into the thickest part of the point like warm butter, around 95–96°C. Go by feel, not the clock.
4. Now the important part: wrap the paper-covered brisket in a dry towel, put it in the empty esky and close the lid. Leave it 1–3 hours and don't open it.
5. Unwrap, slice the flat against the grain about pencil-thick, cube or slice the point, and serve.

Darryl's tip: keep an eye on the clock once it's in the esky. If it drops below 60°C internal, it's time to slice and serve.

Reader level: Everyone. Whether you've never lit a smoker or you've got a trophy shelf of your own, this one's for you.

Grab the gear: Butchers Axe Bullseye Beef Rub · Butchers Axe Big Bark Rub · Butchers Axe Beef Injection · Hardcore Carnivore Black

Support the scene: full Forbes scoresheets are on the ABA's site (Forbes results · 2027 leaderboard · Instagram @ausbbqa) and the NZ ladder is at the NZBA. Follow the teams, get to a comp, and shout them a drink after turn-in.

Three points. Four meats. One very happy ute ride home. Log's closed.
— The Rub Smuggler ⚓ — the whole haul's at the Rub Hub →