Smoke Signals: Two New Arrivals Just Hit The Rub Hub Shelf
⚓ SMUGGLER'S LOG — ENTRY No. 485
Dated this 12th day of November, 2026
Position: Docked early at the Rub Hub loading bay, two crates just cleared customs.
Conditions: A warm northerly coming in off the water, and Owl Capone already perched on one of the crates, refusing to say what's in the other.
Two genuinely new names turned up on the manifest this week, and the Smuggler's not one to let good cargo sit unopened. One's unwrapped and ready to pour. The other's staying under a cloth a little longer.
What's new on The Rub Hub shelf this week? A Melbourne-made Coconut & Lime Sambal Oil from Proud Phoenix & Co, fresh off a podium finish at the 2026 Mr Chilli Awards, and a secrecy-shrouded first product from Pakenham pitmaster Dean "Schuey" Schumann's new brand, Schueys BBQ.
Smoke Signals: New Chilli Condiments and BBQ Arrivals in Australia This Week
Two very different kinds of new this week — one you can spoon over dinner tonight, one you'll have to wait on. Both are worth knowing about.
The Hidden Gold: Proud Phoenix & Co Coconut & Lime Sambal Oil
First up, a jar that's just landed from Proud Phoenix & Co, a Melbourne family business run by a chef with 25-plus years in the kitchen, making every batch small. The brand's gold-medal form is real and verified: four medals from four entries at the 2026 Melbourne Royal Australian Food Awards (their Crispy Garlic Chilli Oil took the gold), and this particular jar — the Coconut & Lime Sambal Oil — picked up 2nd place in Chilli Condiments: Best of the Best at the 2026 Mr Chilli Awards.
It's made with Australian cold-pressed olive oil, toasted coconut and fresh lime folded through real chilli and aromatics. Lime hits first, bright and zippy, toasted coconut rolls through the middle with a nutty sweetness, and it finishes on a warm, medium chilli glow — Hub Heat 5 out of 11, so it's got a kick without taking over the table. Full ingredients and allergens are confirmed from the physical label — the jar itself contains coconut, so check before serving anyone with an allergy.
It's built for more than just BBQ: grilled prawns and firm white fish, chicken skewers, a spoon stirred through steamed rice, even drizzled over roast pumpkin. We've gone with prawns for today's recipe, because a sambal oil this good deserves something that chars fast and drinks up a glaze properly.
The Recipe: Char-Grilled King Prawns with Coconut & Lime Sambal
You'll need:
- 1kg green king prawns, shell-on, deveined
- 2 tbsp neutral oil, for the grill
- 4 tbsp Proud Phoenix & Co Coconut & Lime Sambal Oil, plus extra to serve
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
- A small handful of toasted coconut flakes, to finish
Method:
- Get your grill or kettle hot and clean, and brush the grates with the neutral oil.
- Toss the prawns, shell-on, in 2 tablespoons of the sambal oil so every one is coated.
- Grill the prawns 2-3 minutes a side over direct heat, until the shells are charred in spots and the flesh has gone opaque right through.
- Pile them onto a board, drizzle with the remaining sambal oil while they're still hot, and scatter over the toasted coconut.
- Serve straight away with lime wedges and extra sambal oil on the side for dipping.
The Loot Locker: Schueys BBQ's Secret Unveiling
The second crate's staying shut for now. It's the first product drop from Schueys BBQ, the new brand from Dean "Schuey" Schumann — a Pakenham, Victoria pitmaster with thirty years behind the tongs, a Weber kettle specialist, the current Australian Barbecue Alliance Content Creator of the Year, and the voice behind a YouTube channel that's taught plenty of backyard cooks how to run their kettle properly. You can follow his cooking on Instagram @schueysbbq or his Schueys BBQ YouTube channel.
Nobody outside the brand knows what's under the cloth yet — not even the Smuggler, and he's genuinely annoyed about it. There's no pre-order, just a Notify Me sign-up on the product page so you're first in line the moment it lands. Schuey doesn't put his name on just anything, so the hold's getting a shelf cleared for it regardless.
Smuggler's Secret
Don't save the Coconut & Lime Sambal Oil for seafood night only. Whisk a spoonful through plain natural yoghurt with a squeeze of lime and you've got an instant dip for fish cakes, pakora or just a bowl of raw veg — the toasted coconut keeps turning up in a good way, and the yoghurt takes the edge off the chilli for anyone at the table who wants less heat.
If you're after more to put alongside it, El Chori's Tangy Classic Chimichurri and yesterday's black bark myth-busting are both worth a read if this is the week you're cooking outdoors properly.
So: would you rather know exactly what you're cooking tonight, or wait on a secret you can't pre-order? Tell us which crate you'd open first.
Follow the cargo: @therubsmuggler.
And with that, the Smuggler ties off the line, pockets a sample jar for later, and goes looking for whatever's in that second crate.
