Martin Wittman wrote a book on barbecue during lockdown. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The Old Canberra Inn is levelling up its menu every second Sunday as Canberra’s own Colonel Fatboy von Bootleg fires up the smoker for a barbecue pop-up collaboration.
Colonel Fatboy, otherwise known as Martin Wittman, has been a barbecue enthusiast for over 20 years. He describes the process as “procedural chaos” but emphasises how simple it can be to cook great barbecue.
“People try to overcomplicate it, but it’s really simple: it’s meat and fire. If you can control the fire, then the meat alone will come out great, but then you can do things with the meat to make it wonderful,” he told Region.
“The best part is slicing into the meat and seeing if it’s all worked.”
The first taste of the brisket after a 14-hour cook and six-hour rest. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Through a series of Canberra connections – Martin’s a regular at the pub and they have some mates in common. OCI owner Ben Johnston approached him to run a pop-up at the pub. He starts the smoker on Saturday night, so the meat has time for a 12- to 14-hour cook and a long resting time.
Martin is using the smoker acquired by the business in 2023. The Old Canberra Inn owners also run The Dickson Taphouse and The Steampacket Hotel in Nelligen, so in future there’s the possibility of sending some slabs of brisket down the Clyde.
“The meat needs to rest for about six hours, and it doesn’t matter where that resting happens. So it may as well be resting in the passenger seat of a car!” Martin said.
The chefs at the OCI are taking Martin’s smoked brisket and turning it into two dishes: Texas-style brisket roll and ‘triple bootleg’ tacos. The flat (lean part) of the brisket is sliced and put onto the rolls, and the point (the fatty part) of the brisket is used for the tacos.
The two muscle sections of the meat have totally different textures, which work well on the two dishes.
Biting into the tacos is a delight. The meat is gloriously tender with a subtle smokiness, topped with fresh slaw and barbecue sauce. It’s the perfect food to enjoy with a pint in one hand as barbecue sauce drips down the other.
Beer + brisket tacos = happiness. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Martin decided to write a book about his passion during the pandemic lockdowns. 10 Steps to Barbecue Greatness aims to pass on the wisdom he’d accrued over the years.
“I’m not a chef, so I didn’t want to write a recipe book. And nobody wants to read an instruction manual … So I thought about ‘What is barbecue?’ and I worked out that there are kind of 10 parts to it. I wanted to write about what I do and the things I make – like spice rubs and barbecue sauce – that can add something different.”
Martin will be smoking come rain or shine every second Sunday. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
The Colonel Fatboy pop-up will run every second Sunday through the summer, and plans are in place to rotate menu items throughout the season. Martin has even been experimenting with a smoked pumpkin dish, which may make an appearance later in the year.
The Old Canberra Inn is located at 195 Mouat Street, Lyneham. The Colonel Fatboy Barbecue Pop-up will be available from 12 pm every second Sunday until sold out. Follow The Old Canberra Inn on Facebook or Instagram. Follow Colonel Fatboy von Bootleg on Facebook or Instagram.
