Little Wombat Grows Up

A couple of years ago I wrote a review on a great little Aussie BBQ called the Little Wombat invented by Gold Coast manufacturer Grant Sampson.

Last week I got an email from the Little Wombat team asking me to update some details on my original post so I dropped by the new Little Wombat site to see how they were progressing.

I can tell you it hasn't been all roots, shoots and leaves at Wombat HQ!

In the past couple of years, Team Wombat have developed and perfected their BBQ and have now added a great range of accessories including an optional cast iron grill and griddle set, LW apron and an extra bag for camping.

The Little Wombat has been transformed into a full feature, stainless steel BBQ in an amazing compact package for use at home or on the move.

The new tag line "A unique Australian species of BBQ" points to an international focus on Canada, the USA and Europe and best of all the price is still under $300.

If you are in the market for a portable BBQ, why not check out the site and take 90 seconds to watch their video.

Disclosure: I didn't get paid for this post, I am not associated with Little Wombat, I just like and support Aussie innovation and the Little Wombat has that in the bag!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie....BIG, BIG, BIG!!

US ABC reports "an Australian cafe is claiming a world record after cooking a giant hamburger with an 81 kg (178 lb) patty that took 12 hours to cook and four men to flip.

The monster burger cooked up by Sydney cafe owners, Joe and Iman El-Ajouz, weighed in at 90 kg in total, eclipsing the previous record of 84 kg, set in Michigan in the United States.

"Just flipping the patty was the main challenge for us, but it all went well," Iman El-Ajouz told Reuters.

"My husband had to prepare special metal holders and a metal plate, he had one at the bottom one at the top, locked them together and they flipped the burger with that," she added.

The giant burger contained the giant beef patty, 120 eggs, 150 slices of cheese, 1.5 kg of beetroot, 2.5 kg of tomatoes and almost 2 kg of lettuce all topped off with a special sauce on a giant sesame seed bun. It was eaten by employees at the cafe.

The variety of burger will be on the menu at the cafe for the next year in order to meet the conditions for a Guinness world record, but will set hungry patrons back around A$1,500 ($1,220).

Makes ya proud!

Copyright 2010 Reuters News Service

Grudge Match 3 and BBQ.

Coming soon, the race of the year: Grudge Match 3

See Brett Middleton's latest Grudge Match when a Subaru WRX and a Mitsubishi RalliArt Lancer go head to head at Wakefield Park.

If you love these iconic cars, drop over to our fiends at GM3.com.au and get instant access to a heap of performance information and see the full Grudge Match 3 video before it's officially launched on YouTube launch on October 1st.

GM3 can show you how to get more power out of your RalliArt Lancer than a factory EVO 10 or how to make your Subaru WRX just as quick as a k10 STi!

And whether you drive a Mitsubishi or Subaru, you can support your make and model with a cool accessory even Brett didn't think of....


a BBQ Branding Iron with WRX, MIT or any other 3 letters (eg STI, EVO or heavan forbid HDT) from the Charcool shop and get a 10% discount by entering the GM3 discount code during checkout.

Fast cars, cold beer and great BBQ. Boys heaven. Enjoy the ride.

5 Great Fathers Day BBQ Gifts for Australian Dads

Fathers Day in Australia is Sunday, September 6, 2009, and at Charcool we've got 5 great BBQ gift ideas for every budget.

Suggestion 1: A Cool BBQ Branding Iron from Texas Irons

Go on! Make his day with a quality, stainless steel BBQ Branding Iron from Texas Irons. He'll be the talk of the town telling his mates about his new toy.

Ideal for branding steak; chicken breasts; rissoles; bread rolls...everything straight from the hotplate.

Fast heating, simple to use and easy to clean!

A personalised BBQ branding iron from Charcool is an inexpensive and unique Father's Day for the BBQ fanatic in your life.

At less than $40, your Dad will make a great impression.

Suggestion 2: A Rockin Dad BBQ Tool Set

No doubt who this one is for!

Show Dad how much he rocks with this great Rockin' Dad Barbeque Tool Set from our friends at Texas Irons.

Thrill your "Grill-meister" with this quality, easy to handle, 3 piece spatula, fork and tongs set made from stainless steel and featuring the unique "Rockin' Dad" Old West brand.

He'll remember Fathers Day 2009 every time he flips a steak or picks up the snags.

Suggestion 3: A Fair Dinkum Drover's Cutting Board with his initials

Preparation is just as important as cooking technique and every chef should have a solid timber cutting board to get the show on the road.

This Aussie made board is big enough for most jobs around the home but compact enough to take along camping or on picnics. The Charcool's Drover's board is a great all rounder for the Best Dad in the World.

Made from 100% Australian Camphor Laurel timber and featuring 2 distinctive salvaged Red Gum handles for easy handling, this versatile board is perfect for carving, chopping, or for presentation as a antipasto platter or server.

Aussie Camphor Laurel is naturally anti-bacterial, smells great and the soft, medium density grain is kind to your knives!

To make Dad's new board a gift to remember, we will personalise it by branding his initial (up to 3) in the top right corner. He'll never forget the gift from 2009.

Suggestion 4: Buy him Sausage Bloke for company

Money can't buy you happiness but it can buy you company!

Sometimes it gets a bit lonely at the hotplate catering for the family while they're eating and enjoying themselves.

Nothing draws a crowd faster than a Charcool "Sausage Bloke" when you cook snags!

Dad Sausage Bloke

Made from food grade stainless steel, Dad's Sausage Bloke is a great novelty gift for the man who has everything!

Suggestion 5: Super Yacht Charter

Finally, if money is no object, shout Dad to a week of BBQ frivolity in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian Ocean or South Pacific aboard the super yacht, "Lauren L"

As his helicopter lands on the sun deck, he'll wonder where the $1,332,859.40 is coming from!

But with a Health and Beauty Centre; Media Room; Library; 2 dining areas (one seating 12 and the other 50 people); open bar areas, sun deck with Jacuzzi, four large tenders, internet access in each stateroom and a helicopter landing pad he'll quickly settle in.

The Lauren L usually charters at €770,000 per week plus all expenses (including gas bottles and heat beads) but mention Charcool and travel before the end of September and it's all yours for just $969,352.29!

50 Ways To Get Swine Flu Revenge!

With Swine Flu now sweeping the country and making media celebrities of health officials, you're probably asking what you can do if your kid's school or your workplace is placed in a seven day lockdown.

So for the 167 Australians now diagnosed with Swine Flu; students at the six schools which have been closed due to the out break; members of South Morang Aussie Rules footy team or for returning passengers on the "flu ship" Pacific Dawn, we present 50 great ways to get your own back while in quarantine.

The list includes: Bacon flavoured fairy floss, Bacon martinis and Bacon popcorn. If you are especially vindictive there is even a "Make Your Own Bacon" link.

And most importantly, while you're in quarantine breaking out in rashes and getting crackling on the Swine Flu hotline, remember you it not just you, we're all at risk!

Can I Get Swine Flu From Eating BBQ Pork?

Does the current media circus over Swine Flu mean that you need to give up "pigs lips" (sausages), pulled pork, ham and eggs or bacon cheeseburgers?

According to to the folk at the US Centre for Disease Control, human infection happens intermittently, with most cases occurring when patients have direct contact with pigs.

Human-to-human infections occasionally occur with virus transmitted through coughing, sneezing and coming in contact with a person or object with the virus.

However, people cannot become infected by eating pork or pork products. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degree centigrade) kills the virus as well as other bacteria, notes the CDC.

The BBQ Jew blog raises the interesting co-incidence that "swine flu was first identified in hogs in 1930, around the beginning of the Great Depression.

Now we are in the midst of another economic crisis and the swine flu is back in the news."

The current run rate for swine flu is more than 1600 cases in Mexico where the suspected death toll has climbed to 149.

There have been 40 cases in the US, where Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, said that there have been no deaths and only one hospitalization.

Besser said "The best way to keep the disease from spreading, he said, is by taking everyday precautions such as frequent handwashing, covering up coughs and sneezes and staying away from work or school if not feeling well."

State of Origin BBQ Branding Irons

There's nothing like a BBQ to celebrate the NRL's annual clash of Canetoads v Cockroaches that is Rugby League's State of Origin series.

Having friends around for a BBQ to watch the games can be almost as good as being there live!

Check out the advantages: first, you can get the full strength beer of your choice; second, you can get a great feed from a "backyard maestro" for less than the cost of a new car and now, with Charcool's special State Series BBQ branding Irons, you can imprint your state's initials onto everything from steak to humble pie!

Charcool has been importing BBQ Branding Irons from Texas for over 3 years and while they sell primarily as birthday or Fathers Day gifts, State of Origin is a great opportunity to get creative.

If your interstate mates think their team can win, now you can make them eat your words!

For the special State of Origin price of just $34.95 plus post and handling you get a 38cm stainless steel branding iron with lacquered handle and your choice of NSW or QLD letters to really show your support.

Made from high quality, food grade stainless steel and featuring large, sand-cast letters, these branding irons leave the dodgy, aluminium ones in their wake.

Fast heating, simple to use and easy to clean! That's a Texas Irons BBQ branding iron.

Size Makes a Difference:

Texas Irons letters are more than twice the size of other branding irons so the imprint really shows up on finished foods. As an result, unlike other retailers we could mention, we don't photoshop our images to enhance the result.

We cooked, branded, photographed and then ate (yum) all these steaks and you can too!

Perfect for branding steak; chicken breasts; rissoles; bread rolls...everything straight from the grill.

Hurry Buy NOW. Origin Game 1 kicks off in Melbourne on June 3