American Barbeque Destination The Bearded Pig Sells Out Daily

About 10 years ago, when Melbourne’s obsession with American barbeque was nearing its peak, Matt Antonello took his first bite of American-style brisket. A friend with a smoker had some beginner’s luck and nailed the cut. With its deep smokiness and fall-apart tenderness, Matt says it was a spiritual experience. “It was like a moment of revelation where you didn’t realise food could be so good.” he tells Broadsheet. He felt like he “had never eaten beef until that moment”.

Since then, he’s become a barbeque evangelist and self-taught pitmaster. He’s only been to America once, and didn’t visit any well-known barbeque joints, but spent time poring over Youtube videos to learn the craft. Today, The Bearded Pig, a ghost kitchen-turned-permanent restaurant in Heidelberg West, is his chapel.

All the meat is cooked in a large on-site smoker over several days and served from a converted van. And every Friday and Saturday, Matt, his partner Hayley Antonello and a small team open the gates to crowds of people hoping to get their hands on brisket, burnt ends and pulled pork.

Pitmasters all have their own preferred combination of smoke, seasoning and technique, but here, the beef brisket is rubbed with salt, pepper, tomato powder and mustard, then smoked for around 16 hours over Victorian red gum.

It can be ordered as part of a barbeque pack, with sides such as green apple slaw, mac’n’cheese and house-made barbeque sauce, or piled into a stacked brisket sandwich with cheese and chipotle mayo.

The burnt ends – twice-cooked brisket morsels made from point cuts (the fatty, less uniform parts of the beef) – often sell out within hours. Matt’s burnt ends are smoked, lacquered in his sweet-and-spicy secret barbeque sauce, then smoked again until caramelised and crisp.

He originally began making burnt ends as a way to use up brisket that might otherwise go to waste. Now, they’re so popular Matt cooks extra briskets each week just to meet demand. “Last week, he did an extra 10 trays,” says Hayley. “I thought, ‘You’re never gonna sell that many.’ But it seems no matter how many Matt makes, we always move them.”

Scaling quickly is nothing new for the Antonellos. Before relocating to Heidelberg West 18 months ago, they were operating as a ghost kitchen out of their Cranbourne driveway. A smoker was built into their van to comply with residential kitchen regulations, and they promoted the business almost exclusively through Uber Eats. As demand grew, they began offering pick-up orders. Then the lines started forming, and they realised they needed more space.

To handle the crowds at the current location, Matt has got his service flow down to an art. “ I pride myself on being able to clear the line really quickly,” he says. “I was always inspired by McDonald’s – of all places – and how efficient their systems are. When I’m at the carving block, I’ve often got the order finished before the customer has even tapped their card.”

Yet even now, Matt wonders if his current setup can keep up with the crowds. But wherever he goes, it’s clear the community will follow.

The Bearded Pig
39 Mologa Road, Heidelberg West
0409 013 299

Hours:
Fri & Sat 5pm–9pm

thebeardedpig.com.au