Barbecue devotee and chef behind Bluebonnet Barbecue, Chris Terlikar, has expanded his repertoire of smoky American centric cuisine to include a co-op kitchen event at The Beaufort on the first Monday of every month.
With a focus on craft meats and fresh produce, Bluebonnet has come in leaps and bounds since its creation back in 2013 with sell out stints at North Melbourne’s Twenty & Six and Carlton’s favourite nautical dive bar, The Beaufort.
Although Terlikar’s early career had its roots firmly in fine dining at the likes of Michelin star restaurant PUBLIC in New York, a chance encounter with Hill Country barbecue food at Fette Sau led to an eight week trip around Texas that revolutionised his style of cooking.
In Texas, he was guided by pit boss heavyweights, Tom Micklethwaite and Evan Le Roy, doing 18 hour stints to make the perfect brisket – a true labour of love. Since moving back to Melbourne Terlikar has made a name for Bluebonnet by developing a distinctive barbecue style which tips it’s hat to the thriving American inspired food scene.
Terlikar may have hand built his first smoker out of a toolbox, a dishwasher pipe and a shed load of black heat proof paint but his new pit is a beast of a machine, made out of a smoker from a nightclub at the Crown casino. The pairing of such a powerful tool with Terlikar’s innovative techniques and near twenty years experience in the food industry unsurprisingly delivers insanely delicious results.
This month Bluebonnet is really pushing the boat out with a revamped menu that moves away from rustic Texan seasoning and showcases Terlikar’s creative flair. Highlights of the menu include porter smoked beef cheeks, black garlic cornbread, 12 hour brisket and house made sausages.
With sharing platters of meat starting at only $8, Bluebonnet offers American style barbecue with a fine dining twist that you just don’t want to miss.