Smokin' Oak Barbecue

20/08/2026

We know saying time flies is a bit of a cliché, but sometimes there’s just no better way to put it!

Three years ago today myself, and co-driver Shaun from Black Label Barbecue, took an epic road trip from Hamilton to Swannanoa to pick up our smoker from Steve at SmokeDogg Smokers.

That smoker, of course, is now affectionately known as Lucille.

Since then, we’ve spent countless hours cooking, clocked up plenty of kilometres all over the North Island, and served up a whole lot of barbecue!

She’s a pretty big part of the Smokin’ Oak story — and we’re nowhere near done yet.

Happy 3rd birthday Lucille. Here’s to many more!

05/08/2026

And just like that, another The Great NZ Toastie Takeover is done and dusted. Well... for us anyway!

Unfortunately, we didn't make the finals this year, but we did manage to hit the podium with a 3rd place finish in the People's Choice Award... all thanks to you awesome people! How good?!

We might not be heading into the toastie post-season, but we still reckon our Brisket Toastie is pretty damn tasty. More importantly, we had an absolute blast making them for you!

Here's a few fun Toastie Takeover stats:
• 391 brisket toasties served
• 782 slices of bread buttered
• 782 slices of cheese melted
• Around 3,128 McClure's Bread & Butter pickle slices used
• Roughly 20 litres of our beef & adobo dipping infusion made
• Around 20 litres of our house-made South Carolina Mustard Sauce whipped up
• Nearly 120kg of brisket smoked low and slow over oak, with countless hours spent tending the smoker

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, grabbed a toastie, cast a vote, or simply cheered us on. We genuinely appreciate every bit of support, and we can't wait to see what we come up with for next year's competition!

And finally, a big congratulations to Black Betty Barbecue for taking out the People's Choice Award and going through to the finals. It just goes to show us barbecuers can make a pretty decent toastie too!

29/07/2026

It's been a hot minute since we've put together one of our barbecue platters, and we'd forgotten how much fun they are... not to mention how good they look!

Loaded with brisket, St Louis cut pork ribs, gourmet sausages, queso dip, smoked cream cheese, slaw, street corn salad and more.

Thanks David for having us cater your 40th. We hope you had an awesome night!

24/07/2026

Super fun private event today with the team from Bayonne Construction!

We were warned these guys could eat... and they definitely didn't disappoint! 😅 Such a great group to serve, and an awesome atmosphere all afternoon.

We served up more than 160 portions in around 90 minutes, keeping everyone well fed for the afternoon.

Huge thanks to Levi and the team for having us along!

If you're planning a staff shout, work function, or private event and reckon a barbecue food truck would be a hit, we'd love to chat. Give us a yell!

22/07/2026

The smoker often gets the credit.

But great barbecue starts long before a fire is lit.

16/07/2026

This Saturday we're hitting the road and heading over the Kaimais to sunny Papamoa! 

We'll have some of our food truck favourites on board, including the Brisket Toastie, Pork Belly Burger, Smashed Lamb Burger and Brisket Nachos.

Tell your mates, tell your neighbours, tell your nanna... tell anyone who loves a barbecue feed!

📍 Future Focus carpark
Corner of Domain & Dickson Roads
🕚 11am until sold out

We can't wait to get over there and serve up some barbecue. See you Saturday!

15/07/2026

03/07/2026

Congratulations to our giveaway winners!

Cam Strother, you've won a double pass to our BBQ Masterclass, and Robbie Marshall, you've won a double pass to the Waikato Food Show.

We'll be in touch shortly to get your tickets sorted.

A big thank you to everyone who entered. If you missed out, tickets for both days are still available, so head over to the Waikato Food Show website and grab yours.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Waikato Food Show

02/07/2026

Pop this one in your calendar! 🎄

We're teaming up with our mates at Oak Eatery once again for a Mid-Winter Christmas feast!

We've put together a three-course menu of warm, comforting winter dishes, all centred around (or inspired by) low and slow barbecue, followed by a Christmas-inspired dessert. The team at Oak Eatery will also be shaking up a range of delicious festive cocktails to match.

It's shaping up to be a pretty special night!

Friday 17th July
From 5:30pm

Grab your tickets via the Oak Eatery website, the link in our bio or via our Food Truck Calender.

We can't wait to see you there!

28/06/2026

Planning a summer wedding? 💍🔥

Summer wedding season is just around the corner, and we only have a handful of weekend dates still available for the 2026/27 season:

• 12 December
• 2 January
• 20 March
• 27 March

We're also always happy to cater midweek weddings if your plans are a little different.

If you've been meaning to lock in your wedding catering, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch before these remaining dates are gone.