Recently updated on October 4th, 2022 at 09:59 am
Located in the heart of Australia’s Red Centre, brothers and Be My Guest hosts Tom and Danny Falzon run the Earth Sanctuary together with their family. Normally, visiting guests are treated to a traditional Aussie BBQ whilst watching the stars and listening to the tales of the Outback.
We may not be able to visit the Earth Sanctuary for now, but we can still recreate a little taste of Australia in our homes by learning a few BBQing tips and tricks. To help you do this, we caught up with Tom Falzon, to learn what it takes to BBQ like an Aussie pro…
Why do you think a BBQ is such a classic part of Australia’s culture?
The Aussie BBQ can be as simple or elaborate as you wish but there are key factors which distinguish this from others. It’s more often outdoors, with fresh meats (steak, sausages and chicken or fish) from the local butcher and fresh salads and baked bread, wine, beer, some music, great company and the more informal the better! The kids are also important because they are half the entertainment as they run around causing mischief!
What are your favourite foods to BBQ?
A perfectly cooked (not too medium, not too rare) Scotch Fillet Steak is a real treat. But when you add roasted potatoes and butternut pumpkin washed with gravy and creamy mustard sauce the heavens open up! For the vegetarians (non-carnivores) a delicious spanakopita with a fresh salad can make you do cartwheels of joy!
Is there a particular meat or dish you always cook at a BBQ?
Earth Sanctuary does things simply and really well. There is an art to cooking a steak, browning the sausages and chicken. Believe it or not the process of preparing a steak with light amounts of olive oil, salt and pepper combined with the timing for flipping a steak on the hot BBQ, is a highly debated process in terms of best results. You don’t want to destroy the quality of the meat through over cooking.
To master this art, Earth Sanctuary sends its’ future cooks on an intense outback discovery journey (similar to the Tibetan Monks in the Himalayas). Only once they return and can carry out the task impeccably, are they appointed to the front-line cooking team…
What are the essential components to a traditional Aussie BBQ
- Meats and fresh foods in Australia are arguably some of the best in the world.
- Australia and Alice Springs has a truly outstanding natural landscape which in Central Australia can closely resemble a Mars landscape. A perfect setting for a BBQ.
- Good humour.
- Good Music.
- A game of football or any sport (or television program) on the peripheral to reference in between conversations.
- Cold beer and sweet wine.
- Stars. Billions of stars.
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Why do you love welcoming Trafalgar guests to your property?
Trafalgar guests truly love and appreciate seeing unique and different parts of the world, just as our family welcome Trafalgar guests into our home, Trafalgar guests equally welcome our family into their world. We find it’s a wonderful shared experience that we all feel genuinely enriched by.
Fancy a virtual visit to Earth Sanctuary? Head to our YouTube channel, where you can catch Tom & Danny putting on a special didgeridoo performance, teaching us how to make damper bread, and more.