What started as a free competition entry and a shared love of cooking over fire has turned into a full-blown barbecue adventure for The Firestarters.
The team – made up of Thames-based Edwin Booth and his brother-in-law Jacques Engelbrecht – launched their competitive barbecue journey in April, 2024, after receiving a complimentary entry into Smoke on the Coast through the NZ Woodfire Community Facebook group.
“With us both being from South Africa with a lifetime’s experience cooking over wood and live fire – braai – we thought we would have no problems tackling the competitive scene.
“This has yet to be proven,” Edwin joked.
But before stepping behind the smokers themselves, the pair had spent time judging barbecue competitions, which inspired them to try their hand on the “other side of the fence”.
Since then, they have been learning the highs, lows, and unpredictability of the competitive barbecue world – including the occasional disaster.
“Unfortunately, a lesson was learned by me the hard way,” Edwin said. “Rule number one: don’t have too many beers the night before comp day. Leave that ‘til after you have cooked and handed in all your proteins.”
Another memorable mishap involved a rack of overcooked ribs that nearly fell apart before judging.
“I managed to pivot by leaving the foil boat open and letting the steam escape over a few minutes, and the meat slowly sucked back onto the bone,” Edwin said.
“Other than that, you learn to pivot pretty quickly and solve most disasters as you go.”
One of the team’s biggest highlights so far was competing at Meatstock 2025, where they went up against seasoned barbecue teams from New Zealand and overseas.
“Being novices, it was an awesome experience to battle it out against not just local New Zealand legends, but international ones too.
“We managed an overall placing of 44th out of 55 teams, and placing in the top half for both chicken and ribs,” Edwin said. “That was a huge surprise.”
Growing up around braais and woodfire cooking, Edwin said the pair tended to cook a variety of meats at once, so they didn’t have a particular cut they loved cooking most. But when it came to competitions, Edwin took charge of the ribs and pork shoulder, while Jacques handled the brisket and chicken.
Edwin was now looking at selling barbecue platters locally through the community Facebook noticeboards in Thames to help fund future competition entries and meat costs.
The team was also calling for support from local businesses, particularly butchers, who may be interested in helping sponsor competition proteins.
“A huge shout-out to David from Mitre10 Thames who assisted us with store credit last year – that was a huge help getting us through our first year,” Edwin said.
While work commitments and the cost of living have slowed their competition schedule this year, The Firestarters are already planning their next outing at a Cambridge competition in September.
Long-term, the pair are aiming for a Top 10 finish, and hoping Meatstock returns to New Zealand in 2027.
DETAILS: The Firestarters can be followed on Facebook, where they regularly share updates from competitions, cooks, and barbecue plans.
BY KELLEY TANTAU
The Firestarters - made up of Edwin Booth and Jacques Engelbrecht - launched their competitive barbecue journey in April, 2024.
