I spoke to Martin Goffin about 4 ½ years ago and it was a pleasure driving out to Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula again to see how he is going and what’s happening now for Red Gum BBQ. Originally from the east coast of England, Martin discovered a love for barbecue through his American-born wife, Melissa, and left a job in local government to pursue the pit master life. He spent some time in the States learning as much as he could and then set up a mobile barbecue company here in 2013 before he found and converted a mechanic’s garage into a 900m2 restaurant and smokehouse in 2017. Nowadays in addition to the two and a half tonne converted LPG tanks he had made into smokers by Paul at Silver Creek Smokers, he has, himself, made three pig cookers which each take a whole butterflied pig that he cooks slowly over the coals. He has also perfected an over-the coals burger, puts up a subscription box every month that heroes a different US state’s traditional barbecue dish, has his own retail range of rubs and sauces and is about to open a new outlet in Seaford. There was a lot to talk about and, as always, I loved it all.