Paul Lange

Paul Lange comes to my show with a wealth of knowledge and experience being a fully qualified Chef and Pastry Chef and the proud owner of Smokey Q, one of Australia's leading BBQ rubs. After purchasing an offset smoker in 2017 he became interested in the American way of BBQ that’s where the Smokey Q story began. While cooking the low slow American BBQ way Paul found that a lot of rubs on the market had a high sugar content with additives and preservatives and not a lot of flavour so Paul began making his own rubs trialling many different flavour profiles after months of testing and trialling he saw a good opportunity to start a small home business. Smokey Q has a great range of Rubs, Sauces and Pork crackle stocking hundreds of stores nationally. He brings a new element to the show with his extensive knowledge and ability to educate on how to utilise rubs and sauces to ensure that every BBQ counts with a balance of delicate subtleties or big, bold flavours depending on the cook. Langers welcome to the show and I know from first hand experience that your rubs are going to make a big difference in the series.

Josh Giles

31 year old Josh Giles from Far North Queensland brings a new and exciting element to the show. Being our first competitor from the Sunshine state his passion for BBQ is second to none. Being a boy from the bush, Josh tells me that from the moment he could walk he was cooking with camp ovens and mastering BBQing on the campfire. At 27 Josh turned his passion into his occupation and built and designed his first Steampunk. Then the flood gates opened, he entered his first event for fun and for the experience of cooking for judges and WOW, from their he was booked out for 12 months. It was from this, he ended up quitting his day job and concentrating on his barbecuing business and has not looked back. I know Josh will bring an outback spirit to the show and is a real smokey to take the mantle for series 2

Russ Crosdale

With a passion for all things American, Russ took a chance and moved to North America with a dream to learn the art of live fire cooking. Running and cooking in food trucks, restaurants, festivals, concerts, trade shows and more he got a chance to see the world, one brisket at a time. Returning home in 2016 and starting his own catering business Crosdale’s BBQ - a homage to true southern cooking right in the heart of the Hawkesbury, NSW. Working 5 days a week and catering 2 days a week, he lives hot and fast with low n’ slow in his veins. Russ's biggest achievement so far and one of the many reasons why we choose him to join the team was winning the Most Outstanding New Business in 2018 for great Q. A true testament to the countless hours Russ and his team put into bringing the taste of Texas to the Australian table. Welcome Russ and let the low n slow begin, Texas style.

David Martin

Chef by trade, David has been working in the Hospitality industry for the last 15 years. On his days off David likes to hone his cooking skill by smoking meats and competing with great success in BBQ comps. Just recently he finished 8th overall out of 22 teams at the first KCBS event and he also took out the 2017 People's choice award from over 500 nominations for his cutting edge culinary excellence. David added to his resume the 2019 Bidfood award Best hospitality service in (Signature/ Premium Homes) out of 44 homes nationwide. David is the first Chef to win both awards in the fleet and he will be a valuable asset to series 2 of Dipper's Backyard BBQ Wars. David has ensured me that he's bringing a new twist to the show.

Nathan Roberts

Nathan has always been surrounded by food and started cooking at the age of thirteen, experimenting with flavour profiles in the kitchen naturally progressed into BBQ. Starting off like most in Australia on a gas BBQ, Nathan decided to trial Low N Slow cooking ten years ago. From that moment forward he embraced the art form and jumped head first into cooking over fire. Nathan enjoys nothing more than spending time with family and friends cooking them exceptional food which emulates with his passion for all things BBQ. Ultimately, BBQ is one of the few things in life that brings people together, no matter what walks of life they come from.
Proudest Achievements
- His competition BBQ team Basting Bros BBQ taking out 3rd place Brisket at Meatstock, Melbourne 2019 out of 55 teams, with top Australian New Zealand & USA teams.
- Having the opportunity to meet and learn from Pitmaster legends such as Myron Mixon, Tuffy Stone, Jim Johnson and the iconic Moe Cason has taken his BBQ to a new level.
Welcome to Dipper's Backyard BBQ Wars Nathan you come highly recommended.

Daniel Verbi

Daniel Verbi is the creative force behind ‘Danny Balboa's Sauce Co’ a Melbourne based company that produces small batch hot sauces and spice rubs. After years working in the BBQ industry (both in restaurants and the competition circuit) he took the knowledge gained and combined with his natural wizardry in the kitchen, he set out to produce something with a real depth of flavour, not just heat. Food is the central focus of Dan’s life, it’s all about family and bringing people together, it’s about lighting a fire and smashing beers with mates. His belief is that you should start with the best quality ingredients you can and don’t mess with them too much. You don’t need to complicate things to make great food.
Proudest Achievements
- 4 wins (2 silver, 2 bronze) in the Australian Food Awards (2018/2019)
- 2nd & 3rd Place in the 'Mr Chili Awards' 2019
- 1st Place Brisket at Melbourne BBQ Festival 2016 ...welcome aboard Daniel

Daniel Lynn

Daniel has been smoking BBQ since he was a teenager and has only recently taken it up as a profession and as a sport, receiving two honorable mentions in his second BBQ comp. He runs Pitt Bull Smokehouse, a low and slow food van on the Central Coast of NSW. He delivers his BBQ with a passion for excellence and is instilling that excellence in his sons. The youngest one coming second in his first ever Kids Q Nation comp, following up with another second place at a recent invitational. BBQ Dan is definitely the man.