A passion for low-and-slow barbecue is being used to make a real difference for people doing it tough, with The Smoke & Soul Project preparing to take its community-focused mission on the road across Australia.
Founded by Adelaide-based barbecue enthusiast Dave, the project has been quietly feeding homeless and vulnerable people in the city for the past three years, with an annual barbecue held since 2023 in partnership with local support services, including St Vincent de Paul Society.
Rather than offering standard fare, Dave wanted to give people something different, a Texan barbecue experience built around carefully smoked meats and hearty sides.
Operating through a registered barbecue business that he describes as a passion project rather than a commercial venture, Dave uses his skills and equipment primarily to feed the homeless or those in need.
The process of creating the delicious meats is a process Dave explains as equal parts science and art. Meats are cooked low and slow over smoke for up to 10 hours, allowing layers of flavour to develop through wood smoke, seasoning rubs and time.
“I enjoy the fact that it’s never perfect,” he said. “You can always do better and do something different.”
His personal favourites include beef brisket and pork belly burnt ends. Dave hopes to feed these items to those in need during his Smoke & Soul project, a 57-day journey around Australia, hosting 20 free barbecue events for homeless and vulnerable communities along the way.
The tour begins in Adelaide on June 13 before heading east the following day, travelling through regional Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland as far north as the Hervey Bay and Maryborough region. The return journey will include stops in Port Augusta and Port Pirie, with the final barbecue planned for August 8 before returning home on August 9.
The schedule follows a three-day cycle of travel, locally sourcing ingredients from butchers and food suppliers in each town, then hosting a community barbecue. Dave said supporting local businesses was a key part of the plan.
“I’m looking forward to the culinary challenge of coming up with a different menu at every stop, depending on what I source,” said Dave.
“I may only have three or four hours to feed between 50 and 100 people. I’m going to have to think on my feet and come up with something fast and easy.”
The journey will be shared with his partner and two young daughters, aged nine and five, with Dave keen to turn the trip into a meaningful family experience.
“I want to give them something to look back on and say that that was something awesome that we did as a family.”
Beyond food, Dave hopes the project carries a broader message. Having lived with a speech impediment his whole life, he said taking on a public-facing role hasn’t been easy, but it’s a challenge he refuses to let define him.
“I absolutely refuse to let that hold me back, and I just hope that people out there can see what I’m doing, and whatever their shortcomings are, whatever they are scared of doing, to just push on and not let that hold them back,” said Dave.
“To put it in its simplest terms, I just want to make people happy.
“I want to make people who are doing it tough, and just give them something positive, give them something to smile about and hopefully, inspire others out there.”
For more information, click here.
More News
