Big Don's Smoked Meat
A collaboration between underground BBQ pop-up, Big Don's Smoked Meats & Le Vietnam - a well known banh mi store serving up a range of progressive banh mi.
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Before reading ❗️
Who is this suited for?
Guests who like American Texas BBQ, tacos and banh mi!
What type of food is available?
- Big Don's Smoked Meats serve up Texas BBQ meats, tacos, burgers and more (note the menu changes on a weekly basis)
- Le Vietnam serve up a progressive range of banh mi.
How much will it cost?
- Big Don's event pricing varies, expect pricing to be around the $100+ mark (feeding 2 - 4 people)
- Big Don's also sell a range of meat (ribs, sausages, burnt ends) ranging from $20 - $60
- Le Vietnam's banh mi range from $12 - $15
Where is it?
- Big Don's location changes per event - refer to the event for more information
- Le Vietnam is located in the Perth CBD (near Barrack Street towards the David Jones side).
What're their socials?
The details 📝
Visit 1
We were able to grab tickets to the Big Don's Smoked Meats x Le Vietnam which was held in late March 2022. Beef brisket banh mi and Don's BBQ meats were the stars of the show. Pick-up was from Big Dons' Bayswater location.
Big Don's Smoked Meats
For the uninitiated, Big Don's Smoked Meats is a Perth based underground BBQ pop-up. Since inception in 2017, Big Don's has amassed a cult like following. Currently, Big Don's release tickets to their menu on a weekly basis with the food pickup locations varying based on event.
Le Vietnam
Le Vietnam is - a specialty banh mi store in the Perth CBD owned and operated by Lee, a Vietnamese-Australian, ex-international DJ who used to blast EDM sets. Le Vietnam's menu features a progressive take on banh mi. Lee's menu can be broken up into:
- Traditional banh mi - think of your classic Vietnamese cold cut or roast pork banh mi
- Vegan banh mi - think tofu, avocado and vegan meat banh mi
- Deluxe banh mi - think contemporary like bulgolgi, chicken & gauc and spicy buffalo chicken.
Big Don's Smoked Meats x Le Vietnam collaboration
Without further ado - the food.
We loved the deliciously juicy brisket in the banh mi. Perhaps the most versatile sandwich there is!
Each BBQ share pack came with:
🥩 Brisket 300g
🦃 Honey Butter Turkey 200g
🌭 Triple Cheese Beef Sausage 500g
🌽 Hot Cheeto Elote
🌶 Jalapeno Cheesy Grits
🍞 Fresh baked Brioche bread
🔥 Beetroot BBQ sauce
🇺🇸 Southern mustard
🥒 Pickled veg
All the BBQ meats were deliciously cooked and juicy. Between three of us, we were able to finish the BBQ share and the beef brisket banh mi. The classic pork banh mi made for a nice snack afterwards.
Visit 2
Our second Big Don's Smoked Meats visit was nearly a year after our first. Since our first visit, Don's fully fitted out his BBQ space in Bayswater. You'll find a number of his events being run from his warehouse space.
There is some seating inside. If you're planning to dine in - be sure to bring some camp chairs and enjoy the tailgate party.
Another beautiful BBQ spread from Don and his team. This time it consisted of:
BBQ share pack 1.3kg $130
🥩 350g wagyu brisket
🔥 200g smoked pork belly
🌭 250g jalapeno cheddar sausage,
🐖 500g pork ribs
🌯 6x flour tortillas
🍍 Pineapple arbol fermented salsa
🇺🇸 Southern mustard
🌶 Pickled veggies
We couldn't resist not getting one their cheesesteaks too. Each with a healthy 300g+ of meat.
Between a group of 6, we managed to finish probably 80% of the BBQ share pack. Copious amounts of meat aside, be sure to pair each bite with the included accoutrements, which all help to cut through the smoked meats.
We thought it'd all be a good idea to grab a couple slices of key lime pie as dessert. As if we didn't have enough food already 😅.
Top tips for getting your tickets
We've heard tickets to Big Dons' events sell out like hot-cakes. It was our first time trying to obtain tickets and luckily, we were successful. This is what we did which might've helped us get them:
- Create your account on the Big Don's website / login beforehand
- Save your payment information to your browser so it can be quickly autofilled and pre-fill your address information
- Set an alarm for 5 or 10 minutes before the ticket drop
- Refresh the Big Don's page just as the ticket drops
- Assume the event will sell out within 30 - 60s. Take one deep breath and add desired items to cart!
- Commence check-out process - this is where pre-filling address and payment data can become handy
- Pick up on event day and enjoy.
Before visiting 🚙
Anything else I should know before visiting?
Check to see whether the event has space for dining (limited seating is available at Big Dons' BBQ venue).
What's the address?
Locations change with each Big Don's event. Refer to the event for more information
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