Every so often you have the good fortune to stumble across what appears to be a ‘hidden’ gem, only to find out that it is in fact a well known, highly sought after “go to” for locals. This sums up Smoken Dog BBQ in Yandina.

Smoken Dog is truly a family affair, run by Dave and Dineo Levell and their young daughter Talitha. “Talitha mans the phones and takes the orders for us,” said Dineo. 

“She is such a great help.” And since starting their enterprise three years ago, Dave and Dineo need all hands on deck as their reputation has quickly spread far and wide for having the best ribs and brisket on the Sunshine Coast, with people traveling from Caloundra and Noosa for their sensational authentic smoked ribs.

“We started out selling our food at festivals and events, and eventually started our own restaurants which have always been simple, “pop up” style venues,” Dineo said. “We have always moved around a bit and I think people have tracked us down by reputation,” Dave added. Their food has been so well received that the couple are now planning to open a second restaurant at Kings Beach, Caloundra in the coming months.

Trained in a catering school in Cheshire, UK, Dave always had a passion for cooking. “I have built our own ovens and carefully source the wood we use,” said Dave. “There are all kinds of elements that come together to produce the flavours and texture of excellent smoked meat,” he said. “For example, we only use baby back ribs, which are more succulent, flavoursome and tender, and we always slice our brisket, rather than pulling it, because pulling dries it out. Slicing retains the juices and the flavour. And the meat is smoked for 14 hours, so the flavour is incredible.”

“All of our sauces are homemade, to our own recipes,” Dineo said. “A lot of commercial Bourbon based sauces, or BBQ sauces are really sweet and they overwhelm the flavours of the meat. So we have made our own sauces, and people really seem to enjoy them.”

The evidence of this enjoyment is that over a typical weekend, Dave and Dineo sell over 300kgs of ribs alone. “As soon as we open, people start to line up and collect their orders,” Dave said. “Often, our last customers of the night are local chefs who have finished their shifts and come here to eat,” he said. “We take that as a real compliment.”

Alongside the ribs and burgers, you will also find wings, onion rings, loaded fries, roasted sweet potato and cheesy corn on the cob.

Whether you take a seat and enjoy your food under the stars, or take it home to eat, one thing is an absolute certainty, and that is that you won’t leave feeling hungry.

Smoken Dog BBQ is at 44 Fleming Street Yandina. Phone 0400 054 099.