Collecting barbecues an obsession for Queensland's biggest barbecue king Mike Hilburger

Posted

When a love of barbecuing turns into an obsession there is always room for one more grill in this Queenslander's collection.

Mike Hilburger has more than 40 barbecues, including 30 kettle-style grills, all stored in his two-bedroom apartment in the inner-city Brisbane suburb of Paddington.

"When I find them, I do a couple of cooks on them and then I clean them and polish them up," Mr Hilburger said.

"I store them up in the loft, and there's also some on the balcony that I cook with and a few more in the shed."

Mr Hilburger began collecting barbecues five years ago when a few friends started competitive barbecuing.

"We formed a group called The Shank Brothers and at that stage I had only been exposed to the black barbecues. I hadn't seen the colourful ones," he said.

"Then I found out they have different dates and personalities and it got a little crazy."

Fifty-year-old barbecues

One of his oldest barbecues dates back to 1975, while his favourite is a small portable one.

"It's a go-anywhere barbecue which is maroon and there's only 12 of them in that colour in the world," he said.

"I love how versatile they are — they allow you to smoke, grill, and you can even attach a rotisserie on them.

"They are the Swiss army knife of barbecues."

Mr Hilburger said he identified each of the barbecues by the code that was written on the vents on each of the Weber-style grills.

"From 18-inch-sized ones to the big ones, each vent has a code. Some are a two-letter code or some have a single letter on them telling you what the age of the barbecue is," he said.

Keeping them safe and sound

Being the keeper of so many barbecues is not an easy task, with Mr Hilburger always on the lookout for severe storms.

While most are stored in his loft, on carpet, the ones on the balcony can be exposed to unexpected weather.

"A couple of times when I only had a dozen or so I had to put them in the bedroom during a hailstorm," he said.

"I have a very understanding wife. She allowed me to bring the kids [the barbecues] into the bedroom.

"I had to get my 16-year-old niece to come over once and save them when I was away in Tasmania.

"You don't want them dinted as you'll never fix them again"

'Grill fellas' lend a hand

Mr Hilburger admits he has the collecting gene, but makes sure that every barbecue in the collection is used and enjoyed, making the search for them worthwhile.

"Some of the barbecues have come from California as Weber wasn't a thing here in Australia. So to get the early stuff you have to bring it over," he said.

"There's a network of guys called the 'grill fellas' and they help liaise and make deals on your behalf in the States and around they world.

"They then organise to send it to you — it's a wonderful network.

"Other barbecues are finds — where I walk the streets during pick-up days or you're at flea market searching for them. I always have room for one more."

His tip to any barbecue enthusiasts out there is to always think about the wood used for smoking and the amount of heat your barbecue generates.

"For a really good smoke flavour I love cherry wood as it's my go-to," Mr Hilburger said.

"And for heat I always choose to use lump charcoal."

Topics: human-interest, lifestyle-and-leisure, food-and-cooking, paddington-4064, brisbane-4000