What makes the food at Cave BBQ so good? Science. 

“It’s all about time and temperature and knowing how things react to those two elements,” Cave BBQ owner Jason Crowley said.

“How fat renders, and why, and what happens to proteins and collagens at certain temps and times.  

“Everytime you put that thermometer in the meat, and it reads what you want it to read, you know you’ve just created a little bit of magic.  

“But it’s also not dictating the cook, it’s letting the meat tell you when it’s ready.   

“You can’t just make a Brisket turn out the way you want it.  

“There’s the general rules, and then there’s that individual piece of meat, where it’s come from, and how it’s been treated that has the potential to change the way the cook will go.”

And that’s just cooking the meat. When talking about the palate Jason certainly knows his stuff. 

“Then it’s about understanding what hits the palate and when: salts, spices, sweets, acids,” he said. 

“Once you get that balance right, or push the boundaries a little bit, you can start to make people experience what you want, and get the emotions flowing that make people talk, interact, or react.   

“Every day is a new social experiment. We want people to come here to get something new, exciting, different and experience the building that’s 96 Fitzmaurice Street at the same time.”

This precise method of cooking and flavours has proven itself with the brisket burger being the most popular item on the menu, however it’s being taken over by the Southern fried chicken burger. 

“Brad (the chef) and myself spent four weeks trying to get it right,” Jason said.

“And we think we did. Three different flours, different acidic reactions and then there’s the oil.

“There are lots of variables, and lots of failed cooks.   

“Finally we hit it and tweaked it and it’s one of our best sellers.  And it’s crunchy, brain shakingly crunchy.”

While how they cook it is a major factor, so is where the produce comes from. 

All the sauces are from Crowley’s Hot Sauce while all other produce like bread and meat is local or from local suppliers. 

“The BBQ sauce we use the most of is our own,” Jason said. 

“It’s made right here in Wagga Wagga and is used extensively in our kitchen.”

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