For those of us who live closer to Australia than to the U.S., a trip to Melbourne is probably easier to wrangle. And if you have a craving for good, old lone star barbecue, then Bluebonnet Barbecue in Melbourne may fill those needs. Besides excellent Angus beef ribs, they also make their own sausages and have really good sides.

While the Australians claim the “barbie” as part of their culture, I don’t think it beats the way the Americans slow cook their beef ribs so that the meat falls off the bone. So, I was really excited to find out about Bluebonnet. The restaurant was set up by an Aussie who spent time working in fine dining establishments but then got inspired during an eight week stint in Texas learning barbecuing secrets.

Calling Bluebonnet a “restaurant” is probably not descriptive enough – I would liken it to a gastropub. It’s located in the less gentrified section of working class neighbourhood Carlton and the first thing I saw on walking in was the bar / counter. (Update – the restaurant has moved to more easily accessible Lygon St). The back of the restaurant has a courtyard with picnic tables. The best place to sit, I think, as there were four of us – is in a nook before the exit to the courtyard area.

By far, the best dish there is the Angus beef ribs – a must have. The beef is slow cooked in a specially built griller for hours. I also really liked the corn bread – not dry, but crumbly enough and with a bit of a spicy kick from the Guindilla pepper. All the salads were great. Excellent coleslaw of apple, kohlrabi and coriander. I also really liked Bluebonnet’s take on potato salad – essentially warm Kipfler potatoes dressed with horseradish aioli and leek.

The sausages are made daily and for me, I didn’t enjoy them as much as I thought I would but this is probably because of the particular kinds they had that night. My friends have been on other occasions and really thought the sausages were great. But the Angus brisket, chicken and beef cheek are also good. Basically, almost the entire menu is yummy, although the pork ribs do pale in comparison to the Angus beef ribs.

Of the desserts – I thought the bacon & smoke maple ice cream sandwich was a standout. This was amazing. The smoked banana donuts would have been good but next to the ice cream sandwich, it just couldn’t compare.

All in, you can have a great meal for less than AUD50 (excluding drinks). Well worth hightailing it down to Bluebonnet. Reservations a must.

More info (and nicer pics) in Bluebonnet’s website:  http://www.bluebonnetbbq.com.au