THE RECIPE FOR DAMN GOOD BBQ
LOW ‘N’ SLOW
We're up at the crack of dawn stoking the fire to be sure your meat is freshly smoked when it reaches the plate. It can take up to 12 hours of smoke (and love) to get some meats to the perfect tenderness we pit masters strive for. And trust us, if it's not perfect, we don't serve it!
ONLY THE BEST
We know the importance of good quality consistent products and are always on the hunt for premium cuts of meat both within New Zealand and abroad. And when we find a product we love, you better believe we are buying it in bulk.
HOUSE MADE RUBS AND SAUCES
We’ve been honing our signature Morepork flavours for over ten years, and we reckon we’ve got it just right.
WHERE IT ALL STARTED...
It all started when two chefs met in San Francisco back in 2006. Clint was the Savory Sous Chef & Jodi was the Pastry Sous Chef at One Market Restaurant. The two of them had a shared passion for simple food done well and often joined forces to make breakfast for each other on Saturday mornings before the other staff arrived. One year later a new pastry intern joined the kitchen staff. Ryan, the lowly intern, worked under Jodi. The three of them became each other’s family away from home, and no amount of traveling could change that.
Clint left to work in Japan for a year and Ryan went back to New York to finish school but they all eventually found themselves back in San Francisco. Clint & Ryan start dating and decided to move back to Clint’s homeland of New Zealand to open a BBQ joint. They realized those “family” ties were strong and decided to bring Jodi over to be the head chef and Morepork BBQ was born.
You’re probably thinking how did three random people from a fine dining background build this
damn good Morepork BBQ brand?
The answer is simple- they poured their heart and soul into making this restaurant work.
The answer is simple- they poured their heart and soul into making this restaurant work.
JODI
Jodi quickly became the backbone here at Morepork BBQ bringing her years of experience in southern cooking. Even after spending years in the fine dining industry, she really shines when given the opportunity to make good old comfort food. When she’s not working ridiculously long hours to ensure that the standard of our BBQ doesn’t falter, she’s obsessing over musicals or getting musical related tattoos! She is without a doubt the heart and soul of our team here and without her at the helm, well let’s just say that Morepork BBQ would not be the best BBQ joint in the country.
CLINT
Clint has been all over the world for 15 years cooking before he came back to NZ with one goal; to bring Damn good BBQ to his fellow Kiwis. Clint lives and breathes barbecue. The dude never stops, seriously. He is ALWAYS doing something. Whether it's cooking in the restaurant or catering private events, or working events like Big Boys Toys, Armageddon, Meatstock etc. ~He is ALWAYS doing something barbecue related. If you're lucky enough to catch him around our Auckland joint, he bloody loves a good barbecue yarn, so feel free to hit him up for tips and pointers. He is one of the pillars of the New Zealand barbecue community and he's incredibly humble to boot. You'll never hear him bragging!
RYAN
Ryan is our “behind the scenes” girl. She may have done her training in a pastry kitchen (and can make damn good chocolates!), but has been working the front of house since she was 16. She’s the one answering your emails, booking your catering, and making sure all aspects of the restaurant are running smoothly. And let’s not forget she is the master of organization (and lists!)- she has to be since she is basically Clint’s PA and if you know anything about Clint, that’s a full time job! When Ryan’s not busy with admin, you’ll find her running around serving drinks & making sure your BBQ is piping hot when it reaches your table!
