Throw another shrimp on the Barbie!

After 4 years of customers coming in and out of our shed and reaching out to us, we have finally responded to the most common request – BBQ Knives.

Australian BBQ is part of our culture and who we are as Aussies. Everyone has a BBQ in the backyard and on those warm summer nights you can smell that familiar scent in the air. The truth is having a Barbie represents more than just a good feed, but great time spent with friends and family enjoying the outdoors.

 What are “BIG RED KNIVES“? 

The “Big Red Knives” are a collection of knives made in honour of Australia and our native animals. They are a new range of high-end BBQ knives we have been working on for roughly 2.5 years. We have spent the time honing in on every curve and contour of every knife from this collection.

For those of you that backed us in our first Big Red Kickstarter, firstly we salute you! These are perfect additions to that collection. If you’re new, ‘welcome!’ these might be the perfect knives for you.

If you would like to see our previous collection, check it out here.

The Australian BBQ Knife Kit

In creating this kit, we began with 11 sample knives and after long periods of discussion (bordering on arguments), we curated the collection down to the most crucial 6 knives needed to take your BBQ process to the next level. Within this collection of 6 knives, we have split them into two distinct sets that suit particular elements of BBQ cooking

Below we start with individual knives, we summarise sets, to match the profile of the rewards. 

FYI – (BL = Blade Length | OAL = Overall Length | BT = Blade Thickness  | W = Weight)

The Kookaburra

96mm (3.75″) BL | 222mm (8.75″) OAL | 3mm (0.118″) BT  | 170g (6oz) W

The Kookaburra is a paring knife for those intricate jobs in BBQ preparation designed for in-hand use predominately. This handy little fella may be small in stature but big in the number of jobs you can do with it. Segmenting orange, deveining prawns, separating sausages and scoring meat.

The Tassie Devil

152mm (6.1″) BL | 280mm (11″) OAL | 2mm (0.078″) BT  | 135g (4.7oz) W

Another more specialised knife that has taken us a while to do is the boning knife. We took our time because we wanted to get it right. The curved back gives you the advantage of a better slicing action when you are cutting the sinew from your fair and when working with the point you have maximum control. Its slender profile and strong spine, allows you to work closer to the bone and navigate around joints.

The Barramundi

190mm (7.5″) BL | 322mm (12.7″) OAL | 1.8mm (0.070″) BT  | 130g (4.5oz) W 

Perhaps our most requested knife over the last few years is the fillet knife. We worked closely with some local sport fishermen in South Australia to get the right length and the right amount of flex to best help you bring your catch to the plate. With a fine tip for intricate work, and a finger guard for protecting your hands (especially when wet).

The Platypus

150mm (6″) BL | 292mm (11.5″) OAL | 3mm (0.118″) BT  |275g (9.7oz) W

The platypus brings healthy greenery to the BBQ. With its straighter edge through the belly designed to cross chop your vegetables and a slight rocker toward the point for those who like to rock chop their salads. Every good BBQ is accompanied by a beautiful fresh salad (or corns and capsicum with a charred finish). Perfect for preparation before the BBQ and for serving afterwards.

The Great White

 187mm (4.75″) BL | 315mm (8″) OAL | 3.7mm (0.145″) BT  | 320g (11.28oz) W

The Great White Shark is a western-style version of the Japanese Deba knife. The big difference is it has a double bevel as opposed to the Deba’s single to better suit the western user.

Its purpose is predominantly an all-purpose prep knife for both meat and veg before the grill. With a thick belly to the blade, it can deliver strength behind every cut, with a shallow roll on the cutting edge to suit chopping, slicing and roll-cutting.

The Brolga

270mm (10.6″) BL | 402mm (11.8″) OAL | 3mm (0.118″) BT  | 260g (9.17oz) W

This badass knife is a real showstopper. Based on the butcher’s steak knife or cimeter this can be used for any butchery that might be needed to prepare for the BBQ, but we most like using it after the meat has been pulled off the grill and rested to carve long drawing cuts to your creation whilst everybody watches on with there mouth watering in anticipation of the feast they are about to partake in.

The long, sharp Brolga also reduces the amount of moisture lost when slicing your meat or chicken.

The BBQ Starter Set | 3 BBQ Knives

If you have a small space and don’t BBQ frequently the 3 Knife set known as the “Starter Kit” is all you need.

The BBQ Starter set starts with the All-Purpose blade (“The Great White Shark”) that can slice and chop just about anything – however, its primary focus is protein.

To bring the vitamins and minerals of vegetables to the BBQ we have added the ultimate vegetable chopper – “The Platypus”.

To complete the collection, we have added the paring knife – “The Kookaburra.”

The BBQ Butcher Set | 3 BBQ Knives

For those at a more advanced level of BBQ preparation and presentation, we created the expanded set with more focused knives.

For those needing to fillet your fish we have designed our first filleting knife – “the Barramundi knife.”

For those of you looking for a boning knife,  the perfect blade to remove meat from the bone and sinew from the meat we have crafted the boning knife- “The Tassie Devil”.

To complete the collection we have added the ultimate slicer and show stopper to either prepare with long cuts or to carve and serve we have made the cimeter or carving knife – “The Brolga”. This is the perfect knife for slicing at the BBQ (or at the table) and to finish the BBQ show in style.

The Complete BBQ Set | 6 BBQ Knives

This brings the whole set together to take the BBQ experience to the next level.

After pledging to our kickstarter we will ask you to tell us the handles you require… 

Our Handles

Whilst we have spent many more years playing with steel we have noticed that many of our customers seem to be more in love with their unique Australian wooden handles imposed with coloured resin.

We fossick for intriguing and symbolic woods for our handles such as Gidgee from the Simpson Desert which we think pays great homage to the Australian ‘Big Red’ outback.

As with every element in creating a special and beautiful knife the first and most important thing we need to approve is functionality.  We fine tuned this handle to fit snug in the hand (both left and right) no matter what grip you use. When using a “Handle In Hand Grip” the bevel contours seamlessly from fingers to palm. When using the “Pinch Grip” the smooth transition from handle to blade forms a great comfortable position to pinch the knife.

Below are the different handle colours we are making. We are very strong on paring handle colours to the animal that inspired them.

Our Steel

We are really strong on harder steel. We start with a core of VG10 high carbon stainless steel. The high carbon content ensures a razor-sharp cutting edge. The core is then clad with the same stainless steel for protection.  We are then left with three layers in which we sandblast to give the darker look to the top section of the blade. Sandblasting seemed fitting for an Australian knife collection as from the beaches in Bondi to the dunes on Birdsville we stand on a sandy country. Practically, this helps create mini air pockets so starchy veg will not stick to the blade as much.

The final result is breathtaking. A dancing line from cutting edge to clad edge, a grind line revealing the shiny stainless steel, and then the darker sand section travelling to the spine.

Schedule

Features

 Background A new collection for a new purpose 

So why did we create this new collection? 

Beneath we have shown some imagery of the background of us making these knives, using them and making the video. This is the very reason we do what we do.

Although you might be able to do without these specialist knives, no other knife in your kitchen can do what these knives can do. Each are refined and purpose built to suit tasks outside your everyday chopping and slicing. Whether it is the boning knife (The “Tassie Devil”) for intricate work around joints of large meat, or our Nakiri (The “Platypus knife”) for seamlessly moving between starchy vegetables and salad ingredients, these knives are as versatile as they are stunning.

A BBQ is more than a cooking method or appliance, it is a gathering place for family. We want to bring special tools to create better times around the barbie.