Whangārei man in BBQ team heading to American competition

Whangarei's Jon James, Morgan Lewis and North Shore's Wayne Dil had a steady flow of customers at their Whangarei fundraiser. Photo/Danica MacLean

It's every barbecuer's dream - a custom-built, 1.6 tonne BBQ in the shape of a tank which cooks meat to perfection.

The tank was built by North Shore engineer Wayne Dil, and is the weapon of choice for Dil and his BBQ War teammate, Whangārei man Jon James.

It's their dream to get the tank to the American Royal World Series of Barbecue in Kansas in September.

An Auckland BBQ team called Big Tent Meat Revival, who were crowned Grand Champions at the Jack Daniels National BBQ Championship, were invited to enter the competition.

Dil said they asked BBQ War, who were fifth in the same competition, if they wanted to join them and form a "Kiwi super team".

"The ultimate would be to get the tank with us, we know it so well and we think the tank would be a real crowd pleaser."

BBQ War held a fundraiser in Whangārei on Sunday, selling ribs and beef cheek cooked in the tank to raise money for their trip to the US.

They are hoping to raise $25,000 to $30,000 for flights, accommodation, transport and to get their tank to the competition. They are looking for sponsorship to help with transporting their tank.

The tank is an offset BBQ, which means the fire - either charcoal or wood - is not directly underneath the food. It took 200 hours to build using 6mm and 10mm steel and takes two hours to heat up to 250 Fahrenheit (121C). Fahrenheit is the measure used in barbecuing.

Dil acknowledged barbecuing is "a really big thing in America" with 600 teams entering the competition in September, but sees "no reason we can't be a winning combination".

He is keeping their secret ingredient close to his chest, but admitted one secret is how well and how evenly the tank holds it's heat.