The Big Smoke BBQ Co is a mobile BBQ caterer based at 466a Matapihi Road in Matapihi, Tauranga. Its meats are slow cooked over NZ hardwood and charcoal in US-built portable smokers, and it caters weddings, corporate functions and private or family occasions. The menu includes a pit-smoked whole rump of beef with a house rub and mopping sauce, chargrilled lemon and garlic chicken tenders, baked breads and a range of salads. Add-ons are extra salad or hot grilled vegetables from $7 per person as at 2026, an extra meat option from $9 per person as at 2026, and a grazing table from $25 per person as at 2026. Desserts start at $16 per person as at 2026. The company also runs BBQ classes for all skill levels and sells its own rubs and sauces, along with smoked sausages, mortadella and pastrami.
Reviewers mention wedding catering most often. One says a drop-off BBQ lunch for a husband's birthday arrived hot, with more than enough for everyone. Another says the wedding food was amazing, the staff were exceptional, and the business offered a tasting session, which other vendors did not. A third praises the range of salads and meats and the set-up for their wedding. One reviewer says they learned about seasonings. Slow smoking over NZ hardwood is the core of the menu, so the same method serves a wedding and a backyard lunch.