Smokehouse BBQ & Grill

Heat and meat are the key ingredients at Smokehouse in Wakefield, ‘home of the modern BBQ’. This proud American-style restaurant has its own secret blend of herbs and spices with which to massage its meat, a specially imported smoker from the U.S. and a preference for hickory and cherry wood that lends a touch of sweetness – all of which makes for a flavour combination that’s unlike anywhere else. This is the point of BBQ, a long culinary tradition that’s practiced by people who each have their own closely-guarded recipes. From the spice blend and smoking technique to the accompanying sauce, each smokehouse has its own approach in a battle for the best, most popular combination. In America, people travel for miles to remote outposts; in Wakefield, Smokehouse is right in the city centre, only a seven-minute walk from Wakefield Westgate train station.

Here you’ll find a restaurant with buttery, caramel-coloured booths, exposed brick walls and neon signage above the bar. This is where the magic happens: an extensive menu of trademark BBQ dishes that starts with half or full racks of ribs. These are either slow-cooked in the house sauce, Dirty BBQ, or smoked and finished with a maple glaze. Then there are BBQ combos, with a choice of two or three meats, including 12-hour smoked beef brisket, pulled pork, buffalo wings with or without bones, grilled chicken breast and Kansas ribs. These are followed by a lengthy list of small plates, each of which is equally tempting: cheese balls with a honey mustard dip, salt and pepper squid in a light batter, loaded potato skins and more.

Smokehouse has a list of both classic burgers and ‘OMG Burgers’ – in one, the bun is replaced with Yorkshire puddings, another is wrapped in baked pizza dough – not forgetting the dishes from the grill and fire. Pan-seared salmon served with mixed salad and a homemade Cajun-style tomato-based sauce, chargrilled lemon and herb chicken with juicy king prawns, served with homemade spicy mac ‘n’ cheese and garlic bread; this is the stuff of carnivores’ dreams. Herbivores are not forgotten, however: Smokehouse has a range of vegetarian options as well as a vegan menu that includes both starters and mains. Rounding out this hefty culinary list is a selection of indulgent desserts, as if to guarantee you’ll leave stuffed to the eyeballs and happy.