Yahoo News I visited Hull's new US-inspired 'smokehouse' - dedicated to meat lovers
Throwing it back to the days when Humber Street was Fruit Market, every possible unit on the street has become occupied since the huge regeneration of the area began in 2015.
One of the last units available in the trendy strip was snapped up and converted into an American-style smokehouse. The Smoke Room celebrated its opening weekend on May 4. Owner Andy Chase previously told LDRS that The Smoke Room was his attempt to bring the US-style slow-cooked meat concept to the city.
Hull Live went to try out the new eatery on Humber Street.
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On walking in on a soggy Tuesday afternoon - far from peak time, we were swiftly greeted and seated. Unlike a few spots in Hull that opt to close on Mondays and Tuesdays - The Smoke Room is open seven days a week.
The inside has plenty of seating and just as well - in the first week the place had 500 bodies through the door. After being given a moment to scan the menu - picking out Pork Belly Bites (£7), Fire fries (£4.50) and Beef Brisket from the smoker (£9) to share between the two of us. We were asked if we'd like them all together - something I hadn't even clocked was that they were a mix of mains, sides and starters, so I obliged to save myself having to wait.
Given two smaller plates to go with the three trays of food to equally divide them out, we tucked into a Pork Belly bite first. Coming with Cowboy butter, they were good little chunks of meat even without the butter applied. Usually, pork belly is so rich that after a while it can become a bit of a chore to eat, but the fact they were in small chunks made them the perfect appetiser.
Brisket is something that you don't really see on these shores, but I've seen a few videos on how smokehouses work and knew that it was something that I had to try. When the description said one slice, I was actually half expecting something as thick as a rasher of bacon - but instead had the girth of a steak. The restaurant, like other smokehouses, slow cooks brisket for up to 15 hours - meaning that it comes out so tender it can be cut with a spoon - and tastes divine.
The meat for the cooker is from Goodfellows, a local Hull butcher and on the menu the place takes pride that they specifically choose even which wood matches which meat. I'm not too sure how that works, but I'd be very interested to learn.
We somehow found space to have a try of the Fire Fries, which for less than a fiver I was most sceptical about - and turns out I was most surprised about. The tray was a really good portion, and the chips were crispy, tossed in chip spice and red from the fresh chilli puree. They did certainly have a noticeable kick to them, and even my dad agreed that they were the surprise package.
I remember when Humber Street Distillery was a thing across the road, where you could see the brewing process whilst inside, the smoke room is not accessible to the public, but I'd love to see the ins and outs of how the process happens.
The Smoke Room is undoubtedly a taste that will be welcome to Hull, and can see this being one of the most popular spots on Humber Street for a meal out. When the bill ran up to just shy of £30 including drinks between the two of us, it seems a reasonable price too.
