Having mostly enjoyed the smoked meats at Cardiff City Centre’s Spitfire, next on the agenda was the other new addition to the city, Hickory’s Smokehouse in St Mellon’s.
With over 30 branches across the UK and hospitality giants Green King for owners, I had to admit that I was more than a little bit sceptical.
Located just off the A48, Hickory’s whopping building gives off major Texas Toby Carvery vibes. To be fair, they’ve done a good job with the refurb of the old Melrose Inn, with its assorted Americana, a cinema for the kids, and non-stop soundtrack of country classics.
And, despite the colossal venue having what must be around 200 covers, it appeared to be a full house on the Friday night we visited. So much for January being a quiet month for hospitality.
This time around, two people who know far more about smoked meat than me were my wingmen - Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet and Jon Bovi, the Wolf of Whitchurch Road.
As our 7pm table wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, we perched at the bar for 10 minutes and knocked back pints of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (£6.45) – this bitter and piney West Coast beer is a classic for a reason and I’m always glad to see it on tap.
A bag of complimentary sweet and salty popcorn kept us going whilst we we waited for our food too.
Hickory’s Menu is a bit of a monster with options like steaks, burgers, fajitas and gumbo, all featuring. However, we were there for their barbecue, which is smoked in house daily. For a chain of this scale, it’s impressive that they’re not just bringing in vac-packed stuff on the back of a lorry.
Before the BBQ, we ordered a few appetisers and sides to share - these turned out to be my highlight of the meal.
I’d heard good things about Hickory’s giant pretzel bites (£8.75) and they certainly delivered. Warm, super soft and lightly chewy pretzel pieces were well soaked in garlic butter and served with a bowl of thick, beer-twanged cheese sauce.
Before the BBQ, we ordered a few appetisers and sides to share - these turned out to be my highlight of the meal.
I’d heard good things about Hickory’s giant pretzel bites (£8.75) and they certainly delivered. Warm, super soft and lightly chewy pretzel pieces were well soaked in garlic butter and served with a bowl of thick, beer-twanged cheese sauce.
Bourbon bacon bites (£9) were billed as an essential order by two members of the friendly front of house team – I can see why. Crisp and raggedy edged 8 hour smoked bacon pieces were coated in a compelling sticky bourbon glaze. A pot of pokey blue cheese dip on the side was decent but unnecessary.
Onto the headline act and we ordered the Smokehouse platter for two (£70) and a Smokehouse platter for one (£39.50) so that we could put all the classics through their paces. By the time all the gargantuan trays of food had been put down there was some serious table Tetris required.
Firstly, the biggest praise I can give Hickory’s is to say that all their smoked meats tasted fresh and properly smoked rather than simply wafted over a packet of wood chips.
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| The Smokehouse platter for one |
Highlights were the pulled pork topped with BBQ beans – the big crusty-barked nuggets of meat were excellent. Smoked chicken wings had lovely sticky and crispy edges whilst remaining tender.
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Ribs retained just the right amount of bite rather than falling off the bone. But I thought their sweet barbecue sauce coating was one note. A jalapeno cheese sausage had good pops of melted cheese and pieces of poky pepper. However, I think Spitfire’s excellent version has the edge.
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Brisket, the hardest cut to smoke well, hovered just on the right side of dryness. My smoked chicken breast had similar shortcomings, though my colleagues fared better with their thigh pieces. Pork belly had a lovely smoke and crusty edges, but one end was noticeably tough. In contrast, a fattier slice across the table was much juicier.
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Crisp hot and salty fries were on the money. But coleslaw, which was drenched in a heavy creamy dressing, tasted exactly like the kind of thing you find at the supermarket. Thankfully, jalapeno flecked pickled onions provided some much-needed palate cleansing.
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After all that meat, I was stuffed and had to doggy back some to take home for lunch the next day. Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet, however, insisted on dessert and I’m very easily led when it comes to sugar.
The cookie creation (£8.25) comprised of a trio of freshly baked warm, crisp and soft chocolate chip cookies served with a toasty toffee sauce and assorted sweet bits. Whilst the biscuits were very tasty, they were no better than the ones you find in the supermarket bakery aisle (top tip – shove one in the air fryer for a few minutes and thank me later). The star of the show was a pot of frozen custard which had similar vibes to Shake Shack’s frozen custard with its super dense and creamy Mr Whippy like texture.
The cookie creation (£8.25) comprised of a trio of freshly baked warm, crisp and soft chocolate chip cookies served with a toasty toffee sauce and assorted sweet bits. Whilst the biscuits were very tasty, they were no better than the ones you find in the supermarket bakery aisle (top tip – shove one in the air fryer for a few minutes and thank me later). The star of the show was a pot of frozen custard which had similar vibes to Shake Shack’s frozen custard with its super dense and creamy Mr Whippy like texture.
I’m surprised to say how much I enjoyed Hickory’s despite its flaws. Whilst it didn’t hit the highs of the best smokehouses I’ve visited (Hang Fire, Smokestak and Bab Haus), it mostly certainly scratched a BBQ itch. It’s not normally my style to recommend a chain but if you’re looking for a BBQ fix in Cardiff then it’s worth checking out.
The Details:
Address - Hickory's Smokehouse Cardiff, Pascal Close, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 2UZ
Telephone - 029 2130 2074
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