Smoke Barbecue

A group of us went for my birthday yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve been since it opened as its notorious to try and get a table at short notice. I ended up booking two weeks early to make sure we got a table for a large group.
We arrived and was seated promptly the staff were all helpful and friendly but the food was simply fantastic.
I had a full rack of ribs and I’ve never had ribs that good. I was absolutely as was everyone else blown away by the quality of the food. Can’t wait to go back!

The last time I tried to book us at Smoke, our options were 5:30 or 9:30 p.m. So for my birthday, I booked a few weeks in advance… just to make sure. If you are driving, the Charles Street Car Park is right next door, so you don’t have to walk that far… especially if it is raining cats and dogs.
When we walked in, clearly they had gone for the more modern country look. I’m pretty sure this might be the poshest looking BBQ joint I’ve ever been in. There were quite a few people in, but honestly there was probably no need to book as there were a number of tables available. We ended up getting a table overlooking the kitchen area. The smell was lovely :).
The menu is about the right size for a BBQ place, although I’ve not seen a steak on a BBQ menu before. There were a lot of things I wanted to try and I could tell that Mr. Snarky was struggling to narrow down his options as well. So I did what any hungry, meat-​eating, American would do… I suggested the Smoke Sharer Plate. Our waitress informed us that they had run out of a few items… for example the sausage on the Sharer Plate, but told us that they were substituting Burnt Ends for it. SCORE! That’s what I wanted anyway! When ordering the Sharer Plate, you do get a heaping mound of twice cooked chips and one other side. However, we both wanted different sides, so we spent the extra £3 and got a second side.
While we were waiting I decided to have a cocktail… it was my birthday afterall and had the O’Hara’s Iced Tea. It was kind of like a Long Island Iced Tea… lots of alcohol, but not quite as tasty. They also brought us a glass of popcorn to munch on, but it was very stale popcorn. If I were them, I would 86 that in a heartbeat. I noticed that they had one jar of BBQ sauce on the table and no other condiments. I was a bit sad that they didn’t have a few different types of BBQ sauce, like you would find at many BBQ restaurants in the U.S. A little something for everyone! The sauce was ok, but if I could bring my own BBQ sauce, I probably would. The sauce was really sweet, no spice like it said on the bottle, and it was definitely lacking a bit of acidity and smokiness. The rest of the condiments (mayo, vinegar, ketchup, etc.) are next to the service line and they seem to be quite stingy with them.
Our plate came out and it was a sight for sore eyes. The chips were quite fresh and crisp. The turkey leg is very dominating and I’m not sure if there is a guide to eating it, but I kept finding these really tough bits… almost like bone as we were trying take meat off of the bone. However, it was nice, not dry and certainly didn’t taste like a Christmas turkey! The pulled pork was ok, but it seemed to be lacking in smokiness. They did pour some sort of sauce over it, so I don’t know if it is a different BBQ sauce, but honestly I got from it was that it was a bit spicy. The baby back ribs were really lovely… tender, but again needed a good slather in a decent BBQ sauce. The Burnt Ends… well they were really tender, but I was missing the chewiness and smokiness of the bark. Like the pulled pork, they felt like they had been soaking in juice. Surprisingly, the star of the show for me was the chicken thighs. They weren’t covered in a sauce, but the way they were grilled reminded me of when my dad used to grill BBQ chicken. It was juicy and full of flavor. Of course, I would have liked some BBQ sauce to go with it, but on its own, it was by far the winner of all the meats. Mac and Cheese could have used a bit more salt/​stronger cheese and the coleslaw was nothing special.
When we admitted defeat, our waitress took everything away and brought some water back. We decided to chat and finish our drinks… let our stomachs rest before attempting dessert. Awhile later, our waitress wasn’t popping by as often and the kitchen was starting to close up. Clearly they run on a tight schedule (when we booked, the website told us exactly how long our booking was for). Eventually we flagged down a different waitress to get our bill. I was a bit sad I didn’t get to try their S’mores, but I’m sure we will stop in again. The Sharer Plate is £30 and was really a good deal for all the different types of meats we got to try. I think if you weren’t as hungry as we were, you could probably feed 3 or maybe even 4 people off of the plate… although you may want to think about individual sides as those aren’t very large. Not bad!

As an American who’s lived in the UK for 10 yrs, I understand that things at British BBQ places aren’t going to be anything like they are in the US. That being said, I was especially disappointed by the food we had here. I had a chili burger that was dry. I mean, cardboard dry. My partner had a brisket platter that was dry as well. The BBQ sauce on the cube shaped burnt ends was overly sweet and very sticky. We discovered the sauce has both molasses and black treacle in it. Just… not very nice. Over half our plates were taken up with soggy, lukewarm fries.
The cheese mac side was really good, though! And a couple next to us had a platter that looked nice enough. It could have been what we ordered, but it’s pretty inexcusable to have sickly sauce and cardboard-​dry burgers at a BBQ place.
The man who seated us made a point of telling us we had an hr and a half at the table, for some reason. Our food came to the table 45 mins from the point of being seated. If you’re planning a birthday meal or some other sort of event meal here, it might be worthwhile to double check about the time limit.

I almost went to Pizza Express…
But ignoring the immense rumbling in my stomach, I composed myself, turned 360 and spotted Smoke — there is a God.
Running in I order a pale ale and a pulled pork burger, no messing. The pulled pork is tender and tasty, not covered in BBQ sauce — which I like, let me choose what to smother it in! The veg had great crunch and the chips are to die for.
My girlfriend couldn’t manage all of hers, so I had double the fun. Two big plates of pork, fries and a beer for £26 — not too shabby!
I did come home stinking of smoke but it was well worth it!

Lovely dinner, excellent service. The food was perfectly cooked and reasonably priced. An overall excellent experience.

Popped here for dinner on a Sunday afternoon. Arrived at 6pm and without booking. 20mins later we were seated.
Ordered the full rack of St Louis Ribs — wow! Massive portion and really tasty! Had the burnt ends on the side, which were also nice and tasty with a great spicy flavour.
Had a nice bottle of Californian Zinfandel with it. Really tasty and good value for money. Only downside being given tumblers to drink from!
Good service and all in all good value for money.
Will definitely be back!

Smoke was a very pleasant surprise by my boyfriend. It looks very stylish when you come in and there’s some sort of LA feeling over it. Very, very cool interior, as that’s something I appreciate. Oh my God. the food! Delicious! We ordered a shared platter of different meat. We thought it meant for two, but the portion size looked more like it was meant for 4 people or more! The atmosphere was great. Next to us was a party of appr 10 people which also looked like they were having a good time. My boyfriend explained it was probably one of the ‘in’ places in Sheffield now, so we came there early (around 6) to get a table, and soon it was absolutely packed! I’m very surprised how Smoke didn’t show on Unilocal’s first page of Restaurants in Sheffield, makes me wonder if there are other treasures that Unilocal isn’t giving us tourists. Conclusion: Go there!

Excellent, sleek American-​style barbecue restaurant in the city center of Sheffield.
The menu is easy to navigate: you just select your meat poison of choice, a side dish and maybe an extra. Mine was pulled pork, which is currently my «meat favorite». Smoked coleslaw and twice-​cooked fries came with it, my extra was a couple of brisket mash meatballs. Very well prepared in the large kitchen (which is openly visible to the customer — always a good sign!). Décor is «rustic», as befits the menu. Robust wood benches and tables. The beer glasses (only ½ pints or pitchers!) are very unique. Beer prices aren’t cheap, it must be said. For a ½ pint of IPA and ale each I paid a total of UKP 4.50. Food itself is reasonably priced.
The food was great. Pulled pork was tender and mouth-​wateringly moist, the coleslaw tasty and not at all slimy or oily, as it sometimes is. Fries full of taste (And, presumably, full of carbs too — Who cares?!). These people clearly know what they’re doing. So if you’re a barbecue lover, or want to scare the shit out of some vegan sissies, this is the place to go!