It’s almost BBQ season! This week for #Hollreats we headed off the beaten track of Kendal’s high street to go and sample some southern comfort BBQ.
Down Smokehouse Yard on a very typical grey day in the Auld grey town we headed down the cobbled path to find a slice of Texas sunshine.
Pappy’s Smokehouse Bar and Grill’s ambiance has a stripped back cosy cabin vibe and a casual dining atmosphere with soft country and western music that makes you instantly at ease. Pappys couldn’t have asked for a better historical venue to have their Texas BBQ in because their restaurant was born in Kendal’s old smokehouse and in the 19th century the smokehouse was used to smoke meats.
The foundations of authenticity don’t stop there when I chatted with owner Robin Hurtas who is a third generation Texan.
Robin told us about growing up in a household of pitmasters and how her Pappy taught her everything she now knows about barbecues.
Sadly, Robin’s Pappy passed away in 2014 but honouring his legacy as a legendary pitmaster Robin was determined to show the North-West the tradition’s that he passed down to Robin and her family through generations.
With a backstory as inspiring as this we couldn’t wait to see what it’s like to sample traditional Texan cuisine in the heart of the gateway to the Lakes.
The Cumberland Super Dog
If you’ve ever lived or even visited Cumbria then you’ll be sure to have had the delight of digging into a Cumberland sausage. This version of our humbly spiced and herbed traditional dish is offered up with a Texan twist, it’s smoked.
It had the flavour profile you’d expect from this classic Cumbrian food, notes of pepper, thyme and sage except you are hit with an immediate after taste of aged and succulently smoky sausage that you’d expect to get from a smokehouse.
And if the sausage didn’t provide enough porky goodness there’s a good helping of pulled pork packed into the crunchy on the outside soft on the inside baguette.
The pulled pork has a real melt in your mouth feel but out of personal preference I would’ve loved for it to have been as smoky as the sausage but it still held deep flavour.
Piled on top of this pitmasters prime porky perfection is an assortment of pickled red onion, diced pickles, a house slaw and crispy onions. Some of these ingredients would be blasphemy to Cumbrians who serve up the sausage traditionally with mash and gravy but they all work perfectly in conjunction with that smoky take on a Cumberland sausage.
With each mouthful you are greeted with the zestiness of the pickled veg, the creaminess of the house slaw (which is honestly one of the best slaws I’ve had in a while) and of course the smoky meaty goodness. The Dirty Vegan Fries
Yes, most of Pappy’s menu is beautifully cooked and smoked meats (Robin’s favourite being their beef brisket) but they do offer a hefty vegan option of dirty fries.
Loaded on top of some reasonably salted fries you can expect to sample garlic aioli sauce, pickled red onion, diced pickles, spring onions and crispy fried onions and a heap of Tex-Mex pinto beans and BBQ sauce made to Robin’s Pappy’s secret recipes.
The Tex-Mex beans pack a moderately spicy punch which is cooled by the garlic and bbq sauce which all complements the golden shoe strings they are laid on top of.
The Session IPA
I’m almost always exclusively a larger drinker when it comes to soul and comfort food but this time, I challenged myself to try out a local IPA. The Lake’s Brew Co have managed to conjure up an IPA that is delightfully non bitter and has big dry hop flavour that washed down the meaty super dog and vegan fries pretty damn fine.
Might I mention that I got all of this for under £25! What absolute bargain prices for top quality food. Pappy’s Smokehouse Bar and Grill also has a sister restaurant in the same yard that exclusively serves up Tacos with both vegan and meat options.
Not only this but you can bring a taste of Pappy’s home with you and buy their secret recipe BBQ sauce, their meats and merch here.
Do you want to get a taste of Pappy’s every day? Then why not apply to learn from the highly skilled pitmasters with Robin’s team here.
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