Let’s be clear. This isn’t the kind of barbecue you cook at home. Our menu is from the traditions of good old American barbecue from way down in the South. There, they lovingly slow-cook the meat over a real wood fire. Why? For the smoke. The smoke from the burning wood is the essential ingredient. It infuses the meat with its tone and flavour to create the rich, deep and distinctive smoky taste that makes their, and our, barbecue food so authentically sumptuous. Sauce is optional, smoke isn’t.
We got into the restaurant business to get off the corporate ladder. On a soul-searching trip to New Orleans we fell so deeply in love with the barbecue experience that we decided right there and then we were going to bottle it and bring it back to Wales. We got home, quit our jobs and sunk everything into a place on Swansea’s Wind Street. As quick as that, The Smoke Haus was born. It wasn’t easy, but from that day to this it’s been great fun.
You’ve probably noticed it’s not just our menu that’s influenced by the USA. That’s because great American barbecue food is all about the experience. It wasn’t enough to simply recreate the feel-good flavours we’re so passionate about. We also wanted to capture the atmosphere, warmth and genuine hospitality that great barbecue comes with. If you’ve never sat in a Kentucky biker bar breathing in the smoky aroma of a tender rack of prime pork ribs, come on down.