I tasted the best of American BBQ at the newest restaurant for a smokehouse group in Telford

Some types of food from other parts of the world can be tough to get right in the UK and it can be tough to get authentic Thai, Chinese or even Indian food as a lot of what is on the menu is influenced by British tastes or the flavours and spices just aren’t right.

One type of international food which can be especially hard to properly replicate in the UK is barbeque, specifically smokehouse, southern American barbeque smoked to perfection and cooked to provide meat which falls off the bone.

I’ve been lucky enough to go to Texas and enjoy brisket, pulled pork, burnt ends, steaks and all the other goods available there, but for a long time, I’d only ever found two places that did it right: Rodeos in Wolverhampton and the much-missed Johnny Ringos in Sunderland.

However, I was able to dip my toe into the Hickory's Smokehouse pool a year ago and discovered a group of restaurants where the quality of food and standard of service is high and you are left with an expansive menu with plenty of food to expand your waistline as well.

The newest restaurant for the group opened this week on Priorslee Avenue in Telford but I was lucky enough to get an invitation to the restaurant ahead of time and, as I could bring a guest, I decided to treat my mum Diane to a night out, so we made the journey out from Wolverhampton to see what it had to offer.

Sitting on the site of the former Priorslee pub, the familiar Hickory’s logo directs hungry travellers to the car park if you’re driving. If you’re putting in the steps beforehand, just follow your nose as the smell is incredible - or listen out for the country music-heavy soundtrack.

Step through the doors and you’re met with a sensory overload with the music playing, people chatting, bright lights and colourful posters everywhere and, of course, the food cooking away in the very visible kitchen.

After getting a warm welcome, we were taken to the bar and given a seat, as well as a very detailed drinks menu, which included milkshakes both adult and child-friendly, sweet teas, winter warmers, cocktails and beers, soft drinks and some fine wine for those of a discerning taste.

For me as Mr motorist, I couldn’t drink alcohol, so I was left thinking about something tasty and refreshing, which led to me to a large root beer. I love root beer and, when I’m in the States, it’s all I drink outside of bars, so even though I don’t touch a lot of carbonated soft drinks now, it was worth hanging the diet for one night.

It proved a prudent decision as I received a huge jar full of fizzy, tangy and refreshing root beer, as well as ice and a cherry on top. Little touches like that will make me a happy boy, while my mum was just as happy with a half pint of Budweiser.

After a small bag of popcorn in the bar as an appetiser, we were met by members of the team, who explained how the evening would work and then led us to our table, which was in the middle of a very busy and very lively restaurant, full of the great and good of Shropshire and West Midlands influencers, event organisers and food writers.

We took our seats and chatted with the bosses there about Hickory’s and how they treated the meat to ensure it was the right tenderness and quality, including a smoking room and a mixture of herbs and spices to make it just right (no spoilers though, you’ll have to eat it to find out).

Being the practice night, there may have been a few nerves among some of the team, but they were happy to chat and work things out while they worked on their tablets and brought in drinks, so you never felt harried or bothered, and we were left to examine the menu, featuring a plethora of tastes to make the mouth not so much water as torrent.

The starters alone are worth their weight in gold, full of wings, pretzel bites, corn chips, smoked brisket tacos, chicken strips and cauliflower burnt ends, meaning something for all tastes and all diets.

We had the choice of one starter each and both fancied a bit of chicken, so I went for the chicken in a basket, while mum settled for the smoked wings, a collection of tasty and tender sauces smothered in either Texas smoky BBQ or Louisiana hot sauce.

The main course options are legendary, with so much choice, from mac n’ cheese and Gumbo to many types of meat dishes featuring pulled pork, barbequed chicken, steak, ribs and, of course, the 16-hour smoked brisket, which comes in a ½ pound portion.

There’s also seafood options, chicken fried waffles and a range of burgers, but if you are unsure or indecisive about what you want and you’d like to try everything that come from the barbeque pit, then you can order the smokehouse platter, which says it’s for two people.

For £62, you get all the meats on offer, pulled pork with beans, cornbread, chicken wings, a large portion of chips, house slaw, pickles and a tank of Tennessee bourbon gravy, which at least two of the serving team said they would happily drink on its own.

A lot of the choice for us came down to the level of spice as I could tell mum was more worried about anything being too hot, seeing as I like hot sauces and spice, whereas she can’t really do a lot of spice.

I was getting very lost in the smokehouse section, full of the different meats, but managed to settle, as such, on the carnivore skewer, a melding together of chicken thighs, pork belly, brisket, and pork jalapeno and cheese sausage, all smothered with cowboy butter.

Mum looked at the non-smoker menu and selected the watermelon and spiced rice salad, a mix of lettuce, sweet gem leaves, spiced rice, feta cheese and fresh watermelon, with cajun grilled chicken adding to the flavour of it.

I also added a few sides of cornbread and maple butter, chopped smoked pork and jalapeno sausage and brisket mac 'n' cheese, just to try a few other flavours and tastes.

Decisions made, we waited for the food to arrive and I took the opportunity to have a wander around the restaurant, which is massive and full of nooks and crannies as well as a full-screen cinema which would hold about 20 people.

That, the dessert station and the popcorn machine are some of the ways of entertaining the younger visitors and something I applaud. I have memories of going to restaurants as a much younger person and finding myself unable to join the conversation, so feeling disengaged and bored.

Our starters arrived and what became clear at this point was that one of our portions might have been enough as a main meal, such was the large number of wings on offer.

My chicken was wonderful, melt-in-the-mouth and soft, and mixed well with the Nashville hot honey sauce, as well as the tortilla chips which came with underneath, while mum enjoyed the soft and tasty chicken, although she did need a few paper towels, handily provided on the table, as it could get a bit messy.

I had to help with the load as well, which meant being covered in BBQ sauce myself, but able to really enjoy the flavours and texture of the chicken, as well as the celery sticks and blue cheese sauce provided.

All this would have actually been good enough as a meal on its own, if I’m honest, but we both ate enough to be satisfied and ready to enjoy the main course, with mum saying that it was the sort of place that a family could each get something different and unique, such was the size of the menu.

Talking about portion sizes, what we thought might have been a smaller meal in itself in the salad turned out to be a huge platter of green, white and red, complemented by what turned out to be very tasty and surprisingly spicy chicken, although not overly spicy as mum was able to enjoy her meal.

My skewer didn't disappoint either, full of rich flavour from the cowboy butter and with each piece cooked excellently, nice and soft and allowing me to sample all the best bits in one go, as well as allowing me to try out a few of the hot sauces on offer from the restaurant, including an orange habanero one with a kick and a spicy ghost chilli caper.

We had been warned, beforehand, to save space for dessert and even after two rounds of heavy hits, we still felt ready for one more round of food and the dessert menu certainly packs a punch.

There’s the cookie sandwich, the waffle plates, ice cream and frozen custard, fudge cake, churros and, if you’re like me and want to try something different and a bit quirky, you can toast marshmallows over a fire and dip them in chocolate.

While we both felt full, we both fancied a dessert, so we both went for the frozen custard (like a much thicker Mr Whippy), with mum having the straight up and plain, while I went for the rocky road, chocolate and hazelnut.

The Fro-Co, as Hickory's calls it, was the best way to end, creamy and tasty and full of flavour, with plenty of bits of rocky road to fish out.

In conclusion, it was a fun evening all around, full of great food, friendly and not-overly attentive service (we were allowed to enjoy our meal without too much attention) and a lot of laughter, joking with other tables and being entertained by the team.

It fits the bill for a taste of Texan, Kansas or deep South barbeque and I would highly recommend going. The people of Telford have spoken in their wish for a Hickory's and I think they've made the right decision.