I found the authentic taste and sounds of American BBQ in the heart of Stafford

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 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 and, in my near-43 years on this earth, I’ve only ever found two places that did it right: Rodeos in Wolverhampton and the much-missed Johnny Ringos in Sunderland.

Turns out there was a chain of restaurants under my nose the whole time in Hickory’s Smokehouse, with 24 restaurants currently open across the country.

The 25^th restaurant opened its doors to the public in Stafford on Friday but, as a way of getting their staff ready and getting all the kinks worked out, the good people put out invitations to the great and good to come and enjoy a meal and take in the flavours of the South on Kingsway on the outskirts of the town centre a few days beforehand.

I was lucky enough to get an invitation to the restaurant and, as I could bring a guest, I decided to treat my mum Diane to a night out.

This, in itself, is a voyage of discovery for my mum as while she’s eaten barbecue in the past, it’s been a long time and her palate and tastes have changed.

For me, it’s also a bit of a different experience as I don’t eat nearly as much as I did a year ago, so I wanted to gauge the quality and quality of the food, as well as the service and general atmosphere.

Sitting on the site of the former Hungry Horse, it’s not hard to find, full of vivid bright lights and the familiar Hickory’s logo if you’re driving up or, 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.

Take a step through the doors and you’re met with a sensory overload with the music playing, people chatting, bright lights and colourful poster 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.

That fit my mum nicely and she started sipping a Malbec. For me as, once again, 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.

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.

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).

They also provided us with a strip of the beef brisket, which was so soft and tender and melt-in-the-mouth. It also took my mum back to her childhood and how her mother would save up to get a brisket and then cook it slowly to get the flavours right.

That was a nice start to the culinary experience and we were left to examine the menu, which is a plethora of tastes that will make your mouth torrent, not just water.

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.

Keen to try a bit of everything, I order the pretzels, chicken in a basket and burnt ends, all coming with different tasty and zingy sauces.

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 staff said they would happily drink on its own.

This was the way forward for both of us to get the full flavour (no pun intended) of the restaurant, although 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.

Still, decision made, and as we waited for the food to arrive, I took the opportunity to have a wander around the restaurant, which is massive and full of nooks and crannies as well as, much to my amazement, 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.

We chatted with the couple sat near us, sharing a laugh over the bibs they were wearing as they tackled their Smokehouse Platter, which brought home to me how big it was (a one person platter is £34) and how, for £62, you could feed a family of four quite easily.

Before that, our starters arrived, full of colour and flavour at every turn. The cauliflower burnt ends were soft and well seasoned, with the hot honey sauce a nice side to it and, to mum, not that hot, more full of flavour.

I loved the pretzels, combining a garlic-butter glaze with a beer-infused cheese dip that was sharp and tangy, while the chicken was wonderful melt-in-the-mouth and soft, mixing well with the hot honey sauce and also going well with the cheese dip.

It 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.

The main course arrived with a thump, such was the size of the platter in front of us and after the server described everything, we fell to and began taking in the different tastes on offer, while wearing the special bibs provided (this could have got messy).

I could go one for many paragraphs about each bit, but here is my summary: goodness me, what a meal.

The different barbequed meats were just divine, full of different flavours, spices and seasoning, and it was a meal full of variety, from the soft and delicious brisket to the sticky chicken wings and the nicely spiced sausage.

The cornbread added a nice touch as well, allowing me to mop up the sauces on the plate, plus the hot sauces I added to give it a bit of extra zing. The fried almost weren’t necessary, but still made a nice addition to the meal and, yes, the gravy was so good, I could have just drunk the bucket.

Even though there were two of us and we had a good go, there was so much left, perhaps showing that you could feed four or five people with that plater. What we ended up was lunches and dinners for the next two days.

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… no, really!

When it arrived, it was a plate full of different marshmallows, some on sticks and some on the side, a bowl in the middle which, one assumed, was the fire and a big tub of melted chocolate.

Once the fire was lit, the fun could begin and we had a lovely time sticking the marshmallows in the flames, watching them set alight and toast in the flames, then blowing out the flaming mallows and smothering them in chocolate (that line was as much fun to write as it was to eat the food).

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 staff, plus any place that lets me go back to being a scout by letting me toast marshmallows scores highly for me.

It fits the bill for a taste of Texan, Kansas or deep South barbeque and I would highly recommend going. Just make sure you wear the bib, as that sauce goes everywhere.