If you live near Manchester you’ll have heard about Reds
True BBQ, and if you haven’t, do you live under a rock? From the minute it opened
in Albert Square my Instagram feed was full of my friends being defeated by the
meat. It’s become the new food hype for Manchester, if you haven’t snapped
yourself with a massive plate of ribs at Reds True yet then what have you been
doing with yourself? At first I was a bit sceptical about this new trend, were
my friends really in #meatheaven or
did their hair just look really good that day? But now I've tried it myself, I've
been converted.
From the outside, Reds True looks like another one of the
Manchester’s bog standard restaurants, fancy building, not much signage, simple
name above door, but go inside and you’re transported to a grungy Southern
State of American diner. Tin can lids on the walls, bare light bulbs overhead,
rows of homemade sauces on the table. You feel like you’ve just walked in off
the road, dust in your hair, ready for some meat. Just looking at the menu – The Good Book –
made my mouth drool, I wanted to try EVERYTHING! Unfortunately the amount of different
ribs, wings, steaks, burgers in different sauces was too much for even a pig
like me. However the generous gods of meat have given us a combo menu, so you
can stuff yourself senseless on at least two delicious meats.
I decided on Combo No.4: Texas Beef Brisket and North
Carolina Pulled Pork. I was desperate to try Combo No.2: Jumbo BBQ Wings and St
Louis Ribs, I love chicken wings, when I was younger at parties with buffets I could
sit and eat chicken wings for 20 guests all by myself. But my lovely date had
already decided he wanted that, so I went for something I wouldn’t normally order,
in hopes that I could surprise myself, an
d if not I could sneak some wings when
he wasn’t looking. Now before you start the exclamations - of course I've tried
pulled pork, I couldn’t call myself a foodie if I hadn’t. But brisket is a
whole other kettle of fish. Being an avid Big Bang Theory fan, every time the
word brisket is mention I immediately think of Howards mother sweating over a
tough, grizzly cut of beef. But I've always thought, if you’re going to try a
new slice of meat, try it in a place that knows how to cook meat. And Reds True
BBQ certainly know how to do that. The slice that came out had been smoked slowly
for hours and was so juicy and succulent that it melted immediately in my
mouth. Dousing it in the South Carolina Mustard Sauce was the best thing, it
gave it a little kick without burning my mouth off.
My pulled pork came with apple sauce and had been cooked in
a BBQ sauce. I've tried a lot of pulled pork in the past few years, in wraps,
in burgers, on chips covered in cheese. But this, with just a simple, meat
juice soaked salad, mixing with the flavours of the beef brisket, is by far the
best I've ever had. I could have married it there and then. Much to my lovely
dates dismay I managed to finish all of my meat while he was still struggling
with his. I thought I’d be nice and give him a helping hand. The wings did not disappoint,
as big as my fist, dripping in sauce and deliciously messy. The ribs were a
gigantic slab on the plate, but when you picked them up the meat just fell off
the bone it was so tender. We tried it with the North Carolina BBQ Mopping
Sauce, and oh my god, my taste buds started doing a little dance in my mouth. I
usually hate vinegar based sauces but this one mixed with peppers and chillies
just hit the spot.
I don’t think I've ever gone out for a meal and not ordered
sides. This was no exception, between us we ordered skin on fries – why would
you not? giant onion rings and grits. The giant onion rings were just that, two
together covered my whole face, and I have quite a largish face. More grease
and batter than onion, and so good. The chips were yummy with the blue cheese
that came with one of the combos, and I even forced myself to try the Triple 6
Hot Sauce on one of them, something I won’t be doing again if I want to keep my
taste buds. But the real show stopper was the grits.
If like me you’ve never heard of grits, they are apparently
a Southern State delicacy of porridge oats. Not really the most appetising
thing in the world, but Reds True BBQ have put a spin on them and made them
indescribably beautiful. In fact up until the point where I googled them I thought
they were mashed potato, they were so buttery and fluffy I never would have
connected them to porridge. They came with lumps of garlic in them, absolutely
divine, and was dusted down with paprika. If I was told that I could only eat
Reds True BBQ grits for the rest of my life, I would live my last few years
very fat and happy.
Having been told last week that Sunday lunch was not
cocktails o’clock, I decided that Tuesday afternoon definitely was. WARNING: if
you have something important to do after eating at Reds True BBQ, do not have a
cocktail, they are leathal! The Hickory Daiquiri Cox was small but hit me like
a tonne of bricks, not for an empty stomach. We didn’t think we could fit in a
desert after our meat feast, but cheekily we shared and rum and ginger beer
float, it was pretty much what I would imagine butterbeer to taste like, alcoholic,
creamy and scrumptious.
Reds True BBQ have definitely converted me to a believer of
the meat, I keep having dreams about BBQ sauce and grits, wishing I lived in
Texas. I left that day full, smiling and stumbling slightly, and I can’t wait
to go back and try their burgers!!
Stella Artois Rasberry Cidre, I'm a sucker for fancy new ciders, and I need to try this one soon!
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