Red’s True Barbecue, Leeds.

Take a look in the ready meal aisle of any supermarket and you’ll see just how much Man vs. Food has affected the way we eat. I remember a time when the “American” section in Sainsbury’s boasted a few fajita kits, loaded potato skins and spicy chicken wings. Tex-Mex however, has finally given way to “genuine Mex”, with burritos and quesadillas popping up regularly in high street chains and though I still have to buy my ancho chillies online, some supermarkets have started to stock a little more than sachets of taco seasoning. Drooling over philly cheese steaks dipped in beef juice or groaning at the thought of a Ruben sandwich has also become more of a reality this past year. I’ve been given the nickname “burger freak” by my mum recently, as whenever she gets a text from me, I’m telling her about some new patty I’m trying. I find it difficult to tear myself away from Gourmet Burger Kitchen and their blue cheese and bacon burger at the best of times, but having spotted a friend on Facebook eating out at a restaurant that had “barbecue” in its name; it felt like a day trip was in order.

Red’s True Barbecue has been open in Leeds on Cloth Hall Street for over a year it seems, but I missed the memo. A few weeks ago a sister store was unveiled in Manchester and there are plans to open another near to Headingley Stadium by the end of this year. The chain gets mixed reviews on TripAdvisor but the majority of bad feeling comes mainly from the fact that the restaurant in Leeds, situated just next to the Corn Exchange doesn’t take bookings. Their unique system is one that would certainly irritate me if I got caught up in it; customers are asked to leave their phone numbers with the waiting staff and wander round Leeds until a table is freed up, then they receive a phone call telling them to come back! The thought of a three-hour wait whilst hungry was enough to give me a sleepless night, but we arrived after the lunchtime rush, at around a quarter to two, and were seated instantly. If you want to eat here, you obviously have to play the game; don’t go at lunch or dinner time, and avoid weekends if possible.

The place is very stylised, with a strong bible-belt theme and an atmosphere a cross between a saloon bar and a cattle ranch. T-shirts and aprons pinned up on the walls say stuff like “I once was lost, but now I’ve found barbecue”, or “Praise the lord of barbecue”. Alright, they didn’t actually say that, but it was slightly too over the top; no one likes a restaurant that’s trying too hard, even if it’s one that’s making out like it isn’t. The bible-styled menu is a nice idea but there are far too many options to choose from. Reams and reams of dishes and drinks really make it difficult for a restaurant to focus on quality, so it had to deliver to justify putting so much on the menu. After a long perusal, I decided to try a little bit of everything via their number two combo plate, whilst Roger went for the heart-attack special, the donut burger. We didn’t have to wait long for our meal to arrive and when it did it was beautifully presented; metal trays served as plates, lined with a sheet of patterned greaseproof paper, side dishes either stacked in corners of the tray or piled high in chipped blue and white enamel dishes. 

They smoke their meat daily and once it’s gone, it’s gone. My two chicken wings were undeniably huge; smoked, then deep fried, their skin was crispy but I didn’t get the smoky flavour coming through. They did just taste like a plain deep-fried chicken wing, so nothing special. That said, they seemed pretty authentic when I think about it; most chicken wings that I’ve seen on Man vs. Food aren’t marinated or slashed to get the flavour bone-deep. Just mine. Which taste better. The St Louis rib stack was more interesting than the wings but again, a little underwhelming. The ribs themselves were smoked and fell off the bone as Jay Rayner had promised, but there was a definite sense that they tasted more like a better-quality corned beef than a rib. A sickly-sweet barbecue sauce didn’t help things, absolutely smothering the meat and any flavour, tasting too similar to ketchup for me to actually enjoy it. If you want sticky ribs, don’t just dip them in sauce after you’ve cooked them! I know that this is an American way of doing things but this time it just didn’t work. If the sauce had more depth of flavour to it then things might have been different.

The “humble” side of potato salad was a generous portion, brimming up to the top of its enamelware tin, with lots of spring onions and wholegrain mustard. My other side, two massive onion rings, wowed a little more in appearance than in taste however, as we found the batter was a little under mixed and bit into big chunks of flour. As for Roger’s donut burger, which I expect a lot of people go for, what can I say? Of course, he loved it. The burger was cooked well, pink and juicy in the middle but where can you really go when talking about a donut burger? It was sweet and stodgy. If you like mixing meat with dessert then go for it. Maybe that was my problem with the food; too much sugar. Each sauce was absolutely laced with it and that’s really not my thing. So maybe Red’s True Barbecue is authentic? Ten out of ten for presentation, without doubt; the plates looked amazing and so did the restaurant itself. I can see how it’s easy to get swept up in all that marketing and overlook the actual food but at £16.95 for my combo plate alone, all sauce and no substance just isn’t enough for me.