It was nearly seven years ago that I took Ardie Davies, aka Remus Powers PhB – that’s ‘doctor of BBQ philosophy’ – to David Carter’s Smokestak. Ardie is something of a legend in the world of American barbecue, which is all about smoking tough cuts, slow and low – not only the author of 11 books on the noble art of ’cue, but an inductee in The Barbecue Hall of Fame. He sure knows his smoked meat. And was impressed by Smokestak’s smoked brisket sandwich, thank god, deeming it excellent, and declaring that ‘this place knows barbecue’.
High praise indeed. But decent barbecue is still a rare thing in London. I liked Pitt Cue Co and Prairie Fire (both RIP), and have heard great things about Texas Joe’s – mainly from Gavin Cleaver, who wrote the definitive (and excellent) guide to London BBQ for Vittles a while back. So his rave review, in the same publication, of Lil’ Nashville in Turnham Green got me very excited indeed.
Lil’ Nashville’s ‘authentic’ hot chicken, on white bread with pickles and fries
Just off Chiswick High Road, Lil’ Nashville is a country-music venue with a large stage, live music, neon signs and various honky-tonk daubings scrawled across the walls. OK, so Nashville is better known for ‘meat and three’ than for barbecue. But it’s also the birthplace of hot chicken – invented, they say, at the iconic Prince’s, where heat comes from the amount of cayenne pepper mixed into the batter, from plain to the frankly suicidal XXX hot. One bite rendered me mute for at least half an hour. The ‘authentic’ chicken tenders at Lil’ Nashville are anything but, the heat coming from the ‘extra hot’ sauce, which is not very spicy at all.
On to barbecue, smoked in a Cookshack smoker, a vast and serious piece of kit. Baby back ribs have an excellent pert texture, and a fine bark (or crust) too. But the smoke flavour is barely discernible. They need more oomph. Pulled pork is also a mighty cut above the usual cloyingly oversweet slop, with a decent amount of fat, a good tangy sauce, and proper homemade pickles. Brisket, though, is a disappointment. The bark is respectable, as is a strip of softly wobbling fat. But again, there’s little trace of the smoker and it verges on the bland. Still, there’s potential here. They just need to dial up that smoke.
About £30 per head. Lil’ Nashville, 11 Barley Mow Passage, London W4; lilnashville.co.uk
