They've only been in business just over a year, but pulled-pork purveyors, Smoak have taken Glasgow's foodie scene by storm. One half of the famed pop-up Street Food Cartel, Smoakers Chris Lumsden and Stephen Young hope to bring a street food scene, similar to that in London and Manchester, to Glasgow. But while they're waiting on certain rules and laws to change to make street food a viable enterprise in the city, these guys have taken matters into their own hands with a number of Glasgow pop-ups.
Along with a West End cafe base and sporadic Street Food Cartel events at SWG3 with fellow street fooders Scoop, Smoak have also set up shop in a couple of Glasgow bars. Their pop-up operation in Variety Bar on Sauchiehall Street has drawn masses to the fun time bar for great eats. Their Tex-Mex stall dishes up a mouthwatering selection of - you guessed it - smoked meats, like beef brisket and pulled-pork shoulder all severed on brioche with a selection of incredible sauces.
Across town in the incredible West End beergarden of Sanctuary - right next to Smoak's own Dumbarton Road cafe - Smoak runs the in-house BBQ, peddling such carnivorous delights as White Truffle Mac and Cheese, Crispy Fried Chicken in Chorizo Butter, Chipotle Glazed Chicken Wings and Hickory Baby Back Ribs with a bourbon glaze.
Founded by Lumsden and Young after living in Texas for a year, on discovering the wonders of the Texan BBQ the pair realised they could never settle for same old Scottish takeaway grub again. And so the concept of Smoak - slow cooked meats, Texas-style marinades, home-smoking using a unique blend of oak and apple wood - was born. So, next time you're in one of these great Glasgow bars and get a whiff of some pork-pulling or beef, eh brisketing, be sure sink your teeth into their meaty wears and and lend some support to the street food guerillas of Glasgow.
