The background
Founded by David Carter (also co-founder of Soho’s Manteca), Smokestak’s smoked barbecue meats started off as a street food venture. After gathering a cult following that saw snaking queues at festivals and markets, a bricks and mortar restaurant was eventually opened in 2016, tucked away in Sclater Street, just a stone’s throw from Shoreditch’s Boxpark, and complete with its own meat smoker.

The meal
Two beautiful pieces of meat – a 15-hour beef brisket and a piece of native breed pulled pork – were transformed after about 20 mins in the oven into an impressive display of barbecued perfection. Nobody would ever know you haven’t been cooking for hours!
The brisket comes with a barbecue sauce to top with if you prefer, but is flavourful enough to enjoy on its own. The texture is soft and melt-in-your-mouth delicious – even better than we were expecting, and leftovers were just as great the next day. Add some of the pickled red chili if you need a bit of a kick. Pickled cucumbers were provided to cut through the delicious rich flavour of the pulled pork, which had a great level of moisture (and some charred edges to fight over). A warm salt-baked beetroot salad topped with goat’s cheese and crushed toasted hazelnuts added fantastic colour to the table, and is a winning combination Brummell hadn’t tried before, while charred greens drizzled with salsa rossa added satisfying crunch. A sticky toffee pudding with salted caramel sauce finished things off – the perfect sweet and warming end to dinner on a miserable grey day. We were also able to cheers to the success of dinner with a pink, pretty rhubarb spritz for two, but a selection of cocktails, beers and wine can also be added on to kit box deliveries as extras. There’s even a dedicated Spotify playlist for you to get the full restaurant experience at home.

How many does it feed?
Two

The packaging
The meal arrives in a cardboard box, and every element has been portioned into its own plastic container, sachet or bag, with clear labels detailing what is inside.

Prep
Home chefs will need to scan a QR code provided to access online cooking instructions, but the prep was primarily heating, chopping and topping various bits, nothing above novice cooking skills or equipment required.

The price
This ‘meal for two’ box was £75, but the box offerings and price change every few weeks.

The verdict
Perfect for a fairly fuss-free DIY dinner that looks and tastes very impressive once all plated up. This feels decadent enough for a special occasion or real weekend treat. It’s quite a heavy meat feast though, so come hungry or make plans for leftovers!

 To see the current ‘meal for two’ box and to order, visit smokestakshop.co.uk