A duo bringing a taste of the US barbecue belt to Leeds are telling diners their venture is more than a restaurant – it’s a religion.
Customers at Red’s True Barbecue will be greeted from a pulpit before being seated on church pews and handed a menu entitled “The Good Book”.
Business partners James Douglas and Scott Munro want people to forget British barbecues of burnt bangers and burgers, praying their authentic US-style pits will convert a flock of followers.
Their website states: “Like a lightning bolt from the heavens it dawned on Red – the people of this island knew nothing of True Barbecue.”
Former Allerton Grange pupil and founder of Nest estate agents, James, 33, said: “Real barbecue doesn’t exist anywhere in the UK outside London.
“We are staying true to the values of barbecue but trying to put our twist on it.
“We’ve been researching it for three years.”
The twosome enjoyed mouth-watering trips to the southern states dubbed “the barbecue belt” during the planning process, discovering that elsewhere in the world barbecue is synonymous with great food.
To replicate that experience in Leeds, they imported wood-fired smokers from Oklahoma, and a custom-built wood-burning barbecue pit.
Unlike typical British barbecues, which involve grilling food, the US style involves cooking meat over a low heat for many hours.
In any other restaurant Clinton Britz would be head chef but at Red’s he is the pitmaster – named in the US tradition.
But while the cooking style comes from the deep south, the ingredients come from God’s own country. Local Yorkshire farms are supplying the meat, while bespoke breads come from a Leeds bakery.
And even before Red’s serves its first customer, it has already scooped an award from the British BBQ Society Annual Meeting for its caramel apple pecan pie.
The restaurant, which replaces the former Venture Photography studio on the corner of Call Lane, is set to open on Sunday. (Sept 9)
It has 107 covers and takes its name from red-haired Scott’s childhood nickname.
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