New Hobart eatery delivers smokin’ hot menu with a Tasmanian twist

There’s plenty to like about the Longhorn Smokehouse, service is great, the food is done well, and the fit-out is upscale, comfy and well-suited to conversations, writes TasWeekend’s Alix Davis.

Many years ago I was visiting Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for a week and was keen to try traditional Southern barbecue-style food. I figured things were looking promising when I arrived at my chosen barbecue restaurant at lunchtime to find five UPS trucks in the parking lot – if the local courier drivers thought this place was good, who was I to argue? I hesitantly ordered a mixed plate of smoked and barbecued meats, coleslaw, pickles and what looked like doughnut holes. I asked the cashier what they were. “Hush puppies,” she replied. That didn’t shed much light, so I asked for further explanation. It turns out that hush puppies aren’t just comfortable shoes but are in fact, craggy, fried balls of cornmeal batter that are a popular part of any barbecue offering.

The Longhorn Smokehouse’s Smoked brisket burnt ends, served with crispy onions, horseradish and parsley. Picture Courtesy of the Longhorn Smokehouse.

So I was delighted to see that cornbread with smoked butter ($8) – a more sophisticated take on a hush puppy – was right at the top of the menu at Wrest Point’s recently opened Longhorn Smokehouse. And that was just the start of the Southern-style feast. Next up was a plate of charred, fatty and delicious smoked brisket burnt ends ($18). These chunks of smoky goodness are offcuts from the larger smoked briskets and are highly prized in the barbecue world, these ones come with a mound of fresh horseradish for a little kick.

We rounded out our starters with a serve of corn ribs ($16) – corn cobs that had been quartered vertically and then roasted into sculptural curves of corn that are perfect for dipping into the housemade sauce and nibbling on. Both my dining companions were surprised by how good – and juicy – they were.

Diners enjoying a meal at the Longhorn Smokehouse. Picture Courtesy of the Longhorn Smokehouse

The fresh fit-out of the Longhorn Smokehouse is luxurious – deep curved booths are upholstered in velvet, banquette seating is swathed in leather and dining chairs are designed for comfort. An enormous black and white photograph of the cattle of Robbins Island, in the state’s North-West, graces one wall of the space and room dividers have been created from rough-hewn timbers and rusty branding irons. The drinks list offers plenty of cocktails and beer, though the wines by-the-glass range is not as extensive.

The Crackin’ Corn Ribs are one of several non-meat options at Wrest Point’s newest eatery. Picture Courtesy of the Longhorn Smokehouse.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this is for red-meat lovers only. There are plenty of other options on the menu including market fish (Margate crayfish the night we dined), smoked chicken with chimichurri ($25 for half) and, our choice, an oven roasted cauliflower ($32) topped with a chunky parsley salsa in a bed of cooling yoghurt. It’s a substantial main and serves as a wonderful plant-based counterpoint to our other shared mains of 16-hour smoked Cape Grim brisket ($40) and a half rack of pork ribs ($29). The brisket is served as two thick slices and is pull-apart tender.

The 16-hour Smoked Cape Grim Brisket, Crackin Corn Ribs and Fried Blooming Shallots. Picture Courtesy of the Longhorn Smokehouse.

Chef John Churchill and his team place these meats in the two state-of-the-art smokers at 11pm each night, and they really do take 16 hours. This means that once they’re gone, they’re gone – so if you’re dining late, there’s a chance you’ll miss out. The pork ribs are more meat than bone (always a good thing) and have been thoughtfully cut into single ribs – meaning I don’t have to wrestle with a rack and the very large knife we’ve all been given.

Each meat has their own sauce and all the sauces (16 in total) are housemade. “I really want people to feel the love and care that have gone into these sauces and dishes,” says Churchill who, along with his team, works this meaty magic with wood grills fuelled by apple, cherry and olive wood (“I’ve not tried olive wood before so we’ll have to see how it goes”) as well as infused barrel offcuts from the coopers at the Tasmanian Cask Company.

The Longhorn Smokehouse’s BBQ Glazed Pork Ribs are served with Promised Land Tangy BBQ sauce. Picture: Courtesy of the Longhorn Smokehouse

You’ll need some sides to go with your mains – the fries ($10) are slender and excellent, the coleslaw ($10) is crisp and tangy and a plate of bread and butter pickles ($8) offsets the sweetness of some of the sauces. The bloomin’ shallot ($10) is a nod to a classic blooming onion, but the batter was a little floury for me.

The Longhorn Smokehouse’s Geeveston Apple Tart is served with Buttermilk Sorbet. Picture Courtesy of the Longhorn Smokehouse.

The dessert list is short but well executed and our Geeveston apple tart has thinly shaved slices of apple perfectly placed into a shortcrust shell –well sized for a meal that, as promised, has not left us hungry.

There’s plenty to like about the Longhorn Smokehouse – service is friendly and efficient, classic US barbecue – with a Tasmanian slant and some modern additions done well, and the fit-out is upscale, comfortable and well-suited to conversations. We’ll be back.

Longhorn Smokehouse’s head chef John Churchill at Wrest Point. Picture: Chris Kidd

Longhorn Smokehouse

Wrest Point, Sandy Bay

Opening hours: Thursday-Monday, 5.30pm-9.30pm

Longhorn Smokehouse’s deep curved booths are upholstered in velvet and the banquette seating is swathed in leather and designed for comfort. Picture: Chris Kidd

ON THE MENU

Cornbread, $8; smoked brisket burnt ends, $18; crackin’ corn ribs, $16; ½ rack BBQ glazed pork ribs, $29; smoked Cape Grim brisket, $40; woodfire oven roast cauliflower, $32; fries, $10; tangy coleslaw, $10; Geeveston apple tart, $16.