Grillstock Smokehouse Clifton

[jez2775]

Whilst driving from Cumbria to Cornwall for work, I managed to persuade a colleague that he should forgo his usual roadtrip diet of Ginsters sausage rolls and Tangfastics for the delights of bbq at Grillstock Smokehouse in Clifton.
Although intially sceptical, partly due to the fact that I suspect he has shares in Ginsters given how many of their products he consumes, he was won over by my well reasoned argument, namely that as I'm driving he had no choice in the matter.
Having been to a couple of Grillstock festivals and thoroughly enjoyed them, I was looking forward to some unexpected Tuesday bbq.
The Clifton branch in the burgeoning Grillstock empire has a nice feel to it, and the staff were really friendly and helpful. The only drawback unfortunately seemed to be the average food. Being a fan of the Central Texas style of bbq, I went for the brisket. This unfortunately tasted more of overcooked roast beef, lacking completely the smokey depth of flavour and texture of a well smoked brisket. It aslo lacked any noticable smoke ring or bark, and to add insult to injury had been cut with the grain rather than across it, giving a rather stringy texture. The coleslaw was also on the vinegary side for my taste, although the gherkin slices were good, and the chips were excellent.
My Ginsters loving colleague went with the Smokestak burger, which he proclaimed to be ok, although given the amount of fiery sauce he added to it I'm surprised that he managed to taste any of it.
I really wanted to like Grillstock, and I'm going to give them another crack when we make our way back on Friday, possibly trying their three meat combo plate this time.