A Return Visit To Hickory's Smokehouse In Gamston, Nottingham
Published On Sunday 6 Jul 2025 by Sticky Beak
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Having been fortunate enough to visit the southern states in America several times when I was younger, I got a taste of ‘proper’ smokehouse meats, but have tasted many sub-par imitations back home subsequently. When Hickory’s Smokehouse first invited The Man and I along, I was a bit apprehensive (if I’m being honest) and wasn’t really expecting the food to be the ‘real deal’. How wrong I was! Since that inaugural visit, His Nibs and I have been self-confessed, die-hard fans of this great chain of restaurants, so we were thrilled to be invited back to the Gamston site to try some new dishes on the menu.
Trust me, at any of the Hickory’s venues we’ve visited, parking ain’t gonna be a problem – they’ve all been flippin’ huge; well, the inspo is the USA, where everything’s on a bigger scale! The relaxed charm of the deep-south is also reflected in the décor, with its barn vibe. Open-plan, there’s an abundance of padded easy chairs and booths, paired with chunky tables, wooden floors and distressed ceilings, with a warm glow cast from the lighting against redbrick walls. Country music twangs in the background, and the greeting at the front desk was a verbal hug to the soul.
Joe, who we’ve met before, and Dan were the managers on shift and, having taken us to a table for 4 folks (we spread out with our paraphernalia…a lot!), Joe handed us over to Tommy who would be our server for the evening. Whatever your preference, Hickory’s have you covered, in the beverage department; I had a cocktail (the kicking ‘Paloma Spice’) and His Nibs had a pint of some fruity IPA whose name I can’t remember. Water for the table comes as standard, as does the Popcorn, so we were nibbling away happily as we perused the menu. His Nibs spied a new starter, the Brisket Popcorn Bites with Kansas-style BBQ sauce (£9.75) and I had a hankering for some Deep-South Shrimp Cocktail Tostadas: tangy Creole Mayo-dressed Shrimp with crisp Lettuce, Celery and Lime (£9).
There were plenty of people in already, celebrating birthdays, and as the evening progressed more families (with and without children) came in, as well as groups of friends and couples. If you have a celebration or occasion, Hickory’s is the place to come; it’s also perfect for relaxed date nights and general catch-ups after work. Rob was heading up the kitchen, and he and his team never stopped! It wasn’t long before Tommy was serving our starters and bidding us to enjoy – don’t you worry, handsome, we will!
The Brisket Popcorn Bites were everything you dream of: deep flavour, melt-in-the-mouth texture, juicy, the perfect one-bite size, and paired with a rich, smoky, sweet BBQ sauce. Seriously, they might sound simple, but they surely delivered on the taste scale…and then some. Mind you, my trio of Tostadas weren’t shabby either. Each perfect circle of corn Tortilla was laden with cool, crisp Lettuce, loads of juicy, sweet Prawns and that zippy Creole Mayo, in the style of a flattened Taco, if you will. Both of us said that the starters were delicious, and surprisingly filling; the last part of this statement will have you wondering why on earth we chose the main course that we did – and all I’m going to say is that it’s down to Joe. Sorry for throwing you under the bus, Joe; forgive me?
Originally, The Man was going to order the Carnivore Skewer (£26), a combo of house-smoked Chicken Thighs, Pork Belly, Texas-style Brisket and the Pork, Jalapeno and Cheese Sausage, finished with Cowboy Butter. I’d zeroed in on the eight-hour Smoked Beef Rib and its Tennessee Bourbon gravy glaze (plus extra for dipping in), priced at £27. Sides of Cornbread with Maple Butter (£4.50), BBQ Pit Beans (£4.50) and Mac-n-Cheese (£5.75) were on our radar as sides…and then in waltzed Joe with his suggestion of ‘The Texas Slab’ (£85), a sharing Rump Steak: a 50oz one, to be exact! You know when someone gives you that ‘you up for the challenge, buddy’ look? Yeah, that was Joe to us, and even though we knew we were doomed to fail, we weren’t going to admit it: pride and gluttony do not a fab combination make! All the wood-fire grilled steaks come with skin-on Fries, Hickory’s Pepper Sauce, fire-kissed Chillies, and Magic Dust(ed) Field Mushrooms. We still ordered the Corn Bread – I can’t come to Hickory’s Smokehouse and not have Corn Bread.
Not to do The Texas Slab down, but think of it as a Southern States, smokehouse Chateaubriand; it’s served sliced on a wooden board and, medium-rare, provides a perfect meal for those who like their steaks medium and those who like ‘em rare; there’s slices that cover both bases. To say it’s huge is not only obvious, given it’s a whopping 50oz, but also accurate; this is one heck of a meaty beast. But, oh, the flavour! I don’t think I’ve had such a tasty Rump-steak before; its edge of fat kept the flesh beautifully juicy, as well as imparting a richness to its flavour. Cooking on the grill had imparted a gorgeous charred layer, so as well as the sweet, rich beef notes there was a super smoky, woody later for the palate to savour.
His Nibs busied himself with the Pepper sauce, revelling in its fiery kick, and I discovered my new Hickory’s Smokehouse addiction: move over, Magic Dust and Pitmaster Rub, there’s a new kid on the block and he goes by the name Cowboy Butter. Bloody magnificent, it is, lassoing this smokehouse cowgirl wannabe in with its buttery finery and snagging me in its spicy snare. If you haven’t had it before, go get you some – it is gorgeous as it melts under the heat of the steak. Happily, I bagged all the Field Mushrooms, passing over an extra Onion Ring to The Man by way of compensation. The Onion Rings themselves are pretty extra (read: Yankee in size!) and the batter is beyond crisp; you actually hear the crunch across the table as you cut/chomp into the batter.
I halved the Cornbread, taking care not to touch the [volcanically hot] cast-iron skillet that it came in. Cornbread is savoury if it’s done the authentic, Southern way and has a texture that is curiously dense but crumbly. Hickory’s Smokehouse does a cracking version, balancing the savoury element with some Maple Butter that, when it melts, imparts a smoky, subtle sweet hint into the bread. Moreish and irresistible.
Despite giving it our all, we couldn’t finish the Lone Star State (Texas) Slab, so Tommy went and grabbed us a takeout box and bag to bring it back to the nest. Dan, the manager on duty with Joe (who’d left for the night) had clearly been to the same school of feeding as him and encouraged us to have dessert. Weak-willed, we needed no second asking and ordered Frozen Custard (aka Fro-Co) with Honeycomb, Toffee Fudge pieces, and Butterscotch Sauce (£6), though I showed some restraint by choosing the [new on the menu] Mapleberry Muffin Freakshake (£9) to conclude my meal. Oh, who am I trying to fool? There is no restraint with Freakshakes!
Blueberries are melded with Maple Butter and White Chocolate to produce possibly the prettiest drink known to man; it was a spell-binding Lavender/Violet hue that tasted as delicious as it looked. The tall, fluted glass was intricately decorated on its outer with White Chocolate, 100s-and-1000s, and edible gold stars. White Chocolate Buttons partnered the Pop-tart slice and miniature Blueberry Muffin that perched on a mountain of whipped Cream. I don’t even want to think how many calories were in it!
Hickory’s are well-known for their Fro-Co, a quite marvellous concoction of egg yolk, cream and sugar that’s less aerated than Ice Cream to give it a much silkier, denser texture. Served slightly warmer than Ice Cream, too, means that it not only retains a tempting softness, but it won’t give you the dreaded ‘brain-freeze’ if you wolf it down, a la His Nibs! Whoever was in charge of the dessert station had graduated from the more is more culinary school; I don’t think there was a spare centimetre that wasn’t slathered with Butterscotch sauce (divine!), sweet, crunchy Honeycomb and indulgent bits of Toffee Fudge.
No-one can accuse the Hickory’s team of not striving to deliver top-notch customer care and service; not just Tommy, Dan and Joe, several members checked on us as they passed by – even if it was just a discreet glance. We couldn’t fault the food or ambience either, and when I visited the powder room it was spotless. Hot Wings happily given again to this fab Gamston venue. Hopefully next time we visit, the lovely Lisa will be on shift; when we were there for the opening, she was a total superstar and showed us around the outside cabanas.
For those who love a deal, Hickory’s Smokehouse has got you covered: Monday has the Big Chicken Bucket, Tuesdays is Texas Hold ‘Ems tray of Tex-Mex hand-helds, Wednesday hosts Steak and Shake slots, and Thursday heralds the BBQ Blowout. Friday kick-starts the weekend, and celebrates the end of the working week, with 2-4-£12 on cocktails.
To book a table at Gamston, call 0115 7042301 or visit www.hickorys.co.uk and hit ‘location’ to find a venue in the area you’re wanting. Once you’ve found the Hickory’s for you, click on the ‘book now’ button to reserve a table.
Hickory’s Smokehouse in Gamston is open Mon-Fri Noon-11pm (Brunch available Noon-2pm), Sat&Sun 10am-11pm (Bruch between 10am-2pm).
Massive thanks to Alison for extending the invitation to The Man and I to return, and hugs to the whole Gamston team for being legends and giving us a marvellous evening!
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