Cerisette

As I live in the Midlands, I am really keen for this blog not to be London-centric, as many other food blogs can sometimes be. Despite this, I’m going to completely break my own rule and make my next few posts about food in the capital! Last week I went on a mini food pilgrimage to a few of the places that I’ve been reading about in the press recently, one of which was Pitt Cue Co. at Southbank. This unassuming looking food truck stationed under Hungerford Bridge has got people all in a flutter, and I just had to experience it for myself, as the only food trucks in my local town centre are the ones which sell meat products of dodgy provenance, or as I like to call them, “death van burgers,” to drunken oafs on a Saturday night.

Pitt Cue Co. sells good old-fashioned American barbecue. It’s not fancy, just a trailer under a bridge with some tables and stools positioned around. I visited on a Saturday afternoon and there was already a queue developing before it opening at 1pm. The staff looked a lot like they’d been getting high on their own supply of picklebacks (more of which later) the night before, with bleary eyes and shaky hands being the order of the day. This just added to the roughneck Americana vibe in my opinion, I’m always up for a bit of grit!

I was hungering for ribs as the carnivore in me just cannot resist eating meat directly from the bone, I relish any opportunity to pretend I’m having a medieval banquet à la Henry VIII. However, ribs were off the menu, so I ordered a serving of pulled pork and another of brisket. Both came in cardboard boxes with sides, pickles, sauce and bread, all for a very reasonable £7. The pulled pork was hickory smoked Gloucester Old Spot, served with root beer beans and sourdough, whilst the Salt Longhorn brisket came with slaw and rye bread. Both had seen over 12 hours in the smoker, resulting in meat so tender it melted in the mouth, with almost no chewing necessary. The sides were fabulous, as was the bread with which I mopped up the sweet juices at the bottom of the boxes.

However, one of the best things about this food truck is that it is licensed. You can get beers, cocktails and shots, and they also profess to serve the only picklebacks in London. If, like me before I had visited Pitt Cue Co., you are unaware of what a pickleback is, let me explain. It is one shot of Bourbon followed in quick succession by another of pickle juice. Sounds vile but is actually bloody gorgeous, especially when served with ‘skin,’ i.e. pork crackling. I only had the one (it was one o’clock in the afternoon and I had a train to catch) but I could definitely have sunk a few more had circumstance allowed. I can think of no better way to spend a couple of hours by the river than to have a few picklebacks with friends as the sun goes down. I am now on a mission to bring the concoction to my favourite cocktail bar in Birmingham. Failing that, the pickleback has, at least, made it onto my cocktail menu.

Pitt Cue Co. is not going to be around for much longer, so if anyone is after a bit of sweet and sticky slow-cooked protein, I urge you to stop off at Hungerford Bridge, before this little piece of American barbecue (British-style) disappears into the sunset forever.