One of the newest additions to Dundee’s food scene, The Smoked Thistle, thought they could quietly sneak in under the radar, but such was their reputation that was never going to be the case.
When Rob Duncan planned a quiet opening for The Smoked Thistle after moving into new premises in Dundee, potential customers thought otherwise.
Opening at Balunie Drive in Dundee on Thursday, Rob was completely blown away by the response as they sold out and then continued to do so over the weekend.
“It turned out to be not so much of a soft opening, it was quite busy,” revealed Rob, who said they did more than 100 orders on their first night of opening.
“The main idea was to keep it a little bit quiet for the first week to make sure we were set up and as we moved from our van into premises. We have a lot more space which is easier on the one hand, but you need to get used to it. However, it didn’t really turn out like that.”
Successful road trips
The move into premises in Dundee follows on from a successful food truck enterprise in Fife which saw them visiting towns throughout the kingdom selling their smoked meats and burgers.
“We had a food truck that was initially operating throughout Fife. We travelled around, we did Newburgh, Auchtermuchty, Dunfermline and Buckhaven quite regularly for a number of weeks. We had the same kind of menu with burgers, ribs and brisket,” added Rob.
“Initially we were just going to find a unit to help with the pre-work for doing the van as there is only so much you can do in that sort of confined space.
“We were selling out so quickly and demand was so high that we physically didn’t have space to be able to offer any more produce. But we found the property in Balunie Drive available and decided to go for that.
“Then it was just a natural decision to open it as a base to do collections and deliveries from.”
Sold out
And people in Dundee have really taken The Smoked Thistle to their hearts following the opening at the end of last week.
Rob continued: “Our Facebook page went from 3,000 likes to nearly 7,000 now and it has been growing day on day.
“We sold out on Saturday, as there were no more collections slots available. Friday we sold out really quickly, too. This week, we are hoping to be able to offer a wee bit more capacity but I think we are probably at our maximum capacity for that premises as well.
“It has been amazing, the response we have had and the feedback we have had on the food has been absolutely fantastic. We couldn’t have asked for anything better.”
The premises in Balunie Drive has required some investment with a state-of-the-art commercial smoker just one of the new additions.
“Previously operating as a smaller one-man enterprise, there hadn’t been any real investment in the property for a number of years,” said Rob.
“We replaced 90% of the equipment in the building and made it a little more commercial. There has been a significant investment.”
Classic American smoked food
Feedback from the opening weekend has been great, and The Smoked Thistle is one of only a few businesses in the country making smoked meats from the United States, although, where possible, the meat is sourced from Scotland and locally if it can be.
“There isn’t anything else around that is doing authentic classic American smoked food. It’s very hard to find and it is an acquired taste,” continued Rob.
“We have a lot of people who have never really tried proper smoked food before and that for us is a massive opportunity because what they are used to tasting as a barbecue flavour isn’t barbecue itself it’s a flavour.
“People seem to love the authentic barbecue smokiness of the meat and the tenderness of our brisket which is cooked for no less than 12 hours, but usually 13 or 14 hours depending on the size of it.
Locall sourced
“Our ribs cook time alone is maybe six hours and you have a lot of prep that goes into it and that is reflected in the flavour and the quality of the meat we use as well which is all going to be locally sourced through our butcher in Perth, DG Lindsay, who does a great job in supplying fully Scottish meat.
“Our brisket is actually Irish. We have tried to use Scottish meat before but the brisket that comes off Scottish cows isn’t fatty enough or thick enough, they’re not bred the same size.
“Although we are still looking we don’t think we are going to be able to find Scottish meat for the brisket, but the closest we can find is Irish.
“There are a couple of smaller places that do it in Scotland, but they are quite small enterprises so it is very hard to find.
“That has its challenges as well, even souring pork ribs isn’t easy. DG Lindsay have done brilliantly getting us a source for that and our mince for our burgers is sourced from a farm just outside Perth.
“We are really focusing on using local produce as well, that is very important to us.”
Top secret!
The seasoning and rubs used by Rob, as you would expect, will be kept under wraps, but he says the key to great brisket is in the process and some salt and pepper.
He said: “The rubs in terms of what is on the pulled pork and the ribs we don’t disclose what that is and our seasoning in our burgers is a closely-guarded secret.
“There are only two of us who know what it is and it’s a recipe I have developed over the last 10 years. We get really, really good feedback on our burgers.
“Our brisket is just a standard salt and pepper rub that goes on. It’s the cooking technique and the timings that make the difference with the flavour of our brisket.”
Now settling into Balunie Drive, there are plans possibly for a second venue and, more importantly, getting mobile with their food truck in Fife again.
“We are keen to get the van on the road again. I think we might have upset our Fife clientele a little bit by not being on the road as much over the last month or so,” Rob revealed.
“The plan is to recruit some staff, train them and get the van back out in Fife, potentially at a static location or travelling around. Then once we have settled down with that we are looking at another location fairly soon I would think.”
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