Inside Tom Brooke’s mission to bring true Texas barbecue to the UK

When Tom Brooke opened Red Dog Saloon around 15 years ago, London had almost no restaurants serving authentic American barbecue.

What began as an early fascination with US food culture grew into one of the UK’s most consistent and technique-led barbecue operations.

Red Dog Saloon currently operates six sites across the UK, with three in London and one each in Nottingham, Liverpool, and Southampton.

Inspired by US barbecue from an early age

Tom spent much of his childhood travelling to America through his father’s business interests. He became immersed in the country’s regional barbecue traditions and the sense of identity attached to them.

He said: “It’s got a cult following and it’s almost as big as a religion. The products were so different and unique to anything I’d had in England or Europe.”

Those experiences would later shape the direction of Red Dog Saloon.

Launching before the UK barbecue boom

Tom described himself as an innovator rather than an inventor, taking what he admired in the US and adapting it for the UK. When he opened his first site in Shoreditch, he said authentic American barbecue was almost non-existent in London.

He said: “When I started 15 years ago in Shoreditch, no one was doing it at all. Since then there’s been a revolution.”

That early start helped the restaurant build momentum as interest in US barbecue increased across the country.

Texas technique at the heart of the menu

Red Dog Saloon uses a Texas-style approach built on minimal seasoning and precision cooking. Tom said the most important factor is sourcing.

Tom explained: “You need to start with really great produce. If you don’t start with great produce, you can’t create good barbecue.”

He said using sauces to mask weaker ingredients goes against the core principles of Texas barbecue, where the meat has to stand on its own.

Fresh every day, never reheated

One of the biggest points of difference Tom highlighted is Red Dog’s