15 Oct, 2023
When we first opened Gringos nearly 15 years ago, we had a simple mission: to bring authentic Mexican flavors to London’s vibrant food scene. Over the years, we’ve stayed true to our roots while constantly seeking ways to innovate and elevate your dining experience. Today, we’re thrilled to announce our most exciting culinary evolution yet – the arrival of our “Fast Eddie” smoker, direct from the heart of Texas!
Our culinary journey to bring you this smoker began six months ago when our head chef, Miguel, and I embarked on a gastronomic pilgrimage across Texas. We visited more than two dozen smokehouse restaurants, from hole-in-the-wall family operations to award-winning BBQ joints. What struck us most wasn’t just the incredible flavors but the reverence these pitmasters had for their craft.
In Austin, we met Eddie himself – a third-generation smoker manufacturer whose handcrafted smokers are legendary throughout the American Southwest. After spending a day learning his techniques and understanding the meticulous engineering behind his smokers, we knew we had to bring one back to London.
What makes our “Fast Eddie” special? This isn’t your average backyard smoker. Weighing over 800kg and handcrafted from quarter-inch steel, this beast maintains a perfect temperature for up to 20 hours on a single load of wood. The offset firebox design ensures clean smoke circulation, while the reverse flow technology creates an even cooking environment that’s essential for that perfect tender-yet-firm texture in properly smoked meats.
Eddie doesn’t mass produce these smokers – each one is built to order with careful attention to the specific needs of the restaurant. Ours features custom modifications for the British climate and our kitchen setup, making it truly one-of-a-kind in London.
While our beloved traditional Mexican dishes remain the cornerstone of our menu, the “Fast Eddie” is allowing us to introduce exciting new fusion offerings that marry the vibrant, fresh flavors of Mexico with the slow-smoked perfection of Texas BBQ.
Some highlights from our new smokehouse menu include:
What makes smoked food so special? It’s a harmonious blend of science and art. The science part involves controlling temperature, humidity, and airflow to create the perfect environment for the Maillard reaction (that magical browning that creates complex flavors). The art comes from knowing exactly which woods to use for different meats, when to spritz, when to wrap, and how to maintain what pitmasters call “the clean blue smoke.”
Our team has spent months training in these techniques. Every morning at 4 AM, someone arrives to light the smoker and begin the day’s preparations. By lunchtime, the brisket that went on before dawn is reaching that perfect 93°C internal temperature, with a pink smoke ring and a glistening pepper-crusted exterior.
Words can only describe so much – the proof is in the eating! We invite you to experience our new smokehouse offerings alongside our Mexican classics. The restaurant now fills with the subtle aroma of wood smoke throughout the day, creating an even more immersive dining atmosphere.
We’re running special tasting events every Thursday evening in October and November, where you can sample our complete range of smoked specialties alongside paired tequilas and mezcals. Booking is essential as these intimate events are limited to just 20 guests per session.
We can’t wait to share this exciting new chapter in the Gringos story with you. After all, good food is about more than just flavors – it’s about passion, innovation, and creating memorable experiences for our guests.
¡Buen provecho!
