There’s BBQ, and then there’s InterStellar BBQ. Those who have been lucky enough to been near the Austin smoke scene over the past few years, will know their name carries serious clout – not just from the clouds of oak-kissed smoke that trail from their pits, but from the accolades too: Texas Monthly’s number two spot in 2021, and, most recently, that elusive Michelin star in 2024. Not bad for a joint that only first fired up its smokers in February 2019, the brainchild of pitmaster John Bates and Brandon Martinez. Now, for one month only, they’ve landed in London, taking over The Ned’s Electric Bar & Diner in collaboration with East London based BBQ mavericks, From The Ashes – a team born out of lockdown in June 2020, when founders Curtis Bell and Martin Anderson pivoted from Temper Soho to their own Hackney Wick hatch, turning whole-beast butchery and live-fire cooking into a cult following. It’s a transatlantic meeting of minds (and meats): Central Texas tradition meets East London ingenuity, with peach-tea pork belly, pulled lamb shoulder, confit duck leg, and jalapeño popper sausage all jostling for space on a heaving platter that could feed two very hungry bellies – me+1. They’re here for one month only from the 5th of Sept to the 5th of Oct (2025).
“Jack’s Creek” refers to a premium Australian beef brand (Jack’s Creek Black Angus) known for strong marbling, quality feed, and well-bred stock – and if this is the single dish that captures InterStellar’s ethos – big flavours, premium produce, then it’s the Jack’s Creek beef short rib. This isn’t your everyday cut; Australia’s Jack’s Creek, a name synonymous with heavy marbling and the kind of beefiness that just delights. What lands on the platter is a Flintstones-sized hunk of meat, darkly barked on the outside, and just slides off the bone. Slice through and there’s fat rendered down, striations of meat so tender, knife just glides through. The flavour leans rich – smoke and salt laying down the foundation – but what keeps it balanced is a hit of chimichurri. Bright, herby, and it cuts through the decadence.
Duck isn’t the first thing you expect to find at a Texas BBQ joint – it arrives with a mahogany sheen, skin glistening from time in the smoker, and it’s glazed with a sauce that’s sticky and indulgent. The first pull tells the story: meat that it slips from the bone without protest. The skin holds its own – rendered rather than rubbery, with a gentle smokiness that sits comfortably alongside the bird’s umami richness.
InterStellar’s on take sausage comes stuffed with diced jalapeños and oozing cheese, then smoked until the casing pops with that satisfying snap. On first bite, the smoke is front and centre, rolling across the palate before a mild chilli heat creeps in just enough to remind you this isn’t your average banger. The cheese is melting into the fatty richness of the pork. But it’s not entirely bulletproof. One bite yield molten pockets of flavour, then you get a strong back hit of salt that taints the bite. Clever concept, imperfect execution.
Then there’s wagyu brisket – those two words alone raise expectations. At The Ned pop-up, when InterStellar rolls this out as a £40 add-on, it doesn’t disappoint on first look: deep mahogany bark, a clearly visible smoke ring, and generous fat marbling that promises richness. On the plate, the first bite delivers exactly what you hope: soft, pull-apart meat that gives way under gentle pressure. The fat rendering is impressive – not sloppy, not stringy, but melting nicely into the grain, giving beefy decadence. If there’s a complaint, it could have been done without wagyu and I found the flesh a little overworked and dry. Overall, it didn’t stand out as one of the stronger pieces in the shared tray. It’s indulgent, flavourful, well-smoked, but not worth opting in for.
The peach tea-glazed pork belly is deep indulgence with with the right balance of sweetness and salinity. Imagine a slab of pork belly smoked to a point that it’s melting, yet still holds enough tension to give a satisfying chew. The glaze is a glossy, sticky lacquer of peach tea that balances sweetness with a subtle tang, cutting through the pork’s rich fat. The contrast is what makes it stand out from the rest. The outer edges carry a light char and smoke, giving a lush fatty texture and umami indulgence.
Lamb shoulder isn’t your typical BBQ fare, but InterStellar’s version attempts to make a case for its inclusion. The meat is tender, fibrous with a pungent farm-yard funk that distinguishes it from more common options. There is a an obvious dryness, and another sizeable hit of salinity – one strand was enough for me but I decided to give it another go sandwiched with the Texas toast dunked into the BBQ beans. More on those on the next scroll.
Texas toast, as far as I can tell, sits somewhere between pillowy brioche and classic thick-cut white bread. Each inch-thick slice arrives crisp and golden on the outside, soft and cloud-like inside – it’s a vessel for mopping and dredging.
Beans at a BBQ joint can make or break a tray, these came across as… polite. There’s no denying they serve a purpose – the soft, slightly smoky liquid offered much-needed moisture, especially when paired with the pulled lamb shoulder on Texas toast, turning each bite into something more juicy and cohesive. But taken on their own, they feel a little one-dimensional. A touch watery, lacking depth, and desperately in need of some acidity or tang to pull the flavours together, they don’t quite command attention.
At first glance, it’s just slaw – shredded cabbage, maybe some red onion and parsley, tossed with a dressing. But InterStellar’s version has a definite personality… even if it comes with a bit of a surprise. The cabbage crunches beautifully, and the dressing is lacking the tang to cut through rich meats, yet there’s a ripe, briny punch – almost like biting into lightly salted seaweed rather than cabbage. For some, that kick of salinity might feel bold, but to me it needed the brightness of lemon or vinegar.
These little beauties steal the show in a way that only humble spuds can. Small, whole, and gloriously craggy, each potato has been lightly squashed and deep-fried until golden, edges crisped just enough to give a satisfying crunch while the interior stays soft and fluffy. You can taste the richness – the subtle beef fat infusion carried smoky, umami tones. A drizzle of spiced aioli-type sauce adds a fragrant, slightly tangy counterpoint, but honestly, the potatoes themselves do the heavy lifting here. Each bite is a textural delight.
Verdict
When did I go? Sept 2025
The damage: £110 per head with h2o
The good: InterStellar BBQ’s London pop-up at The Ned is a feast that hits some highs and a few notable misfires. The Jack’s Creek short rib is indulgent, tender, and smoky, it stood out while the peach tea-glazed pork belly is sticky, sweet, and deeply satisfying, and the beef fat potatoes practically steal the show on their own, craggy, golden, and infused with umami from the beef fat, with just the right hit of spiced aioli to elevate them further. Texas toast performs its simple but essential role as a buttery, pillowy mop, and even the slaw has personality, crisp and tangy, though for some, its briny, almost seaweed-like salinity leans a little too far.
The bad: The lows are hard to ignore. The Australian wagyu was overrated, dry, and not worth the £40. The pulled lamb shoulder? Also dry and excessively salty – a cardiologist’s dream. Beans were underwhelming, and across the board, much of the food could have used more heat and balance; saltiness runs through too many plates, creating an imbalance.
Rating: 3/5
Would I go again? It will take some convincing
Address: 27 Poultry, London EC2R 8AJ
Web: https://www.thened.com/london/restaurants/electric-bar-and-diner/interstellar-bbq
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