London Road is rapidly turning into a meat-lover’s paradise. There’s the much-loved barbecue shack at The World’s End and a few doors down is the Jamaican joint Cummin’ Up, whose exotic smells float across Preston Circus, making it feel like central Kingston.

London institution MEATliquor recently opened a branch at the St Peter’s Church end, which is within earshot of The Hobgoblin, where the kitchen has been taken on by burger lovers Troll’s Pantry. Another kitchen in the area – a short walk from London Road up Baker Street and into Ditchling Road – is The Druids Arms, where the bosses have turned the kitchen over to preparing smoked meat.

Owner Paul De Souza, or Chippy as he prefers, has ditched the Thai kitchen and installed a smoke house upstairs.

“I know it is en vogue but some places in Brighton do smoked meat with poor sides. “That is what we have tried to concentrate on. Our meat is great but here it is all about the total package.”

The pub’s regulars have been giving their opinions on a new menu and what should and shouldn’t be included. “That’s the place to get some proper feedback,” says Chippy. “They don’t mind insulting you, telling you how it is.”

Menu favourites so far are the ribs, “the meat just falls off the bone, it is that soft”; the pulled pork, “Plantation Pig Boston butt, injected with a sweet Somerset cider that is home-smoked for 12 hours, rested and shredded”; and Chippy’s smoked jerk chicken. “We’ve had amazing feedback about the smoked jerk chicken – what we are trying to do is smoked food no one else is doing smoked.”

Chippy has been a keen amateur smoker of cheeses and fish for dinner parties for a while.

But when he saw an ad pop up on Facebook for a smoking course at Hackney City Farm, he signed up. That sparked his drive to turn the hobby to a profession. “It was a real eye-opener. The organiser picked up I was a keen smoker but also had a view to do it on a professional level so we kept emailing.

“He gave me advice with regard to smoking operations and how cooking food at lower temperatures for a longer period of time needs to be logged and so forth.

“Also, before the courses I was using a stove-top smoker to smoke fish. He showed me how easy it was to do smoked cheeses, and to smoke meats before cooking – as opposed to smoking and cooking.”

That means more flexibility. Once the American-style barbecue menu has taken off, Chippy wants to explore other smoking cultures – including Britain’s.

“I’ve got an English smoking book telling you how to smoke rabbits or hare.

“We know everyone is willing to give pulled pork a try so we’ll start with that but we see ourselves doing more than that. We want the American stuff to be part of a bigger menu.”

Chippy is Goan and has just returned from a wedding and fact-finding mission, eating his way across the Goa beach shacks. He also has a chef from Laos, whose influence will soon be on the menu.

“Our fusion smoked food will be fantastic. For example, we might do Laotian twirling sticks [skewered meat, similar to satay]. We think if we smoke them first then cook them in Laotian style it will be a food like nothing else people have tried before.”

Rather than keep the food just for the pub, Chippy has invested in a giant trailer to take the food out to festivals and he hopes, soon enough, Brighton’s Street Diner market.

Food would be served from one of the two old catering trailers he bought from Oldham Athletic football club and took to Kemp Town Carnival last year. He stripped the trailers to their chassis and rebuilt them in aluminium to evoke the Airstream style. “l’ve always loved my festivals and if you rock up with the trailers it doesn’t matter what you are selling, people are gonna want to come over to look because they are so impressive.”

  • Big Eats, The Druids Arms, Ditchling Road, Brighton, 01273 680596
  • Open Monday to Friday 5pm to 10pm, and Saturday 1pm to 10pm. Visit www.bigeatsco.com