IF YOU'RE after an American style slow-cooked barbecue, there's probably no better place to be in the Tweed than The Crafty Cow at Casuarina.

Fitted with a custom-built wood-fired smoker, the new intimate bar offers customers an authentic experience of a low 'n' slow, wood-smoked barbecue to complement their drink of choice - including a variety of craft beers on tap.

With a menu including brisket, pulled pork, ribs and burgers - all slow-cooked for 12 hours - it's not surprising regular customers are already coming back for more despite opening just a few months ago.

Director Colette Neilson said the restaurant had been forced to turn customers away due to popularity.

"It actually takes 12 hours to cook a low 'n' slow barbecue so when the meat runs out we can't just go cook some more, but our customers are starting to understand that more," she said.

Mrs Neilson said the bar, which also offers beer tasting, offered a "unique experience" and had been embraced by the local community.

"It's that American style barbecue, we wanted to bring an atmosphere where people feel like they know the bar staff and we know the customers," she said.

"We really wanted to create a bar that's a little bit more casual and atmospheric, there's a lot of fine dining around this area so we wanted to do something a little different."