**Manusmriti has references to Brahmins tasting meat as part of Vedic rituals. But there are no references that they consumed meat as food.
Did Brahmins Of Vedic Period Eat Beef-Atma NirvanaJust after restrictions were imposed on slaughter of cattle across India, a relative of mine quoted the Manusmriti to argue that Brahmins of yore in India `ate’ beef.**