Holy Smoke! The Resurrection of Church BBQ

In 2019, I received horrible news- the Huntsville staple Church BBQ had shuttered its doors. Last year, during the pandemic, the establishment reopened as Holy Smoke BBQ. They managed to weather the proverbial storm and a few weeks ago, I brought my wife to try some traditional East Texas style BBQ, complete with tangy and complex sauce. I ordered myself a chopped beef sandwich and a half rack of ribs, while my wife got a three meat plate with brisket, sausage, and chicken. For sides we selected some potato salad and beans.

The ribs had an understated rub beyond the usual salt and pepper, and plenty of smokiness. Honestly, they were cooked to perfection and didn’t need any sauce, yet the vinegary, slightly sweet sauce truly elevated each bone. The sliced brisket was tender, but needed a bit more bark. The sausage had a finer grind than I prefer, but the casing was well smoked, and they had a very good spice blend to ensure a flavorful bite. The chicken had a perfect skin texture, and the sauce once again transformed the dish from “okay” to great. Outside of the ribs, however, the chopped beef sandwich emerged as the biggest winner.

The bark missing from the sliced beef was present here, and the pickles and sauce helped cut through the heavy salt and beef flavor. Plenty of fat and lean bits mixed together here and, along with the white bun, made each bite just perfect. The mustardy potato salad and slightly sweet beans each tasted homemade, with the potato salad in particular shining as a good sampling of the classic side. Sadly, I was unable to get the buttermilk pie, but the pecan pie was great, with the toasted pecan flavor coming through despite the heavy sweetness of the filling.

I’ll end with my Google Review-

“At Holy Smoke, you’ll be transported to where many of us tried barbecue for the first time- home. Or at the very least a friend’s house where the kitchen pumped out fantastic food. Maybe even a community event with the best pitmaster in town. In any case, the barbecue at Holy Smoke is a true homecoming vibe combined with some of the best sauce in the state. The sauce has a vinegar kick with a hint of sweetness underneath the smoky flavor. Try a bit of everything here, but make sure you don’t leave without having a chopped beef sandwich, ribs, potato salad, and buttermilk pie. As a bonus, the staff is so friendly that you will come for the great BBQ, but you’ll stay for the fantastic conversations”