Holy Smokes BBQ - Raleigh, North Carolina

This place was a lot better than I thought it would be after reading many reviews about it on the Internet.

If you want smokey BBQ, this is the place.

This place looks like a 50's diner inside and out.  Very cool.

 I talked to the owner when I walked in, as he knew I wasn't from the area and began asking me where I had come from.  (The Bronx accent is hard to get rid of.)

He mentioned his son used to work at Rudy's (a popular BBQ chain in Texas), which I had been to just outside of San Antonio.  The owner moved to NC and opened Holy Smokes.  He mentioned that he was originally from Houston, Texas.

Anyhow, Holy Smokes features smoked turkey, brisket, chicken, and pork.

I had just gotten off of an airplane and ordered smoked turkey and brisket with a side of pit beans and a drink.  What an awesome meal for just under $11.

The brisket had a nice smoke ring and an awesome smoke flavor.  So did the turkey breast.

I ate the brisket with some of the Carolina Soppin' Sauce and had the turkey with the Boot Kickin' Sauce.  Both of these are thicker than their Lone Star Lip Smackin' Sauce, which is their version of a "Carolina-style" vinegar-based sauce with red pepper flakes and black pepper. The first two sauces had tomato sauce and one seemed to have a bit of molasses in it.

I would have recommended Holy Smokes if you were in the Raleigh area.  But unfortunately, they have since closed.  If they were still in business, I'd eat their smoked turkey all day if I could.