Holy Smokes: Respectable Q in Western MA

[VivreManger]

Just got back from dining at Holy Smokes BBQ, 9 Church Ave, West Hatfield, MA 01088, 413-247-5737. It is less than a mile from exit 21 on I-91, on the right heading north on routes 5 & 10. So it is very convenient to downtown Northampton.

I agree that this is the best BBQ in this corner of western Mass. far better than Uncle Cecil's, a California travesty in Northampton, and Smoking Lill's, a major disappointment in Easthampton, and Bubb's, much over-rated in Sunderland.

Holy Smokes opened just two weeks ago and they are a bit overwhelmed. They had expected to start slowly before attracting a wider clientele. But word of mouth and the internet moved faster than they expected. They are still experiencing growing pains. At the moment they do not yet have a liquor license but have applied. Accordingly they actively discourage bringing beer and wine into the restaurant.

I tried two items, the pork ribs and the beef ribs. Both are very respectable, not perhaps the best I have ever had, but among the best, certainly serious Q. Both of course have the pink ring that is the mark of slowly cooked meat. They use wood, but I did not check what kind. It is piled outside the building waiting to feed the oven. The converted Lutheran church has been outfitted with elaborate smoke ducts and chimneys to route the smoke away from the building so the aroma is not as strong as I would like.

The pork ribs are deeply smoked with a richly aromatic character to the pink meat. The ribs are very lean and they have been slow cooked until they are ready to be served. They do not follow the grill-finishing practice that some like Blue Ribbon and East Coast Grill in the Boston area do. As far as I am concerned BR does this better than ECG. Both slow-cook the meat in a proper smoker and then finish them off on the grill. The BR technique yields a crackling crispy skin just above the layer of fat. I miss that in the Holy Smokes ribs. But that is clearly a matter of individual preference and I can imagine many might prefer this tender, somewhat moister, leaner cut without the crispy fat. It is very well-prepared.

I brought the beef ribs home to share. They are short ribs, not the long Texas style. They are cooked to the point of carmelization, a rich and flavorful smokey taste. Surprisingly the beef is fattier than the pork. The portion is also smaller, but the meat is so rich and full of flavor that two thick meaty ribs are really enough.

I do wonder about the price. A half-rack of about four to five pork ribs w/o sides costs $10, while two thick beef short ribs with two sides cost $15. The pork seems more of a bargain.

I ordered my sauce on the side so I could taste both meats naked. The two sauces seem molasses-based, thick, with a bit of smoky chipotle in one. Neither is particularly spicy. Both have a subtle slow mild heat. Not a bad condiment for the meat, but I think the beef hardly needs any more flavor.

Corned bread and french fries were my sides. By the time the fries reached me, they were tasty but cold, a sign that they have yet to work out all the details of service. The corned bread was buttery rich, a good accompaniment, though I wish it had been warmed up a bit. On the whole despite the cold fries, service was earnest, pleasant, actually quite impressive for a place that had just opened. There are enough servers to move things quickly, even on a busy Saturday night. The place was doing very good business. When I was seated just before 7:00 it was full. By 7:45, a few tables had emptied out.

The other mains offered as specials this Saturday night were roasted cauliflower as the veggie platter and smoked roasted scallops on roasted asparagus. Regularly they also serve pulled pork and chicken. Wednesday night they bbq whole hog.

[VivreManger]

For the record I have gathered reports from other independent Q-hounds who have found favor in Holy Smokes, though there is a consensus that $15 is too much for two short ribs & two sides.

I am eager to learn if any eGulleteers have made their way to Hatfield yet. It definitely is worth the trip, particularly if you live within an hour of the town, a distance that stretches from Vermont to Connecticut, along I-91 in the Connecticut River Valley and west to the Berkshires and east to Worcester, along the Mass Pike. This definitely is worth a trip if you are off to Tanglewood in the summer.

Rest assured that I have no personal or financial interest in this restaurant, but I do have an interest in keeping decent bbq in business. The last attempt at good Q in the neighborhood was a place called City Grille (or something like that) in downtown Northampton. It folded within less than a year. They did smoke a very good duck. Previously their owner??-chef had worked at another place in Hatfield on Route 9 called Hunter's Lodge/Inn ?? which was fancier and more expensive -- a very elegant dining space that also featured some slow cooked barbecue, similar to East Coast Grill in Cambridge, but a warmer and more refined ambience. That also folded. So the past of carnivorestos in Tofu Valley has not been encouraging. And I wish to change its future.

Edited April 29, 2004 by VivreManger (log)

[HungryChris]

I am surprised and dissapointed that you did not get any input on this post.

I just wanted you to know that I fully intend to make this field trip and check it out. I'd go this weekend if it were not for Mothers Day. I do not have a background in Q, but hell that's never stopped me in the past. I'll only be able to say if I liked it or not and as soon as I go, I will!

Cheers,

HC

[jmcgrath]

The East Coast Grill is not a good place for barbecue anymore. They do turn out excellent seafood, and I highly recommend them for that. A while back, they ran a little joint next door called Jake and Earl's that had very good Q. They expanded into and closed that spot. The Jake and Earl's on Moody St. in Waltham is not associated with ECG as best I can determine.

Jim

[VivreManger]

The East Coast Grill is not a good place for barbecue anymore. They do turn out excellent seafood, and I highly recommend them for that. ... Jim

I agree.

[MisterJoe]

My wife and I were in Northhampton yesterday, and stopped by Holy Smokes for a Saturday lunch. What a great little place! Thanks, VivreManager, for getting the word out here.

We started with a lemonade and unsweetened ice tea, both of which tasted house-made. The sides were very impressive. We had mac and cheese (really awesome), coleslaw (handcut), tuscan beans (garlic and rosemary), and some roasted green/yellow squash (also really awesome). Hey, I know how inarticulate it sounds to say "really awesome" all the time, but I, like, really mean it.

Our bbq, pork ribs and pulled pork, were darn respectable. They don't do beef ribs at lunch (presumably because they take so much longer to smoke), so we didn't get top try those. The pork was just as VivreManager described it. I didn't think to ask for my sauce on the side, so my ribs were finished in the oven (not on a grill). They were very smoky and came cleanly off the bone, although they were not as tender as some.

Since we got there at around 2:30, the place was virtually empty. As a result (I assume), our service was, uh, really awesome. The owner came up to talk to us and brought out pictures of the kitchen, showed us the whole-hog rig, and talked bbq for a good 15 minutes. Out waiter came by a few times and talked with genuine enthusiasm about the specifics of their ingredients and techniques, and the midweek specials of whole hog and smoked prime rib. He also brough out small samples of chopped beef and collard greens for us to try, just because we seemed so interested. Both were good, the collards especially.

We finished with a corn pudding that was topped with fresh blueberries and whipped cream, which was, well, you know. How could anything topped with fresh blueberries and whipped cream be anything but really awesome?

The owner mentioned that they have a web site, which I didn't find when I googled the place last week, so here's the link: http://www.holysmokesbbq.com/

By the way, VivreManager, we also stopped at Hungry Ghost bakery, which you had noted at about the same time. We tried the french batard, the country, and raisin breads. On first taste, all three are excellent and distinctive examples of their types. Hungry Ghost is also a cool little place, with two large wood-fired ovens. It's a lot like a smaller Berkshire Bakery. So, thanks, you got two good deeds on one day. Much appreciated.