If you’re looking for real barbecue flavour and a no-nonsense menu, look no further than Holy Smoke Barbecue and Smoke Pit. Located in an industrial park and only open for lunch, this place serves up all the barbecued meat you can eat. The décor of this Calgary joint screams BBQ-authenticity from the cafeteria-style tables and license plates on the walls to the trivia cards on the tables.
Holy Smoke keeps the choices simple. Try the Pulled Pork Sandwich or the Chopped Beef Brisket Sandwich, and if you can’t decide, go for a Manwich which is 4 oz of each. Either way you go, you’re sure to leave Holy Smoke satisfied and full of meat.
Holy Smoke makes their own barbecue sauces on site in a range of flavours from sweet to spicy so that diners can add their own preferences to whatever meal they choose. The homemade sauces also double as dipping sauces for any of the delicious meat sandwiches. The ribs are not heavily seasoned so as to showcase the flavours of the beautiful meat. With ribs at only $1 a bone, diners can get as many or as few as they want and make each one a different barbecue flavour. The simplicity of the menu extends to the side dishes available. Holy Smoke offers barbecue necessities such as coleslaw, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans and corn bread. The desserts are kept to a choice between banana loaf or a slice of pie. The beverages are also kept to a minimum, offering pop, water, Pop Shoppe sodas and beer. The ever-popular Old Style Pilsner gets labelled “Pil” on the menu and gets its own section, which shows that this is the kind of place that doesn’t mess around when it comes to authentic barbecue.
After dining at Holy Smoke, you’ll end up carrying the smell of barbecue with you for the rest of the day, which may cause some awkwardness if you share close quarters with a vegetarian. Holy Smoke Barbeque and Smoke Pit, 4640 Manhattan Road SE, 403-605-9365.
Image courtesy Urban Spoon.
