Holy Smokes Another Barbecue Spot (Plus My Updated Top Ten OC BBQ Restaurants)

 Hole Smokes BBQ

1500 Adams Ave. #100B

Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Barbecue places are suddenly springing up at a pretty good clip. I struggled to create a top-ten list of barbecue restaurants when I started this blog. There just weren't that many good choices in OC. That all began to change at the start of this decade when Heritage BBQ, The SmoKing Rib, and Evan's Smokehouse hit the scene. These people are artisans and showed the good people of this county that there was ho-hum barbecue and then elevated barbecue that they crafted. 

We all know that the restaurant business takes work to succeed at. I'd argue that barbecue restaurants are the hardest to keep afloat. Not only is the food a time-consuming effort to make, but it's also not food the average consumer could eat daily. Proof in point, I created my top ten list of barbecue restaurants in OC a little over 3 years ago, and four of those ten spots have closed up shop. So, it's time for me to create another list of the top ten barbecue spots, which you can see below this review of a restaurant that might just be included on the new list.  

Hole Smokes has been open for almost three years, but it only came across my radar when I saw that they participated in this year's OC Restaurant Week. The men behind this Texas-style barbecue spot are Ian Bason and Chef Dan Ramon. Bason also runs his family's Mexican restaurant, Hole Mole, which has seven locations, including one in this shopping plaza. Chef Dan is a San Antonio native who brings his love of Texas barbecue to the people of OC. 

This was day 6 of my participation in OC Restaurant Week. I attempted to eat at seven different spots in seven days. Hole Smokes offered a $45 dinner, including a starter, three types of meat, and two sides. I figured Katie and I could share this, as I've eaten my fair share of food this week. Our good friends Scott and Cynthia joined us this evening and also took advantage of this great deal. Let's see if Hole Smokes would be added to my top ten barbecue list of OC. 

First up were the starters, and we chose the Fried Pickles ($6.95), and Cynthia and Scott picked the Chips and Queso ($7.95). I'm not a big pickle fiend, but my favorite way to eat them is fried. These were some delicious fried pickles. The batter was light and puffy, not greasy, and the outside of each pickle was lightly salted. I believe they were dill, but I did not get confirmation. The provided ranch dressing made these even better. 

The chips and queso were straight and to the point. The chips were your regular Mexican restaurant chips, but the queso was kind of addicting. This is not surprising since the chef is from Texas, and people from that state definitely know how to make a good queso. 

Let's start with the most essential thing in a barbecue restaurant: the meat. Katie and I got what I consider the holy trinity of Texas barbecue: Smoked Brisket, St. Louis Ribs, and a Hot Link. I was excited about all the meats we tried at Hole Smokes. The brisket had everything you look for when eating brisket: a fantastic outside bark and the meat was tender and juicy. It's not the best brisket in OC, but it's way better than most. The hotlink had a snappy casing, and the meat inside was solid. I would have liked some spiciness to have been included, though.  The pork ribs we got were noticeably smaller than the ones that came with Scott and Cythia's plate. The pork was good, but there was not enough of it. The only meat I was not so excited by was the tri-tip, which was a little too dry and not as flavorful as the others. As if we needed more food, Katie also got the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($14.95). The sandwich came with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and coleslaw on a nice and glossy brioche bun. Katie felt this sandwich was good, but the coleslaw and barbecue sauce overshadowed the pork. 

Sides are also essential to the barbecue experience, and we tried five of the six sides offered. Sorry, we will have to try the fries next time. My favorite was the Brussels Sprouts ($6), followed by the Mac and Cheese ($6). Brussels sprouts are not something you usually see on a barbecue restaurant menu, but they were nice and crispy, had some bits of pork added, and a hint of smokiness in each bite. They kept it simple, not going too crazy, with a sweet sauce covering the sprouts. The mac and cheese was pretty straightforward as well. It won't overwhelm you with a big flavor, but the cheese was present and clung to the macaroni well. I enjoyed their Big Daddy Sweet Beans ($6), which came with little pieces of brisket, but the liquid-to-bean ratio was way off. The Coleslaw ($6) needed some work. It was really just shredded cabbage, and the dressing was applied with what seemed like an eye dropper. The Potato Salad ($6) had a good texture, and the sprinkled paprika was a welcome touch. I'm not the biggest Cornbread ($6) fan, but everyone liked this version. I found it a little too dry and wished it to be sweeter. A little extra butter would have been nice, too. 

Dessert time, and we finished things off with Banana Pudding ($8) and Fried Ice Cream ($8). We devoured both, but I liked the banana pudding the best. It had a very light feel to it, but the banana flavor came through, and they added some Nilla Wafer pieces for some texture. The type of dessert that you want after a heavy meal in a barbecue restaurant. The fried ice cream was executed well and was not a sloppy mess when we finished it. The ice cream stayed cold while we chipped away at it with our spoons. 

So, what are Hole Smokes's positives and negatives? Most of the meats we had were very well done. The brisket is the show's star, with the sausage a close second. The prices are not as outrageous as other barbecue restaurants in OC. You and two of your friends can get in and out of here for less than $100, which is not easy to do at most restaurants these days.  There's also a good amount of variety on the Hole Smokes menu. They not only offer barbecue, but they also have tacos, burgers, sandwiches, and wings. On the negative side, I'd say the sides are the weak link here. None, besides the brussels sprouts, really stood out to me. Side items are a significant part of any barbecue experience, so it's a bummer when they are not up to the standards of the proteins. The meats alone are enough to get them into my updated top ten OC BBQ list, but you'll have to scroll down to see where they ended up. 

Out of five goats (because before the urbanization of Costa Mesa, the city's unofficial nickname was Goat Hill), five being best to zero being worst, Hole Smokes gets 3 goats. 

For more information about Hole Smokes, head to their website by clicking here: https://holesmokes.com/

Here's my updated list of OC's top ten BBQ restaurants so far, with links to my reviews.  

#10 Blake's Place - Anaheim

#9  Brew Hawg - Orange

#8  Hole Smokes - Costa Mesa

#7  Ribbro BBQ - Newport Beach

#6  Sauced BBQ and Spirits - Orange

#5  The SmoKING Ribs - Garden Grove

#4  JW Hayes (review not written yet) - Newport Beach

#3  Craft by Smoke and Fire - Anaheim

#2  Evan's Smokehouse - Yorba Linda

#1  Heritage BBQ - San Juan Capistrano