John Carnes, LHHS Class of 1983, spent his entire professional career in aviation. He’s been an airline dispatcher and pilot, as well as an operations manager for a Dallas airline. But his dreams had always gone up in smoke – barbecue smoke, that is.
The Holy Smoke BBQ sign in Camp Wood, Texas
Four years ago, Carnes and his wife, Shelli, ditched the big city and headed to the western edge of the Hill Country to start a new, flavorful life.
“The American Legion building came up for sale in Camp Wood, Texas, and we decided to make the move and chase the dream,” Carnes said.
Carnes and his family restored the building, which he chronicled on a blog, and opened Holy Smoke BBQ. Business has been good – Camp Wood is at the end of scenic FM 337 and attracts lots of motorcycle riders, vacationers and hunters. Reviews have been good as well, particularly for the signature pulled pork sandwich with garlicky guacamole.
It’s the kind of BBQ place where if you don’t get there early, they might run out of a particular meat. No leftovers from the day before.
Carnes is always happy to see visitors from his old neighborhood. So if you’re tooling around in that part of the Hill Country, there’s now a place to grab a bite and make an LH connection.
