We visited South Carolina’s best BBQ joints and they didn’t disappoint
Last week, my wife Lisa and I had the chance to escape the cold, snowy Nebraska winter and went down to South Carolina for a few days to see friends. Of course, I also took the opportunity to experience SC’s barbecue scene for the first time.
Barbecue tray from Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston, South Carolina.
Our first stop was at Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston. We arrived the day after presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ visit and the packed restaurant was still buzzing with activity and excitement. We ordered pork, ribs, mac ‘n’ cheese, and hushpuppies. The pork was every bit as moist and flavorful as I thought it would be. but the ribs stole the show. They were exactly the opposite of the perfectly symmetrical, candied ribs you find in Kansas City. These were big, juicy, and full of the unmistakable flavor of ribs cooked on a pit using real wood.
There were two sauce options on the table — a bottle with a handwritten label called “Rodney’s Sauce” and second bottle labeled “Other Sauce.” Both sauces were fantastic tangy vinegar-based sauces, but the meat did not really need sauce. We left Rodney Scott’s happy and with a complete understanding of why he’s won a James Beard Award.
A tray at Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, South Carolina.
Next we tried Lewis Barbecue. Pitmaster John Lewis’ Texas influences could be found all over this establishment, and it would be just as easy to envision Lewis Barbecue in Austin as in Charleston. We ordered beef short rib, hot guts, collard greens, and fries. The food was phenomenal — even though we were full from our visit to Rodney Scott’s, we could not stop eating at Lewis. Again, there were a variety of sauces to choose from, but I don’t think we touched them. Neither the beef rib nor the hot guts needed sauce. The friendly staff invited me behind the scenes to check out the pits just as they were rotating the briskets.
Plate from Little Pigs Barbecue in Columbia, South Carolina.
Both of these Charleston restaurants were wonderful. However, I also wanted to have a more traditional South Carolina barbecue experience, so our friends took us to Little Pigs Barbecue for their barbecue buffet, a phenomenon that has taken hold more strongly in South Carolina than in other barbecue regions.
While I was expecting a small, quiet restaurant with a few barbecue options, instead Little Pigs had an almost overwhelming array of dishes, including three different kinds of pulled pork, ribs, chicken, plus catfish and every side dish imaginable. The restaurant was also packed with a steady stream of customers. I was pleasantly surprised with the mustard-sauced pork, the hash and white rice, the greens, slaw, and potato salad.
Outside Maurice’s Piggie Park in West Columbia, South Carolina.
Later we went to Maurice’s Piggie Park in West Columbia, where we were welcomed by a giant vintage sign that said “World’s Best Bar-B-Q.” Maurice’s Piggie Park also had a buffet, but I opted to order the “Little Joe” — a sandwich with a generous portion of mustard-sauced pork along with fries, slaw, and hushpuppies. The mustard sauce went perfectly with the pork and slightly reminded me of the flavor of the pulled pork sandwich topped with mustard slaw at . While the barbecue at Maurice’s might not have been the world’s best in my opinion, it was certainly tasty.
Like many other regions, South Carolina is a place where older, more traditional styles of barbecue are being joined by more modern flavors, with influences from across the country. Residents and visitors alike are spoiled with more choices than ever before.
Ryan Cooper (BBQ Tourist)
Co-Founder, The Smoke Sheet
Here are the top recent barbecue news stories from around the country:
Operation BBQ Relief won top honors at this past weekend’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Championship Bar-B-Que Contest.
This past weekend, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's 2019 World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest was held with many teams around the country competing. Operation BBQ Relief, a non-profit organization that feeds communities affected by natural disasters, won Grand Champion Overall, while the Hill Country Go Texan team won Reserve Grand Champion.
The appeal of American barbecue is going global, as seen in the seven international teams that competed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo's 2019 World's Championship Bar-B-Que Contest. Teams from Sweden, Japan, Great Britain, Brazil, Canada and two from Australia showed what they had at the event.
Rodney Scott, one of the biggest names in American barbecue, just opened a new location of Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Birmingham, Alabama this past weekend.
Chris Shepherd may not have recovered his stolen barbecue pit, but there’s good news. Pitmaker, the Houston-based company that built the stolen smoker, announced it will donate a replacement smoker to Shepherd's Southern Smoke Foundation.
Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn writes that there are several good barbecue joints you can try on the Llano Estacado (or Staked Plains) of Texas, including Evie Mae’s Pit Barbeque in Wolfforth and Tyler’s Barbeque in Amarillo.
Memphis hotshot BBQ joint Germantown Commissary has opened a second location to the east in Collierville, and it’s already packed.
Timbers, a new barbecue joint in northwest Ohio, has set its sights beyond only offering traditional smoked meats, with a wide mix of sandwiches, salads, and soups.
Popular sandwich shop Noble Sandwich Co. opened its barbecue offshoot Interstellar BBQ last week in northwest Austin. On the menu you’ll find brisket, pulled pork, sausages, ribs, chicken — as well as additions like lamb shoulder and rack of lamb.
Desserts are no longer an afterthought at barbecue joints, writes J.C. Reid of the Houston Chronicle. He says that if the Texas trinity of meats is brisket, pork ribs and sausage, and the trinity of side dishes is beans, potato salad and coleslaw, then the trinity of desserts is cobbler, pecan pie and banana pudding.
North Little Rock barbecue restaurant White Pig Inn is closing after 99 years of business. “It’s time,” Owner Greg Seaton says. “I’m 40 years in. I don’t have any sons and my two daughters aren’t interested in the restaurant business. It’s bittersweet. There’s a lot of history here.”
Here are BBQ shows, podcasts, or books you should check out this week:
Watch: The Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ List Explained by Daniel Vaughn - Quetorials
Quetorials has published part one of two interview with Texas Monthly’s Daniel Vaughn. In it, he talks about the Texas Monthly Top 50 list of best BBQ joints in Texas. He also talks about 24/7 BBQ and provides insights into what is happening now in the barbecue scene. Watch it here.
Listen: Chef Randy Duncan of Daddy Duncan’s BBQ in Katy, TX - BBQ State of Mind
In the latest BBQ State of Mind podcast, Chris, Alison, and Greg are joined by Chef Randy Duncan of Daddy Duncan’s BBQ in Katy, Texas. Chef Randy shares the story of his passion for food, including restaurant experience and a degree from the University of Houston’s Hilton College. He journeyed into the world of barbecue, cooking at local wrestling events on a pit built by his grandfather and now runs a successful barbecue truck and catering operation. Listen to it here.
Read: Operation BBQ: 200 Smokin’ Recipes from Competition Grand Champions - by Cindi Mitchell and Stan Hays
Operation BBQ is a compilation of recipes from championship-winning barbecue teams who volunteer for disaster relief efforts across the United States. These unsung heroes develop BBQ dishes that wow crowds and judges everywhere, and then help feed displaced residents and emergency personnel ― putting the “comfort” in “comfort food.” Here, more than 70 teams of grand and world champion pitmasters bring their prized recipes and powerful stories to life in this exceptional cookbook. Operation BBQ will be released on April 9, 2019. Pre-order it here.
March 6-10: Charleston Food and Wine Festival - Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston Wine + Food infuses homegrown flavor with top chefs, winemakers, authors, storytellers, artisans, and food enthusiasts from around the globe for a five-day event that spans the first full weekend each March. More info here.
March 18-19: Business of Barbecue at 17th Street BBQ - Murphysboro, Illinois
Business of Barbecue is a two-day seminar that combines cooking barbecue for a restaurant or catering operation with classroom seminars discussing branding, marketing, PR, vending, and restaurant financials. Participants will prep and cook ribs, chicken, brisket, and pork with an emphasis on holding and re-therming techniques. This class is filled with information that will benefit anyone from a novice to an experienced operator. More info here.
March 29-30: Hogs for the Cause - New Orleans, Louisiana
Hogs for the Cause returns as the largest, tastiest BBQ festival in New Orleans. The city welcomes 85 local and regional BBQ masters and the best backyard chefs to compete in seven categories: Whole Hog, Ribs, Pork Butt/Shoulder, Porkpourri, Sauce, Fan Favorite, and Fundraising Champion. The barbecue festival is a two-day event full of music, local beer, and fundraising. More info here.
April 3-6: National Barbecue & Grilling Association Annual Conference - Kansas City, Missouri
The National Barbecue & Grilling Association (NBBQA) Annual Conference will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. Whether you are a product owner, run a restaurant, sell, buy or simply enjoy BBQ, there are boundless opportunities to network, learn, and grow at the conference. Events include bus tours, education sessions, and the BBQ bash, with presentations, demonstrations, and cookoffs. More info here.
April 10: Brisket King NYC - Brooklyn, New York
Brisket King, one of New York City’s top barbecue events, will be returning to Brooklyn on April 10. Hosted at Biba of Williamsburg, the all-inclusive event will feature 20 chefs and pitmasters serving all kinds of brisket and much more. It will also feature a wide selection of beer, cider, wine, and spirits to enjoy. Early bird ticket sales end on March 15. More info here.
April 14: Houston BBQ Festival - Humble, Texas
The 7th Annual Houston BBQ Festival will take place on Sunday, April 14th from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Humble Civic Center Arena Complex. The festival will feature Houston’s best barbecue joints all in one place, including Corkscrew BBQ, Feges BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Killen's Barbecue, Pinkerton's Barbecue, Roegels Barbecue Co., Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue, Victorian's Barbecue, and more. Tickets include entry into the event and unlimited sample portions from each participating barbecue joint. More info here.
April 20: 11th Annual North Carolina 'Cuegrass Festival - Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh's original bluegrass festival returns to the warehouse district of downtown Raleigh on April 20, with a jam-packed day full of great 'cue, local brews, and toe-tappin' bluegrass music. Proceeds will go to SAFEchild, Junior League of Raleigh's BackPack Buddies, and Raleigh Cub Scout Troop 325. More info here.
April 26-28: Austin Food and Wine Festival - Austin, Texas
The Austin Food + Wine Festival returns in April to spoil your palate with a handful of global and nationally renowned talent. This 3-day weekend in the culinary capital is the epitome of high spirits, with a packed schedule of hands-on grilling demos, up-close tastings with top chefs and sommeliers, and more interactive demos and panels. More info here.
May 4: Red Dirt BBQ Festival - Tyler, Texas
For five years, the Red Dirt BBQ & Music Festival has been one of the most unique food and music experiences in Texas. The sixth annual event returns to the brick streets of downtown Tyler, Texas. Tickets are sold out at present. More info here.
Grill Girl’s Award-Winning Bloody Mary
Florida “Grill Girl” Robyn Lindars is the founder of grillgirl.com, a website filled with recipes for fans and enthusiasts of live fire cooking. Last month Robyn won third place for her Bloody Mary recipe at The Shed Steak Showdown, a Steak Cookoff Association event at The Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The recipe is flavored with a variety of ingredients, such as horseradish, lime, pickle juice, and dill and can be customized with additional hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Robyn garnished the cocktail with blue crab, shrimp, sausage, heirloom tomato, and pickled okra for a beautiful award-winning Bloody Mary entry. View the recipe here.
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