Charleston’s Palmira BBQ Makes Smooth Transition to Restaurant

Palmira BBQ pitmaster Hector Garate creates a unique barbecue experience with whole hog, beef cheeks, and hash and rice.

This week’s guest article is written by Monk, a native of North Carolina and co-founder of the Barbecue Bros blog. Along with his friends and fellow Barbecue Bros Speedy and Rudy, Monk has traveled around eating, rating, ranking, and reviewing barbecue joints since 2012. If you would like to write a guest article for The Smoke Sheet, please get in touch.

From the moment I first tried Palmira Barbecue at the former Port of Call food hall in Charleston in 2022, I knew pitmaster Hector Garate and Palmira were destined for bigger things than simply being one stall in a small-ish food hall (which has since closed.)

Garate was cooking whole hogs from locally sourced pigs, and it compared favorably to hogs I’ve had in Pitt County, North Carolina. In case you aren't familiar, Pitt County is home to such heavy-hitter whole hog restaurants as B's Barbecue, Skylight Inn, and Sam Jones Barbecue, all of which I tried mere days before Palmira. And yet, I continued to look back fondly on what I ate from Palmira Barbecue after that trip.

The incredible mural outside Palmira BBQ in Charleston. (Photo by Monk / Barbecue Bros)

So it was no surprise to me when it was announced in the late summer of 2022 that Palmira (named for Garate's grandmother) would be moving to a permanent location in the West Ashley area of Charleston. The original opening date of March 2023 didn't happen, and in the meantime, Garate went back to pop-up mode, both around Charleston and across the country.

He collaborated with folks like Interstellar Barbeque in Austin, Khoi Barbecue in Houston, Bark Barbecue in Brooklyn, and Tropical Smokehouse in West Palm Beach, among others. He also helped out Khoi in the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest in Lockhart last fall. Needless to say, Hector Garate stayed busy while the build-out of the restaurant dragged on.

The beef cheek tostones at Palmira are perfect. (Photo by Monk / Barbecue Bros)

As luck would have it, I happened to be in Charleston on opening weekend in early February 2024 and was able to check out the new building on that Sunday before heading back to NC. In short, I'm happy to report that the transition from a pop-up to a brick-and-mortar is going smoothly from a consumer perspective.

Whole hog barbecue is a "standard" at Palmira, meaning it's always on the menu (unless, of course, they’ve run out for the day). Garate partners with fifth-generation farmer Marvin Ross to source heritage hogs from Peculiar Pig Farms, which is located an hour away in Dorchester. That quality certainly shines through in the meat.

The whole hog at Palmira compares favorably to other whole hog heavy hitters (Photo by Monk / Barbecue Bros)

Beef cheeks are another standard, and they were not available for my first trip. This is not something you typically see even in new-school Texas-style barbecue joints in the Carolinas. This tender cut of meat reminds me of brisket in the way they are aggressively rubbed with salt and pepper, but they are much smaller, much more tender, and have a richer beef flavor. At Palmira, they are a must-order.

In terms of other meats, barbacoa, house sausage, and ribs are the other standards, with brisket, pork steaks, chicken, and beef ribs rotating in and out of the menu, depending on the day.

The meat-cutting station is always busy at Palmira Barbecue. (Photo by Monk / Barbecue Bros)

Garate told me in 2022 that he ate hash and rice daily, and while I'm not sure if that is still the case, his version continues to be one that is worthy of that distinction. Next time I stop in, I will be sure to try more of the rotating sides, many of which are heavily influenced by Garate's Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage.

On this Sunday of opening weekend, the line was out the door well before opening, but the line moved at a nice clip through the meat and sides line. The restaurant itself looked great, and a beautiful mural greets you on the side of the building as you enter.

Palmira’s hash and rice is a delight. (Photo by Monk / Barbecue Bros)

For me, Palmira Barbecue was the biggest barbecue restaurant opening this first half of the year in the Carolinas and perhaps the entire Southeast. I plan to go back imminently with a bigger appetite. Based on what I experienced, it more than delivers from the get-go. 

Run, don't walk, to Palmira Barbecue in Charleston.

Monk
Co-Founder, Barbecue Bros