A hundred or so years ago (felt like it anyway) I had someone tell me about some BBQ people were not only driving hundreds of miles to South Carolina for and then waiting on long lines in the Southern sun to enjoy. Having newly launched a television show about food around the South, I was intrigued. Through a mutual friend, I got a phone number and fired off an introductory text to Rodney Scott, the guy in charge.

The response came quickly. “I’ll be here. See you then.”

The drive took me about 80% of the way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to a tiny crossroads, almost literally, in Hemmingway. There was a building that looked like it would need a coat of paint in order to condemn it and smoke billowing into the sky behind it.

Given the size of the dining room up front, the smokehouse out back was huge. If memory serves, there were about a dozen pits going. Each with a whole hog strewn on their way to becoming lunch or dinner.

It was a great morning. Just me, Rodney and the smoke. He shared his passion, some of his technique and his history in the space. His parents opened Scotts BBQ in 1972. He started cooking whole hogs at the age of 11. It was all fascinating. I had a wonderful lunch and headed back to Savannah. I had one more stop first.

Believe it or not, that day I also I had a scheduled interview that afternoon with Ted Huffman in Old Town Bluffton at his newish space – Bluffton BBQ.

Since that day, Rodney’s star has skyrocketed. In 2017 he opened a BBQ spot in Charleston. In 2018 he won a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast. He now has 5 locations around the South and is about to open his 6th in Miami. Yes, Florida. For the record, I have seen him a couple of times since then, usually at an event where there’s enough time for a hug and a quick chat.

That Charleston spot, by the way, goes toe-to-toe with some of the best BBQ you’ve ever had just down the street at Lewis BBQ. The whole hog holds its own. It was an honor to include it in my book Charleston Food Crawls a couple of years ago.

This summer, in a partnership with Target, he has also launched a line of sauces and spices. They are available on-line beginning June 1st. Read more about that here.

I can’t tell you the last time I bought a commercial BBQ sauce. It has been a minute, for sure. But I am going to try some of this and see if some of Rodney’s magic has indeed been bottled. I will let you know when I do.

Meanwhile, enjoy your Summer.

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