Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ
Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ is a barbecue restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina. Specializing in pulled pork barbecue and owned by Rodney Scott and Nick Pihakis, it opened in February 2017.
Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ | |
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Location of Rodney Scott's BBQ | |
Restaurant information | |
Owner(s) | Rodney Scott and Nick Pihakis |
Head chef | Rodney Scott |
Food type | Barbecue |
Street address | 1011 King Street |
City | Charleston, South Carolina |
Country | United States |
Coordinates | 32.8007°N 79.9500°W |
Seating capacity | <128 |
Website | Official website |
Description
The restaurant is in Charleston, South Carolina, and can seat close to 128 diners.[1] Drive-through and delivery are also available.[2][3] It specializes in pulled pork barbecue slow-smoked with hardwood charcoal and served with a spicy vinegar sauce.[1][4] Scott uses MSG, which he calls a "flavor maker", in his spice rub.[5] Other dishes on the menu include fried catfish,[1] a rib eye steak sandwich, spare ribs, and banana pudding.[1][6]
History
Rodney Scott was raised in the hamlet of Nesmith, South Carolina. His parents, Roosevelt and Ella, were hog farmers who opened the Hemingway-based Scott's Variety Store and Bar-B-Q in around 1972.[1] Having assumed full ownership of Scott's Bar-B-Q in 2011, Scott partnered with restaurateur Nick Pihakis to expand the family business. Their joint venture, Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ, opened in February 2017.[1] The restaurant's premises previously belonged to fried chicken restaurant Chick’s Fry House.[7] Scott and the restaurant were featured in the third episode of the Netflix food documentary series Chef's Table BBQ (2020).[8] Following the release of the Chef's Table episode, the restaurant "set sales records three days in a row", with queues lasting for up to an hour.[2]
Reception
In May 2018, Scott was named "Best Chef Southeast" at the James Beard Foundation Awards.[9] In May 2020, he was nominated as a semi-finalist for the Barbecue Hall of Fame.[10] Maria Yagoda of Food and Wine listed the restaurant as one of the "40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years".[11] Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly wrote that Scott was "an undeniable master of the pit".[12] Writing for food website Eater, Bill Addison praised the "uniquely wonderful spirit" of the restaurant, but suggested that the quality of the barbecue was inconsistent.[13] Allston McCrady of Charleston Magazine described the restaurant's rib eye sandwich as "better than any Philly cheesesteak I’ve ever tasted".[14] Hanna Raskin of the Post and Courier wrote that the food at Rodney Scott's BBQ was a "shade less satisfying" than that of the family restaurant in Hemingway.[15]
References
- Carman, Tim (July 17, 2018). "How a small-town pitmaster turned a dying cuisine into the stuff of celebrity". The Washington Post.
- Raskin, Hanna (September 8, 2020). "Rodney Scott's BBQ in downtown Charleston sets sales record following 'Chef's Table' release". Post and Courier.
- Gallimore, Sydney (May 27, 2020). "The Best BBQ Joints in Charleston Right Now". Thrillist.
- Yagoda, Maria (May 16, 2018). "Rodney Scott BBQ to Open First Out-of-State Location in Birmingham, AL". Food and Wine.
- Vaughn, Daniel (August 20, 2020). "BBQ News Roundup: 'Chef's Table' Features Tootsie Tomanetz". Texas Monthly.
- "Menu". Rodney Scott's BBQ. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- Portman, Jed (August 30, 2016). "Exclusive: Rodney Scott on His New Charleston Barbecue Joint". Garden and Gun.; Carlton, Bob (July 3, 2020). "The story of Rodney and Nick, brothers in barbecue". AL.com.
- Oyer, Kalyn (August 18, 2020). "Charleston BBQ pitmaster Rodney Scott featured in Netflix show 'Chef's Table'". Post and Courier.; Carman, Tim (August 31, 2020). "'Chef's Table' tackles the smoky spectrum of barbecue in its latest mouthwatering season". The Washington Post.
- Purvis, Kathleen (May 10, 2018). "One of the South's simplest foods got one of the biggest food awards". Charlotte Observer.
- "Chef Rodney Scott named BBQ Hall of Fame semifinalist". Birmingham Business Journal. May 11, 2020.
- Yagoda, Maria (August 20, 2018). "The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years". Food and Wine.
- Vaughn, Daniel (June 19, 2017). "Rodney Scott Ain't Scared". Texas Monthly.
- Addison, Bill (June 29, 2017). "Charleston Is America's Vital New Barbecue Destination". Eater.
- McCrady, Allston (June 2017). "The Review: Rodney Scott's BBQ". Charleston Magazine.
- Raskin, Hanna (April 19, 2017). "Review: Rodney Scott's BBQ in downtown Charleston lets the good times, good food roll". Post and Courier.