Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ

Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ
Map
Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ is located in South Carolina
Rodney Scott's Whole Hog BBQ
Location of Rodney Scott's BBQ
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Rodney Scott and Nick Pihakis
Head chefRodney Scott
Food typeBarbecue
Street address1011 King Street
CityCharleston, South Carolina
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32°48′03″N 79°57′00″W / 32.8007°N 79.9500°W / 32.8007; -79.9500
Seating capacity<128
WebsiteOfficial website

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.

Description

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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

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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 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

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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

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Carman, Tim (July 17, 2018). "How a small-town pitmaster turned a dying cuisine into the stuff of celebrity". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ a b Raskin, Hanna (September 8, 2020). "Rodney Scott's BBQ in downtown Charleston sets sales record following 'Chef's Table' release". Post and Courier.
  3. ^ Gallimore, Sydney (May 27, 2020). "The Best BBQ Joints in Charleston Right Now". Thrillist.
  4. ^ Yagoda, Maria (May 16, 2018). "Rodney Scott BBQ to Open First Out-of-State Location in Birmingham, AL". Food and Wine.
  5. ^ Vaughn, Daniel (August 20, 2020). "BBQ News Roundup: 'Chef's Table' Features Tootsie Tomanetz". Texas Monthly.
  6. ^ "Menu". Rodney Scott's BBQ. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Purvis, Kathleen (May 10, 2018). "One of the South's simplest foods got one of the biggest food awards". Charlotte Observer.
  10. ^ "Chef Rodney Scott named BBQ Hall of Fame semifinalist". Birmingham Business Journal. May 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Yagoda, Maria (August 20, 2018). "The 40 Most Important Restaurants of the Past 40 Years". Food and Wine.
  12. ^ Vaughn, Daniel (June 19, 2017). "Rodney Scott Ain't Scared". Texas Monthly.
  13. ^ Addison, Bill (June 29, 2017). "Charleston Is America's Vital New Barbecue Destination". Eater.
  14. ^ McCrady, Allston (June 2017). "The Review: Rodney Scott's BBQ". Charleston Magazine.
  15. ^ Raskin, Hanna (April 19, 2017). "Review: Rodney Scott's BBQ in downtown Charleston lets the good times, good food roll". Post and Courier.
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