also hash and smoked chicken, all with or without coleslaw on top of your choice of a tomato-based mild or mustardy spicy sauce. The hand-cut fries, golden and piled high, are a top side, and Southern classics like green beans, mac ‘n’ cheese and sweet potato casserole come in a close second. All are served with a healthy helping of Greenville hospitality, so really, it’s no wonder Southern Living recognized it as the state’s best in 2024. In nearby Spartanburg, pitmaster Todd Smith’s Smoking Butt Heads BBQ boasts the traditional menu items, plus some you see on the competition circuit but not often in restaurants, like pork medallions— smoked tenderloin sliced into rounds and sauced. Smoking Butt Heads has been open only a few years, but in 2024, Southern Living named it one of the South’s Best New Barbecue Joints. City Limits Barbeque has no set menu, is open weekends only and once it’s out of an item, it’s out—but none of that stops barbecue aficionados from lining up outside this smokin’ West Columbia spot, crowned Best Barbecue Joint in the South by Southern Living in 2025. They come for the brisket, peppery bark on the outside of a crimson smoke ring; savory hash and rice drizzled with sweet mustard sauce; and creamy banana pudding topped with soft vanilla wafers. All these delights are courtesy of Robbie Robinson, two-time runner for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef. Want to become a pit boss yourself? Head to Greenville to learn the intricacies of smoking meats, blending rubs and perfecting sauces with Wayne Preston of Bucky’s Bar-B-Q . (Check buckysbbq.com for upcoming classes.) 2 pig out at cook-ofFs SC BBQ SHAG FESTIVAL, MARCH Dancers and pitmasters gather in Hemingway to smoke meat and do “the swing dance of the South,” the Shag. *HUB CITY HOG FEST, APRIL Pork, ribs, chicken wings and brisket—plus local bands and family fun—are on the menu in Spartanburg. SOUTH CAROLINA FESTIVAL OF DISCOVERY, JULY Smoky ribs meet soulful blues in this Greenwood stirring of the senses. UNIQUELY UNION FESTIVAL, SEPTEMBER A Taster’s Choice cook-off award lets you be the judge of the competition teams. *MAULDIN BBQ COOK-OFF, SEPTEMBER Seasoned pros to up-and-coming pitmasters from all over the Southeast gather to smoke the competition. *South Carolina Barbeque Association-sanctioned events get the bbQ trail Map Bite into the "Birthplace of Barbecue" with this comprehensive guide to some of the state's most legendary barbecue joints. 3 Light Tomato: A bridge between Eastern and Western styles of barbecue, the light tomato sauce is similar to a ketchup— slightly sweet while retaining the tang of its vinegar base. Vinegar: This thin, sharp sauce hearkens back to the earliest of colonial barbecue traditions. Its black pepper cuts through the richness of pork with a bright, acidic bite. 2. Bucky’s Bar-B-Q, Greenville 3. Mauldin BBQ Cook-Off, Mauldin 23
South Carolina Vacation Guide SC 2026: Page 23
