SC has 9 of the best BBQ restaurants in the South for 2023, Southern Living says

If you’re not craving barbecue right now, you may well be after reading this list from Southern Living.

In a region of the U.S. known for delicious barbecue, South Carolina tends to stand out for its quality offerings. While many people rightly rave about South Carolina-style barbecue, the state also has a wide selection of other styles to try.

But which barbecue joints in South Carolina are the best?

Southern Living magazine takes its time every year to rank the 50 best barbecue joints in the South. This year, nine South Carolina restaurants made the cut, including two in the top 10.

Here are the nine best South Carolina barbecue restaurants for 2023, according to Southern Living.

Home Team BBQ

Ranked 42nd on the list was Home Team BBQ at 126 William St. in Charleston. Founders Aaron Siegel and Taylor Garrigan opened the restaurant in 2006. Home Team has since grown to six restaurants in South Carolina.

“The offering is unconstrained by regional boundaries, with pork, chicken, brisket and ribs cooked over red oak on Lang and Tyler pits,” Southern Living writes. Lots of contemporary creations are in the mix, too, like smoked carnitas tacos, pit-cooked pastrami sandwiches, and superb smoked chicken wings served with tangy Alabama-style white sauce.”

Bessinger’s BBQ

Bessinger’s BBQ at 1602 Savannah Highway in Charleston ranked 39th on the list this year. Described as an iconic Charleston mustard sauce joint, Bessinger’s brought its distinctive style from Orangeburg County to Charleston soon after World War II. The current restaurant was founded by Thomas Bessinger in 1960 and is operated by his sons today.

“If you’re across the river from downtown in the West Ashley neighborhood, then Bessinger’s is your best bet for scoring a plate of chopped pork barbecue dressed in South Carolina’s signature tangy/sweet yellow mustard sauce. It also has a notable version of the state’s iconic side dish, hash and rice,” Southern Living writes.

Melvin’s BBQ

Melvin’s actually tied for 39th place with Bessinger’s this year. Located at 925 Houston Northcutt Blvd. in Mount Pleasant, Melvin’s is also a solid choice for South Carolina’s iconic mustard-sauced pork and savory hash and rice. Melvin Bessinger was another of the brothers who opened his own restaurant in the Charleston area.

“Yes, you can order Texas-style brisket at Melvin’s today (and it’s actually pretty good), but why would you want to when there’s such delicious wood-cooked pork and succulent hash and rice to be had,” Southern Living writes.

Hite’s Bar-B-Que

Ranked 35th, Hite’s Bar-B-Que at 240 Dreher Road in West Columbia has been family-owned since 1957 and operates as a take-out stand, cooking whole hogs, ribs and chicken in open pits over plenty of oak and hickory wood. Southern Living suggests also grabbing a bag of pig skins there, which instead of being deep fried are crisped on the pit and chopped into big shards.

McCabe’s Bar-B-Q

Southern Living declares that McCabe’s is the best all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet in South Carolina. Ranked 33rd overall on the list, McCabe’s can be found at 480 North Brooks Street in Manning. There you can get Pee Dee-style whole hog barbecue, pulled into long strands and dressed with spicy vinegar-pepper sauce. There’s also juicy fried chicken, covered in crispy peppery batter, along with sides such as stewed cabbage, turnip greens and hush puppies.

“Of particular note are two regional specialties: juicy, sage-laced chicken bog (the Pee Dee’s distinctive version of rice pilau) and savory, reddish orange hash served over white rice,” Southern Living writes.

Big T’s Bar-B-Q

Coming in at 30th on the list was Big T’s Bar-B-Q at 2520 Congaree Road in Gadsden. Customers will be in for a Midlands treat, whether they stop by the Gadsden spot or the location on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia. Big T’s wood-cooked pork, covered in mustard-based sauce is among the best in the state, Southern Living writes.

Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ

Rodney Scott opened his restaurant — ranked 28th — in 2017 at 1011 King. St. in Charleston, bringing what he learned from his family’s restaurant in Hemingway, South Carolina. The menu includes spare ribs, fried catfish, brisket and has local craft beer on tap.

“The core of the operation, though, remains the same as up in Hemingway: burn oak down to coals, fire the pits, and cook whole hogs for 12 hours before finishing them with a fiery vinegar-pepper mop,” Southern Living writes.

Lewis Barbecue

Lewis Barbecue at 464 N Nassau St. in Charleston ranked eighth on the list. The owner/pitmaster John Lewis learned his craft while working at two different barbecue joints in Texas. He opened his own Texas-style restaurant in Charleston in 2016.

“Everything about Lewis Barbecue is impressive, from the flawless brisket that headlines the menu to the sublime cowboy beans served alongside,” Southern Living writes.

Scott’s Bar-B-Q

Scott’s Bar-B-Q was the highest South Carolina restaurant on the list, coming in at fifth place. The restaurant is located at 2734 Hemingway Hwy. in Hemingway.

“Plenty of other restaurants have fancier decor, a broader selection of meats, and more upscale side dishes, but none has such succulent pork, with a fiery red pepper bite up front followed by a sweet surge of hardware smoke that lingers on the tongue,” Southern Living writes.

The restaurant’s crew cuts down white oak and pecan trees to smoke the meats. Whole hogs are smoked for 12 hours, then flipped and mopped with a pepper-laced vinegar sauce.

“It’s the quintessential Pee Dee South Carolina barbecue experience and a must-visit entry on your Southern barbecue bucket list,” Southern Living writes.