South Carolina help, Scott's BBQ
 

Can someone educate me on Scott's BBQ in Hemingway and Rodney Scott's in Charleston? They seem completely separate. Is the one in Hemingway still considered a must visit?

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Can't go wrong with either, Gordon.

Hemingway is the OG that is still run by his family.

Same recipes except Rodney has a few more menu items than the Hemingway location.

Thanks Pat, that is what I thought. I just was looking up Rodney Scott's and the website listed two other locations, or future locations, but did not list Hemingway. Hemingway is treated separately. I'll probably swing by both then.

South Carolina help, Scott's BBQ
 

Anything on the way from Atlanta that would make this trip a twofer? I’ve driven 4 hours to Austin from Dallas for amazing brisket on multiple occasions. I haven’t felt that way about pulled pork yet.

I'd say do it if you have the time.

While you're here, you can hit Lewis BBQ, too!!

Made it to Lewis' a couple nights ago and it was good, but not great. I was expecting a lot more actually and that probably weighed in on my evaluation. I've been to both Franklin's and LA BBQ when I believe Lewis was there and the brisket was far superior at these other two establishments. The pulled brisket was outstanding at Lewis, very nice flavor, but the the sliced was lacking in flavor and not as tender/juicy as the former. The ribs were extremely good. Mac and cheese was very good and the greens also were nice. Went again last night and I was disappointed. It was a drop-off from before. The ribs were ok and the pulled brisket was not nearly as good as the other night. The flavor profile was different. Asked my wife and she said the same thing. Had the fries and they were the best ever. I don't want to dis Lewis. It is definitely good, but not as good as I was expecting. Brisket was average to me for Texas-style in Texas. Outside of Texas, I would rate very good to excellent, but I have had much better (at Q Shack in Raleigh and BT's in Sturbridge for instance). Sides, sausage were excellent at Lewis'. Ribs were great the first night, not so great the next.

Also did Rodney Scott's a couple nights back. Outstanding. Best pulled pork I ever had, most tender and juicy by a mile, and ribs are definitely top three. Wife had catfish. That is usually hit or miss. This was definitely a hit. The menu is not extensive, but what we had was all excellent. The sides were good, but not as good as at Lewis' for instance. I have trouble comparing Carolina BBQ with Texas BBQ. To me, they are two different things entirely. I prefer Texas BBQ, but I don't do vinegar too well. That said, Rodney Scott's would absolutely be in my top 5 and probably top 3 of all BBQ, that is how good it was. This is definitely a destination. If I preferred Carolina style, this would be number 1 by a long mile.

Must've been an off couple of nights at Lewis or maybe the brisket was held too long.

You are spot on on the sides being better at Lewis.

If folks are ever in Charleston, you MUST hit these two spots.

Wednesdays at Lewis they have Prime Rib.

Saturday they have beef ribs. Expensive but the bomb!

Sundays they have chicken fried steak w/ a hatch chile white gravy. Divine!
They only prepare 32 servings, so get there early!

OK, I'm no longer in Charleston, but I made it to Scott's a second time and to Lewis a third, and fourth. :roll: Scott's the second time was not nearly as good as the first. The pulled pork was not as tender, but it was still extremely flavorful and excellent. Ribs also were not as good either, but they were cut from the shorter end. Wife had the prime rib sandwich which was good, but rather boring. Scott's was still excellent and even on the second, potentially sub-par night, it still would rate the best pulled pork I've had. We also had the hushpuppies and they were fabulous.

Anyway, back to Lewis. We lived in Cruces for three years and Lewis is originally from El Paso, so we thought we'd try some real New Mexican food. We did and it was quite nice. Probably the best part were the corn tortillas. You might think this is basic filler, but it is not. Most of these are lame now. Lewis' are not. My wife said she hadn't had corn tortillas that tasted like this since she was in Juarez some 35 years ago. I also remembered this flavor from my youth in Arizona. We asked about them and they make them from scratch the old fashioned way, well worth it. They are flavorful and taste like corn tortillas used to taste before they were mass produced and unflavorful. Anyway, my wife wanted to return for breakfast this morning and we each had a breakfast burrito, both very nice, but since we were already at Juan Luis for breakfast, we could just wait until Lewis BBQ opened and had lunch, as they are right next to each other and share the same parking lot. Today was prime-rib and cheddar sandwich day and I also ordered a couple slices of fatty brisket. Sandwich was fabulous. Everything we wanted from Scott's but didn't get the night before. The brisket also was great, tender and juicy, although still not as flavorful as I would have preferred, but still excellent. I'll probably post pics in another thread. Anyway, BBQ is more an art than a science and things do change from night to night.

In sum, both are excellent and well worth the visit.

Man I just found this thread. Sorry Gore would have tried to help Pat and give some direction. Luckily it totally looks like Pat had it covered. As far as the Hemingway Scott's (live 10 min from) and the Charleston restaurants. The Hemingway one was always his parents' he was just running the pits and I am sure getting a cut of the profit. Once he left Hemingway his oldest son took over running the pit. What is funny about the sides is the fact they don't exist in Hemingway. They have hog, chicken, and skins. Some cake and other items in the store. I am glad you made it to SC...and I totally agree it's hard to compare SC BBQ and Texas BBQ very different, but both are very good.

I'm completely with you about Lewis' brisket hype not living up to reality. The links are the best thing I've had from there. The brisket...just 'meh'...

Rodney's place is the best pork you'll get in SC. I've been there once when I was disappointed, but for the most part it's always spot on. On a good day it can rival Skylight or Sam Jones...but it had better be a good day...but then I've been to Skylight and been disappointed (once out of dozens of visits). The texture at Rodney's is more coarse. I like it either way...coarse or fine.

You can't compare regional styles on a fair scale. You can have a favorite style, but the methods are just different.

I'm still catching up with work too much to post pics of the trip, but we stopped at Skylight on the way. The pulled pork was extremely good. Loved the cracklin mixed in, but I prefer Lexington BBQ more. The first night, Rodney's really blew them both away. Second night, I probably would've preferred Lexington BBQ.