When it comes to whole-hog barbecue, the exceptionally distinctive regional style that South Carolinians swear by, you’re talking about going all in. It takes 12 to 24 sweltering hours to prepare entire pigs weighing 70 to 120 snout-to-tail pounds, and a lifetime of pitmastery, to finesse the epicurean equilibrium between fire and heat required to serve pork that’s smoke-scented, luxuriantly tender, lined with crackling crisp, and kissed with a tinge of spice and vinegar.
Just ask Rodney Scott, owner of his eponymous legendary Charleston BBQ spot, Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ, who tended his first hog at age 11. He dedicates literally half a day of patience and passion to each butterflied hog, shifting smoldering charcoal every 10 to 15 minutes at about 250 degrees so all key portions of the shoulder, neck, and belly are evenly cooked. His other tools of the trade? An ear for the fat drippings and steam hisses that signal the heat is on point, a secret recipe dry rub he calls “some other love,” and the fiery and tangy sauce concocted by his parents in 1972 at their original and still-standing location in Pee Dee, a scenic, flavorful South Carolina region known for unique barbecue.
And that’s why, right in the heart of downtown Charleston, one of the five U.S. cities recognized for the best barbecue, long but fast-moving lines of locals, tourists, and barbecue pilgrims come to pay homage. Scott’s pork is hand-pulled from all over the hog, with crunchy golden skin chopped in. Each shimmering strand is sluiced with the trinity of smoky aroma, piquant zip, and tangy zest that reviewers have described as “heavenly” on Yelp and “pork heaven” on Tripadvisor…