SC has 5 of the best new BBQ restaurants in the South for 2024, Southern Living says
Sorry in advance, but you may be craving barbecue 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.
Southern Living magazine takes its time every year to rank the best new barbecue joints in the South. This year, out of 22 barbecue restaurants selected, five South Carolina joints made the cut, three of which were in the top 10.
Here are the five best new South Carolina barbecue restaurants in the South for 2024, according to Southern Living. To see the entire list, click here.
Palmira BBQ
The Charleston-based Palmira BBQ took the top spot for best new barbecue joint in the South. Owner and pitmaster Hector Garate started with a roving brewery pop-up, then spent a short time in the Port of Call food hall in downtown Charleston. In February of this year though, Palmira opened in its permanent location west of the city.
Palmira offers a distinctive blend of South Carolina and Texas barbecue styles, with accents from his native Puerto Rico, Southern Living wrote. Palmira serves tender smoked beef cheeks instead of brisket. And the house-ground sausages are infused with everything from allspice and cinnamon to plantains and chunks of Gouda.
“Most impressive of all is the chopped whole-hog barbecue. The pigs are locally raised heritage breeds, and they’re basted with sofrito as they cook 12 hours over the coals of a wood-fired pit—a wonderful new take on Carolina ’cue,” Southern Living wrote.
City Limits Barbecue
City Limits snagged fourth place on the list. Robbie Robinson opened the West Columbia joint in 2023 after nearly seven years of work.
The restaurant offers some Texas flavors with its peppery brisket and spicy hot links. But it specializes in South Carolina barbecue, like pork shoulders cooked over the direct heat of a burn barrel and then chopped with a Pee Dee-style vinegar pepper sauce.
“The real showstoppers, though, are the pork ribs. Cooked two hours over direct coals and seasoned with nothing more than salt, they have a stunningly rich bite that makes them, hands down, the best ribs in the Carolinas—and may be even in all of the South,” Southern Living wrote.
King BBQ
Fifth place on the list belongs to King BBQ in North Charleston. Owners Corrie and Shuai Wang have created a unique culinary experience that starts with traditional Chinese American barbecue and gives it a Southern twist, Southern Living wrote.
There you can get meaty pork ribs lacquered with red char siu glaze or duck legs that offer luxurious dark meat smothered in spices.
“Best of all are the noodle bowls, which pile chopped pork, chicken, and even slow-simmered hash atop chewy tangles of noodles with long ribbons of garlicky greens in a rich broth,” Southern Living wrote.
Rancho Lewis
Rancho Lewis comes in at 14th on the list. Opened by John Lewis, the restaurant pays homage to the “border cuisine” of his native El Paso, Southern Living wrote. The menu offers much of what you’d expect from a Mexican restaurant, such as enchiladas, fajitas and tacos.
However, a single menu item earned the restaurant a spot on Southern Living’s list — a full rack of beef ribs.
“Each seven-bone slab is cooked overnight in a vertical mesquite pit and then finished on a wood-fired grill. Beneath a crusty sear, the beef pulls from the bones into long, tender pieces tinged deep garnet by the pit’s mesquite smoke—a splendid re-creation of a kind of Texas barbecue that’s seldom seen these days,” Southern Living wrote.
Smoking Butt Heads
Smoking Butt Heads in Spartanburg earned the 16th spot in the ranking. Todd Smith, a seasoned competition pitmaster, joined forces with restauranteur Nate Tomforde in 2023 to open the restaurant in downtown Spartanburg. The restaurant can be found in a century-old building that once housed M. Greenwald’s clothing store. The building still has its original hardwood floor and in the back, beneath a broad skylight, there are three ornate flights of wooden stairs that lead up to the second level, Southern Living wrote.
It’s wide-ranging menu includes brisket, chicken, pulled pork, and sausage.
“Most notable are the meaty ribs, which have a big layer of smoke and nicely balanced chew, and the Pork Medallions (tenderloin smoked and sliced into rounds), a cut that’s common on the competition circuit but rarely found in restaurants,” Southern Living wrote.
