South Carolina is the “Birthplace of BBQ,” and Florence County has been keeping the tradition alive for as long as we can remember. You’ll find four types of BBQ sauces in South Carolina – mustard, light tomato, vinegar and pepper, and heavy tomato-based. Our part of the state tends to prepare the the pork with vinegar and pepper or light tomato-based sauce, but as you visit our BBQ restaurants (Florence County has more than 10 of them), you may just find the other two styles as well.

Traditionally the pork is cooked as a whole hog “low and slow” over a fire pit, just as the Native Americans taught the colonists. The pork is removed by pulling it in long strips, hence the name pulled pork BBQ. When we gather our friends and neighbors together for the process, we call it a pig pickin’.   The BBQ heritage was brought about by a mix of Native American and Spanish colonists’ cooking techniques, and the state celebrates this cuinary tradition through the SC BBQ Trail.

Check out our favorite selection of BBQ restaurants!

Cain’s Bar-B-Q
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
Fatback’s BBQ & Grille
Roger’s Bar-B-Q House
Schoolhouse BBQ
Wholly Smokin’ BBQ and Ribs
Woodstone BBQ

Want to try even more BBQ restaurants?  Check out the Eastern SC Heritage Region BBQ Trail.