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By Katelyn Guingrich
The Phoenix Student Media
Rodney Scott's BBQ is a small, whole hog BBQ restaurant located on Kings St. in Charleston with two newly opened locations in Alabama and Georgia. Rodney Scott's is not only one of the best BBQ places I’ve eaten at, but the owner and restaurant have a fascinating and empowering story worth telling.
Image credit rodneyscottsbbq.com
The restaurant was opened in 2017 of a friendship between Rodney Scott and Nick Pihakis and a love for the dying art of whole hog BBQ and the time and technique required to make it. Rodney Scott BBQ practices a dying art called whole hog BBQ. As the name implies, a whole hog is slow cooked over low coals for 12 hours, then carefully pulled and served by the pitmasters (cooks) to its customers.
Rodney Scott has been cooking whole-hog barbecue over wood coals since he was in middle school. And for 25 years, he worked with his family in their BBQ stop in Hemingway. But in 2017 Rodney left the family business and partnered with a man named Nick Pihakis to open Rodney Scott’s BBQ. The restaurant had earned many awards despite only being open for five years. And in its very first year of operation, the restaurant was named one of the 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetit Magazine. And in 2018, Rodney Scott was awarded the James Beard Foundation’s award for Outstanding Chef Southeast. The restaurant also was able to stay afloat through the Covid-19 pandemic, despite many small businesses and restaurants being forced to close down for good when faced with bankruptcy.
Rodney Scott's has even had an episode of the Netflix show, “Chef's Table.” A show which acknowledges outstanding and unique restaurants. Rodney Scott's episode was made about the upbringing and hardships of the restaurant and its owner.
The documentary gave insights into how the BBQ was cooked. As the technique implies, whole hogs are cooked for long periods on low heat. Rodney raises his hogs. Most of the process is done by hand, including his homemade Rodney Sause. The roots of whole hog BBQ are also explained. The tradition started on southern plantations as they were cheap and efficient to cook. The practice quickly became a tradition within black communities and throughout South Carolina. Rodney learned the art of the whole hog from his family, who owned Scott's Variety Store & Bar-B-Q, in the small town of Hemingway. He was expected to carry on the tradition.
Eventually, Rodney took over the business after his father had a stroke. His new ideas brought in a new generation of customers to enjoy the tradition as the family business rose in popularity. However, in 2013 the family business caught on fire and was destroyed. But Rodney did not see this as the end and toured the South to raise money eventually opening a new restaurant in Charleston that we know today; Rodney Scott's.
Rodney Scotts exploded as it became a staple in Charleston. Its story touched the hearts of thousands of people, and the restaurant exploded in popularity. I recommend everyone go dine at Rodney Scotts for not only the amazing whole hog BBQ but also for the experience. Everyone is family when you are at Rodney Scotts, and it is a truly unique experience knowing all of the passion, heart, and soul put into the food and the heartwarming story behind the origin of the restaurant.
Image credit rodneyscottsbbq.com
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