Monk: While I wasn’t able to attend the full Carolina Barbecue Festival this year due to parental duties on Saturday, I wanted to be sure to check out the kickoff on a beautiful Friday night at Victoria Yards in uptown Charlotte. In-between bites I was able catch up with Garren and Kelly from Jon G’s, Chigger from the Low and Slow Barbecue Show, and Rodolfo and Craic representing Southern Smoke Barbecue. Hopefully next year’s timing works out for me to go to to the main event on Saturday.
That said, here are the best bites from the Friday kickoff:
Brisket and Sausage link from Union Barbecue – perhaps not the prettiest plating but excellence as usual from Union Barbecue.
Brisket Bun from Improper Pig – this was the biggest surprise for me from a barbecue place who’s most recent restaurant opening was in the former Pizza Peel location in the heart of Plaza Midwood. Maybe I should give them and their asian-influenced barbecue another chance in their new digs.
Double Smoked Burnt End Street Taco from Midwood Smokehouse – it was close between this and the bun from Improper Pig bun this still had great flavors in an easy to eat package.
Chopped Pork Tray from BBQ King – the lone pork offering from the kickoff, this was a typical tray of barbecue from the ever-dependable long-time Lincolnton restaurant.
Brisket, queso fresco, and street corn salad (no tostada) from Mac’s Speed Shop – the tostadas were gone by the time I had my sample and I would’ve loved the crunch from the crispy tortilla. Great flavor from what was served, though.
Bonus bite: banana pudding ice cream from Golden Cow Creamery. I love banana pudding and this ice cream version of it from Golden Cow Creamery was so, so good with large chunks of vanilla wafers and bold banana flavor. Also, a special shout out to the youngest Monkette for being my hand model for the night.
Name: Hill Country Barbecue Market Date: 2/8/26 Address: 30 W 26th St, New York, NY 10010 Order: “Two Meater” platter with brisket (moist), jalapeno cheddar sausage, pork collard greens, and cowboy beans (link to menu) Pricing: $$$
Monk: Readers, I was caught a little off guard with my most recent trip to New York for a quick work trip. I didn’t do much research going into the short trip and found myself with an open night for dinner. Hill Country Barbecue Market was a somewhat known quantity by me in name only, having opened in 2007 on the leading edge of the New York barbecue boom, and I had not yet visited yet, instead opting for places like Hometown Bar-B-Que, John Brown’s Smokehouse, and the original Mighty Quinn’s when I had previously visited NYC. In a slight mist, I started my walk from my Midtown hotel down towards 26th.
Entering Hill Country, I was immediately struck by the Texas of it all. To say that it pays homage to the Republic of Texas would be understating it; it really slaps you in the face (positive). Finding a spot at the bar, I couldn’t help but notice the music, the signage, and the general vibe. They really nailed it. I ordered a Shiner and my food and we were off.
Being just me, I opted for the “Two Meater” platter with moist brisket and a jalapeno cheddar sausage. Thankfully, you get a choice of moist or lean, which is usually a good sign. Unfortunately, I may have gotten the less desirable end pieces of the moist part of the brisket with large veins of slightly congealed fat throughout the slices.
The jalapeno cheddar sausages (as well as the other sausages on the menu) are apparently shipped in from the legendary Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Texas. It had a nice kick and on its own was a solid link that more than made up for the “less than” brisket.
The “Two Meater” comes with two sides as well as cornbread and some pickled veggies. Both the collards and “cowboy beans” were just fine. The cornbread was brushed with honey and was very close to being the best part of the meal.
In response to the original question of this entry, the answer based on Hill Country Barbecue Market is “not really.” I can’t fault them too much for cooking with a gas-assisted smoker in the middle of Manhattan, but the end product especially in terms of the brisket was just subpar on this night. Go to Hill Country for the Texas vibes and maybe a happy hour (the bottom bar was slammed with young professionals), but not necessarily the barbecue.
Note: This list has been updated from February 2024. To see the original post, click here.
Monk: In the two years since I first published a Charleston barbecue list, there has not been too much in the way of big barbecue openings. The one main addition to my list in 2026 is King BBQ which opened in late 2023 but which I did not visit until earlier this year.
To make way for King BBQ, I removed Sweatman’s BBQ in Holly Hill which has switched to gas since my one and only visit in 2019. I could no longer vouch for their quality until I revisit, but I have not heard good things so we’ll see if I ever do.
In alphabetical order by tier, here are the ten best barbecue restaurants in Charleston. Thoughts? Am I missing your favorite joint?
Tier 1
NEW: King BBQ Where Chinatown meets southern barbecue. This pork-focused barbecue joint in North Charleston also includes Chinatown favorites duck as well as noodle dishes incorporating barbecue. 2029 Carver Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405 eatkingbbq.com
Lewis Barbecue John Lewis brought legitimate Texas barbecue to Charleston in 2016 and instantly became a must visit for any serious barbecue fans visiting the city. Between this restaurant, another on this list, and his annual Hatch Chile Fest in October, Lewis has certainly put his imprint on the city. 464 N Nassau St, Charleston, SC 29403lewisbarbecue.com/
Palmira Barbecue Palmira’s the new kid on the block in this top tier. Hector Garate started with popups before moving to a stall at the now shuttered Port of Call food hall. His long-awaited brick and mortar finally opened up earlier this month and is a must stop now. 2366 Ashley River Rd Building 1, Charleston, SC 29414palmirabbq.com/
Rancho Lewis John Lewis’ other restaurant is not a barbecue restaurant per se, but the mesquite smoked beef back ribs is one of the top barbecue bites in the city. 1503 King St, Charleston, SC 29403rancholewischs.com/
Rodney Scott’s Barbecue Every day is a good day when you get to try the whole hog and ribs from Rodney Scott at his flagship restaurant. 1011 King St, Charleston, SC 29403rodneyscottsbbq.com/
Tier 2
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint The Martin’s Bar-B-Que restaurant group has nine restaurants located in Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and South Carolina, and is one of the better (if not best) regional chains for barbecue in the southeast. Their Charleston location on James Island opened in 2019 and gave a great option for locals as well as folks on their way to Folly Beach. 1622 Highland Ave, Charleston, SC 29412 martinsbbqjoint.com/charleston
Melvin’s Barbecue Melvin’s should be applauded for seeing the light and moving back to wood from gas back in 2015, and my visit vindicated that decision for the 80 year old restaurant. 538 Folly Rd, Charleston, SC 29412melvinsbbq.com/
Tier 3
Home Team BBQ Home Team has above average barbecue in their restaurants primarily located in South Carolina (with one in Aspen!) but based on my experience they are more of a sports bar that happens to serve barbecue. Not a bad option, but there are certainly better if your focus is barbecue versus drinks and catching the game. Multiple locations hometeambbq.com/
Swig & Swine Swig & Swine has a Thursday whole hog special across their 3 restaurants in the Charleston area, and I loved their hash and rice the last time I visited while finding the pulled pork to be average. multiple locations swigandswinebbq.com/
Tier 4
Poogan’s Smokehouse Poogan’s is a pricey barbecue option off East Bay Street aimed at prying money from Charleston visitors. I found the meat to be average but the sides amazing. 188 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401pooganssmokehouse.com/
What is your favorite Charleston barbecue restaurant? Is there any place that I missed?
Name: King BBQ Date: 1/25/26 Address: 2029 Carver Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405 Order: Pork combo with BBQ red rice with yum yum sauce and slaw (link to menu) Pricing: $$
Monk: King BBQ is the collaboration of husband and wife team Shuai and Corrie Wang and pitmaster Brandon Olson, who worked for them at their other restaurant Jackrabbit Filly not far from the location of King in North Charleston. Even if you haven’t been there, you may still recognize Shuai from his finale run on the most recent season of Top Chef Destination Canada.
King BBQ takes inspiration from Shuai’s upbringing in Queens, NY, Corrie’s upbringing in Buffalo, and Olson’s NC Piedmont roots (he grew up outside of Charlotte). There’s not a lot of beef to be found in those places, and thus there is not at King BBQ. However, in addition to the pork, there is duck, chicken wings, and occasionally fried fish taking cues from Queens and Buffalo.
On this day, I stuck with pork – chopped pork topped with fried pork skins and pork spare ribs. The barbecue items are smoked in Lang offset smokers but while I did not detect a ton of smoke from the chopped pork, the texture and taste were nice, particular when paired with some crunch from the pork skin or the creamy chopped slaw I selected as one of my sides.
The spare ribs were slathered with a char siu barbecue sauce, which added a slight sweetness to the rib that wasn’t overpowering. The flavor was great but to a certain extent the sauce masked any smoke on the ribs. They were cooked nicely with each of my bites coming clean.
The BBQ red rice was a highlight as well, and came recommended by the server as I was ordering at the register. Paired with a homemade yum yum sauce, I would consider even going a double side of them next time.
There’s so much more to King BBQ than what I tried on that day: duck, sausage, noodle bowls, shrimp toast, a play on crab rangoon, and more. I hope to find myself back in Charleston again soon to check them out with a bigger crowd.
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