Charleston

The 10 Best Barbecue Joints in Charleston – March 2026

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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 29403 lewisbarbecue.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 29414 palmirabbq.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 29403 rancholewischs.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 29403 rodneyscottsbbq.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 29412 melvinsbbq.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 29401 pooganssmokehouse.com/

What is your favorite Charleston barbecue restaurant? Is there any place that I missed?

The 11 Best Barbecue Bites I ate in 2024

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Monk: The back half of the year saw a little less barbecue than normal for me, but nonetheless I still had some great bites in 2024. In no particular order, here are the 11 best things I ate this year:

Beef Cheek from Palmira Barbecue in Charleston (review)

I’m not the only fan of Palmira Barbecue, as Daniel Vaughn named them the best Texas barbecue outside of Texas. But I got to check them out a few weeks after opening their West Ashley restaurant in January of this year, and left impressed.

Sweet and savory kolaches at Jon G’s Barbecue in Peachland

My love for Jon G’s is well documented, but I really love the kolaches they now serve for breakfast at their restaurant in Peachland while you wait.

Barbecue Hash over Carolina Gold Rice from City Limits BBQ at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

I have been meaning to get to City Limits Q for years, and in 2025 I will remedy that at the earliest. I did at least get a taste at this past spring’s Carolina BBQ Festival.

Smoked Burger from Southern Smoke at the Carolina BBQ Festival (recap)

A smoked burger served by Matthew Register and the rest of the Register family? Well you can hardly beat that.

Beef tenderloin over campfire in Deep Gap, NC

More of the “live fire cooking” variety versus traditional barbecue, but the beef tenderloin cooked over a campfire while camping with the youngest Monkette and a bunch of neighborhood dads was definitely one of the highlights of my year.

Beef Fat Caramel Wings from Lawrence Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

These wings were the best things I ate this year, hands down.

Whole Hog from Elliott Moss at the Jon G’s Jubilee (recap)

The brewery and smokehouse is still under construction in Florence, SC, but I got to have Elliott Moss’ whole hog not once but twice this year. This was a pleasant surprise.

Carnitas from Union Barbecue (review)

Union Barbecue is my new favorite Charlotte barbecue joint, and I will be their biggest cheerleader in 2025. HEY EVERYBODY, COME WITH ME TO UNION BARBECUE’S NEXT POP-UP, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE.

Texas Trinity at Matt’s BBQ in Portland, OR (review)

Really enjoyed the Texas Trinity from Matt’s BBQ in Portland after a morning hike at Wahkeena Falls. Matt’s BBQ was also named to Daniel Vaughn’s top 50 Texas barbecue joints outside of Texas list.

Frito Pie from Fumar (review)

I look forward to checking out more from Fumar in the new year. This Frito pie will be a must order just about every time from now on, though.

Whole hog from Live Fire Feasts

For our neighborhood pool here in Charlotte, I hosted a whole hog party in October catered by Craig Morrow and the fantastic crew at Live Fire Feasts out of Rock Hill, SC. Highly recommend checking them out if you like delicious food cooked over live fire in the Charlotte metro area.

Honorable mention: Whole hog from Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s, Beef Rib Croissant from Jon G’s Barbecue at the Jon G’s Jubilee

What was your favorite barbecue bites this year?

Barbecue Bros Wrapped 2024

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Monk: Thank you for your continued reading of Barbecue Bros. While we may have slowed down in the back half of the year, we are still committed to posting in 2025. And before I forget, Happy New Year from the Barbecue Bros!

With that out of the way, here’s our 2024 by the numbers:

16 reviews posted: 1 joint with all 3 Bros, 3 Speedy solo, 12 Monk solo (link)

10 features posted (link)

6 states visited: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oregon, Colorado, Texas

4 book club reviews (link)

2 new or updated best of lists posted: Charleston in February, Charlotte in November

2 barbecue festivals attended: Carolina BBQ Festival in April, Jon G’s Jubilee in June

1 five-hog review in 2024: Pecan Lodge in Dallas, which Speedy visited in January

Here are some of our favorite posts from the year:

Festival Recaps

Just a couple of barbecue festivals this year with both of them being local. The second annual Jon G’s Jubilee was held with some great friends like N. Sea Oyster Co. and Lawrence Barbecue and a surprise last minute announcement of Elliott Moss cooking whole hog. Keep an eye out for next year’s edition.

The Best Bites at last month’s Second Annual Jon G’s Jubilee

Lewis Donald keeps expanding the Carolina BBQ Festival and this year, it was part of the larger Charlotte Shouts festival in downtown Charlotte. With the demonstrated talent he is able to bring in every year, I think this is one for every serious barbecue fan within driving distance to watch out for . Early bird tickets for 2025 are now on sale.

Favorite Bites from last month’s Carolina BBQ Festival

Original Content

We posted our first best of list for Charleston:

The Best Barbecue Joints in Charleston – February 2024

Did you check out our latest list of the best barbecue in Charlotte?

The Best Barbecue Restaurants in Charlotte (November 2024)

Much of this original content first appeared in The Smoke Sheet, a weekly barbecue publication to which I regularly contribute and to which I think you should subscribe to. Because if you don’t step up now, then who knows it could be too late. I was really proud of this article that rounded up just some of the many relief activities in western NC from the barbecue community.

How the BBQ Community Rallied Around Western NC in the Aftermath of Hurricane Helene

On a lighter note, Charlotte’s got a few different barbecue styles because we are “a city of newcomers aned we have other people’s barbecue.”

Charlotte’s Got a Lot (of Barbecue Styles)

This was written in the summer but still applies since the latest version of each show is still on streaming.

Which Summer Barbecue Show Should You Watch?

Reviews

And finally, a selection of some of my favorite reviews we posted this year. In no particular order:

Union Barbecue in Charlotte

Union Barbecue has Burst onto the Charlotte Barbecue Scene with New School Barbecue and Mexican Flavors

Pecan Lodge in Dallas

Pecan Lodge in Dallas continues to be a must-visit

Terry Black’s in Dallas

Terry Black’s Barbecue Delivers on Brisket and Turkey

Palmira Barbecue in Charleston

Charleston’s Palmira Barbecue has made the smooth transition to restaurant

Matt’s BBQ in Portland

Matt’s BBQ is an example of legit Texas barbecue in Portland

Post Oak Barbecue in Denver

Post Oak Barbecue delivers above average barbecue in Denver

Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ at Chief’s in Nashville

Can a Nashville honky-tonk have true ‘cue?

Old Hampton Store in Linville, NC

You’ll Find True ‘Cue at Old Hampton Store

The Original Ridgewood Barbecue in Bluff City, TN

The Original Ridgewood Barbecue is a Wholly Unique Barbecue Experience

Linkdown: 6/19/24 – The Whole Hog Jubilee Edition

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Native News

A couple of updates for this Saturday’s sold out Jon G’s Jubilee: first, Elliott Moss will be cooking whole hog!

…Comedian Tim Shrop will also be at the Jubilee

Elliott Moss has teased plans for his next venture in Florence, SC on Instragram

Meet pit crew member Jamie from Sam Jones BBQ’s Winterville location

After launching their barbecue program last year, Resident Culture is now offering a barbecue class with pitmaster Edmar Simoes. Classes will start on July 14 and run every second Sunday of the month from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. at Resident Culture’s South End location.

Ronald Simmons may be coming to a city near you in July

I’d saw Lewis Donald had a great week last week; first Sweet Lew’s BBQ was serving barbecue at last week’s US Open in Pinehurst

…and then he got engaged! Congrats to the happy couple!

Non-Native News

Lewis Barbecue‘s Charleston location has been closed since last week due to termite damage but will reopen tomorrow but temporarily shifting to outdoor dining with the full menu available from the trailer

Chef Angel Jimenez’s La Piraña Lechonera will continue this year in the South Bronx