Monk: True BBQ is home to some truly world-class hash and I was recently alerted to the existence of this song named after the West Columbia, SC restaurant from a recent John Tanner post. Opening with a piano riff followed by a searing blues solo, it enumerates all the reasons to come on down to True BBQ including:
Check it out – both the song and the hash and rice.
Header photo credit to John Tanner
Monk: An all-Carolinas linkdown this week
Shepard Barbecue is heading to the Flavortown Festival after getting a boost from Triple D
Laurinburg will host the “Suds and Swine” whole hog competition in mid-April
Green River BBQ in Saluda has recently changed ownership, with the new owners stating they have “big plans”
Beautiful South will be popping-up every Thursday at Lewis Barbecue in Charleston serving southern Chinese food
Fork Grove BBQ in Anderson, SC will soon be a brick and mortar
Palmira BBQ shares an update
John Tanner hits a quartet of barbecue restaurants in SC, starting with Melvin’s BBQ in Mount Pleasant
…at Swig & Swine, the pork belly was even better than the pork, which was “worthy of a ‘wow'”
…at Bessinger’s Barbecue, the hash has a “deep and satisfying flavor”
…finally, the hash and rice at True BBQ in West Columbia is “flat good”
Food & Wine Magazine released a huge barbecue blitz last week just in time for Labor Day
From writer Caroline Schnapp reflecting on her childhood in Durham at local institution Bullock’s Bar-B-Q to an unassuming barbecue joint in Alabama between a race track and a Bass Pro Shop
…to tips and recipes for the home smoker from the different types of sauces
…what spices to use to make a rub
…to which cuts of meat to smoke. Plus a whole lot more in the original link.
Raleigh Magazine has the latest on the still-about-to-be-booming Raleigh barbecue scene; the article notes that Ed Mitchell’s new venture The Preserve hopes to finish its kitchen soon for takeout and that Friendship Barbecue is not moving forward
Sam Jones BBQ’s Raleigh location is on track for a November opening
The Gaston Gazette profiles the Webb family of Red Brides Barbecue Lodge in addition to two other non-barbecue families in the area
Behind The Redneck BBQ Lab in Johnston County is a brother/sister duo with some serious competition barbecue pedigree
The last chance to claim your #SummerofCue t-shirt is today by 3pm
Fresh off the release of Chef’s Table: BBQ, Rodney Scott’s got a book coming out next year titled “Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day” that is co-written with Lolis Eric Elie; you can pre-order it now (h/t Robert Moss’s The Cue Sheet)
Scott also shares his favorite places to eat in Charleston
The Charleston Post and Courier writes up the SC Midlands barbecue restaurants like Big T Bar-B-Q, True BBQ, and Hite’s BBQ, who were all featured in the Food & Wine 50 states article
RIP Mike Wilson of Saw’s BBQ, who recently passed away unexpectedly; he spent his adult life in the Birmingham area but grew up in Charlotte
Chicago restaurants are also pivoting to barbecue during the pandemic
Birria, a meat stew traditionally made from goat meat, but occasionally made from beef or mutton, is having a moment in San Antonio
I look forward to continuing to follow this story about John T. Edge and how the Southern Foodways Alliance will move forward
Name: True BBQ
Date: 12/30/16
Address: 1237 D Ave, West Columbia, SC 29169
Order: Small barbecue dinner with hash and rice, collards, and slaw (link to menu)
Price: $13.01
Monk: Ever since reading this Garden & Gun Magazine article last year about Hite’s BBQ in West Columbia, it shot to the top of my list. Being that it’s only open on Fridays and Saturdays, I took the opportunity during my week off between Christmas and New Year’s to make the trip to Columbia specifically to check it out on a Friday, only to find this:
Nevertheless, my other planned stop was True BBQ not more than a mile away so I decided that I would head there and would figure out my second stop later.
During my research for the quick trip, I checked Marie, Let’s Eat! (as I always do when it comes to barbecue in the southeast) and True BBQ was received very favorably by those folks so at that point it was a no-brainer for me.
Speedy: Grant actually specifically mentioned seeing you here on Instagram and being jealous. It seems he’s been a bit disappointed by the Chattanooga ‘cue…
Monk: Yea, I get that sense based on some of the latest chapters on the blog, which is too bad…
I had timed my trip to arrive in Columbia as close to 10 as possible (which ended up being more like 10:30) since Hite’s opens at 8am, but luckily True BBQ opens at 10:30 Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Seeing as how I was planning to eat another meal shortly after, I only ordered a small barbecue dinner. I’ll get the pork out of the way – it was a bit on the dry side, especially considering it was so early in the day and should have been freshly smoked. You get a choice of three sauces – the Pretty Lady mustard sauce, Sexy Lady red sauce, and Lexington vinegar sauce – and it needed it. Hopefully this isn’t the case normally.
Hash and rice is a dish that intrigues me more and more these days and at True BBQ it comes standard with every dinner along with two sides. This was damned good hash and rice and by far the best part of the meal. Next time, I may even get a double order as one of my sides. The collards were above average but the slaw was a bit of a letdown and would be my choice to be replaced by more hash and rice.
As an aside, apparently the pork chop is worth ordering since the only other customer there with me at 10:30 was raving about it to pitmaster Ernest Zanders who was back and forth between the kitchen and the smoker out in front of the building, which was the first thing I noticed pulling into the parking lot. So take that for what its worth for those who are considering ordering that item.
In addition to the pork, True BBQ has some daily specials like brisket and beef ribs that may or may not be worth checking out. But at the very least I can recommend the hash and rice. As Grant so succinctly put it, “it’s two-hundred mile hash.” Come to think of it, next time I may just go triple sides of hash and rice…
For more reviews of True BBQ check out:
Marie, Let’s Eat!
Destination BBQ
Eat It Atlanta
Ratings:
Atmosphere – 3 hogs
Pork – 2 hogs
Hash and Rice – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 2 hogs
Overall – 3 hogs
