SC

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

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Name: Palmira Barbecue
Date: 2/4/24
Address: 2366 Ashley River Rd Building 1, Charleston, SC 29414
Order: Whole hog barbecue, hash and rice, beef cheek, slaw, and collards (link to menu)
Pricing: $$

Note: a version of this review originally appeared earlier this year in The Smoke Sheet, a great national barbecue newsletter that I regularly contribute to. For more information on how to subscribe, visit bbqnewsletter.com.

Monk: From the moment I first tried Palmira Barbecue at the former Port of Call food hall in Charleston in 2022, I knew pitmaster Hector Garate and Palmira were destined for bigger things than simply being one stall in a small-ish food hall (which has since closed and converted to event space). Garate was doing whole hog from locally sourced pigs, and it compared so favorably even after trying it right after spending time in Pitt County, NC. And just in case you aren’t familiar, Pitt County is home to such heavy hitter whole hog restaurants as B’s Barbecue, Skylight Inn, and Sam Jones Barbecue, all of which I tried mere days before Palmira. And yet, I continued to look back fondly on what I ate from Palmira Barbecue after that trip.

So it was no surprise to me when it was announced in late summer of 2022 that Palmira (named for Garate’s grandmother) would be moving to a permanent location in West Ashley. The original targeted opening date of March 2023 didn’t happen and in the meantime Garate went back to pop-up mode, both around Charleston as well as travelling across the country and collaborating with folks like Interstellar Barbeque in Austin, Khoi Barbecue in Houston, Bark Barbecue in Brooklyn, and Tropical Smokehouse in West Palm Beach, among others. He also helped out Khoi in the Texas Monthly BBQ Fest in Lockhart last fall. Needless to say, Hector Garate stayed busy while the build out of the restaurant dragged on.

As luck would have it, I happened to be in Charleston on opening weekend in early February and was able to check out the new building on that Sunday before heading back to NC. In short, I’m happy to report that the transition from a pop-up to a brick and mortar is going smoothly from a consumer’s perspective.

Whole hog barbecue is a “standard” at Palmira, meaning its always on the menu (unless of course they have run out for the day). Garate partners with fifth-generation farmer Marvin Ross to source heritage hogs from Peculiar Pig Farms located an hour away in Dorchester. That quality certainly shines through in the meat.

Beef cheeks are another standard, and they were not available for my first trip. This is not something you typically see even in new school Texas-style barbecue joints in the Carolinas. This tender cut of meat reminds me of brisket in the way they are aggressively rubbed with salt and pepper, but they are much smaller, much more tender, and have a richer beef flavor. At Palmira, they are a must order.

In terms of other meats, barbacoa, house sausage, and ribs are the other standards with brisket, pork steaks, chicken, and beef ribs rotating in and out of the menu depending on the day.

Garate told me in 2022 that he ate hash and rice daily and while I’m not sure if that is still the case, his version continues to be one that is worthy of that distinction. Next time I stop in I will be sure to try more of the rotating sides, many of which are heavily influenced by Garate’s Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage.

On this Sunday of opening weekend, the line was out the door well before opening but the line moved at a nice clip through the meat and sides line. The restaurant itself looked great, and a beautiful mural greets you on the side of the building as you enter.

For me, Palmira Barbecue was the biggest barbecue restaurant opening this first half of the year in the Carolinas and perhaps the entire Southeast. I plan to go back imminently with a bigger appetite. Based on what I experienced, it more than delivers from the jump. Run, don’t walk, to Palmira Barbecue in Charleston.

Ratings:
Atmosphere/Ambiance – 3.5 hogs
Pork – 4 hogs
Beef cheek – 4.5 hogs
Hash – 4.5 hogs
Sides – 3.5 hogs
Overall – 4.5 hogs

The Best Barbecue Joints in Charleston – February 2024

/ Barbecue Bros / 12 Comments

Monk: I’m no local, but I’ve spent my fair share of time in Charleston over the years. As Charleston’s barbecue reputation has risen, I’ve always felt like Charlotte could learn some lessons from the Holy City. From homegrown restaurants to luring big names and regional chains, it could be argued that the overall quality of barbecue in Charleston has skyrocketed beyond Charlotte in the past 5 years.

In alphabetical order, here are the ten best barbecue restaurants in Charleston along with my tiers of the rest of them. Thoughts? What should I hit on my next time in town later this spring?

Tier 1

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 first visit just last year vindicated that decision for the 80 year old restaurant. 538 Folly Rd, Charleston, SC 29412 melvinsbbq.com/

Sweatman’s Bar-b-que A few years back, Sweatman’s would have be firmly in the top level, but after switching to gas they are moved down a tier. 1427 Eutaw Rd, Holly Hill, SC 29059 sweatmansbbq.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?

Linkdown: 2/21/24 – The #teamslaw edition

/ Barbecue Bros / Leave a comment

Featured

Monk: Our thoughts are with the Wooden Robot Brewery family in Charlotte as news of co-owner Dan Wade’s passing spread Tuesday afternoon. Wade passed away due to an accident at the brewery.

Native News

Scott from Firehawk Brewpub remembers Dan Wade of Wooden Robot

Lexington Barbecue will sponsor The Lexington Flying Pigs baseball team this season

The Smoke Pit‘s Concord location will be closed this week

Elliott Moss announces a St. Patrick’s Day pop-up at The Hound in Asheville on his Moss and Moore Instagram page

Moss looks to have kept busy lately with his Velvet Moss Welding project

Sam Jones BBQ is also #teamslaw

The Charlotte Eats Instagram page features an old school photo of Spoon’s Barbecue

Non-Native News

Palmira Barbecue featuring their beef cheeks

Fork Grove Barbecue in Anderson, SC is providing pork to Guys Pizza 24 for their Pork Barbecue Ranch

Could brisket’s days be numbered due to its excessively high price?

“Going Whole Hog” is a Celebration of South Carolina BBQ

/ Barbecue Bros / 1 Comment

Not that we’re anywhere close to being qualified enough to evaluate books but more so as a public service announcement we will periodically discuss barbecue and barbecue-related books.

Monk: “Let’s be clear from the start: I did not write this book; I assembled it” states author James A. Roller at the beginning of “Going Whole Hog.” And that’s definitely the right way of approaching this book of all things South Carolina Barbecue, subtitled “Mustard, Vinegar, Hash, and Smoke: Celebrating SC BBQ History Traditions, and Flavors.” In it, Roller collects recipes from a variety of sources and intersperses them with interviews and South Carolina barbecue history where he cites sources including Lake High, Robert F. Moss, Adrian Miller, Michael Twitty, and Howard Conyers among several others.

The recipes in “Going Whole Hog” more or less follow what you’d expect from a barbecue recipe book, starting with sauces and rubs before getting into the meats, sides, and ending with desserts. Where it differs from the normal book is there is a full chapter dedicated to over 20 recipes of hash, which is of course South Carolina’s definitive contribution to the barbecue world.

The recipes themselves come from a variety of sources; historic recipes, reader-submitted recipes, and some from pitmasters of current SC barbecue joints including Home Team BBQ, Swig & Swine, Lewis Barbecue, Melvin’s, and Bessinger’s. Each has a story behind it, and this comprises the bulk of the book.

The extensive recipe list in “Going Whole Hog”

The book does start off with a concise history of barbecue in the United States and repeats the claim of fellow South Carolinian Lake High that South Carolina was the birthplace of the foodway (I’ll let others debate whether that is indeed true). It then goes into the role of the black pitmaster during slavery through antebellum times, which Roller states he included at the urging of Howard Conyers among others. I applaud Roller for including this and not avoiding what can oftentimes be an uncomfortable conversation about the historic role of black pitmasters.

In addition to barbecue’s origin story, the book does include sections detailing the history behind two of South Carolina’s founding barbecue families: the Bessingers and the Dukes, who between them formed what many consider the backbone of SC BBQ restaurants. Rounding out the book, it also contains interviews with current pitmasters Rodney Scott, Jackie Hite, John Lewis, Aaron Siegel, and David Bessinger.

James A. Roller, who also runs destination-bbq.com, self-published the book and it truly is a labor of love. He began his site around the same time as us in 2012 and we have traded some messages over the years; he was gracious enough to send me a copy to help spread the word of this book which he is rightly so proud of. Its a hefty tome at nearly 300 pages and contains full color photographs, which I love to see in a barbecue book but must have come at a great initial expense to the author. Nevertheless, “Going Whole Hog” spotlights and helps cement South Carolina’s place in the modern barbecue world, and you should check it out.

For more information and ordering, visit destination-bbq.com.