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Article published: Jun 14, 2009 Something 'bout BBQ y'all
EDITOR'S NOTE: Included in this article are several barbecue establishments in the tri-county area. More coverage on additional local barbecue restaurants and cooks will appear on Sunday, June 21.
If you've ever heard a non-southerner refer to barbecue, you know they weren't talking about the smoked pork that defines the southern culinary tradition. Usually, the word is a catch-all for hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill.
But in some places, barbecue has a very peculiar definition.
In Owensboro, Ky., it's mutton dressed with butter and Worcestershire sauce.
In Tomales Bay, Calif., it's oysters on the half-shell topped with chipotle sauce.
And in Sheboygan, Wis., it's a grilled brat(wurst).
But down South, we all know that barbecue – or barbeque, bar-b-que, BBQ or 'cue, depending on what you happen to call it – is that delicious concoction of smoked pork, slow-grilled over a pit, whose sauce tells everybody where you're from.
According to Lake E. High Jr., president of the South Carolina Barbecue Association, barbecue falls into four types, and only the Palmetto State boasts them all. Thanks to an influx of German settlements between 1730 and 1750, the Midlands favors mustard-based sauces. In the Lowcountry, Scottish immigrants prepared the vinegar and pepper barbecue that still influences that region.
About 1900, with the invention of ketchup, North Carolinians – especially those near Lexington – threw a little tomato sauce into their vinegar and pepper mixture, making that region famous for this blend. The South Carolina Pee Dee region and the upper middle part of the state, the upper coastal plain area, went whole hog when it came to tomatoes, however.
"This sauce has evolved only recently – that is, in the last 60 years or so – and it's the last of the four major types," said High. "It has rapidly spread over the majority of the nation due to modern transportation, modern marketing and the insatiable sweet tooth of the modern American."
Jimmy Condrey has owned the Bar-B-Que Hut, located at 1380 S. Guignard Drive in Sumter, since 1994. He buys pigs that weigh from 180 to 190 pounds and places them on a pit every "barbecue day" about noon. The hogs don't come off until 6 a.m. the next morning, after being smoked for a full 18 hours. It's an investment that sets Condrey apart from other barbecue makers, who smoke their 'cue from 10 to 12 hours, he said.
When it comes to good barbecue, however, Condrey, 59, insists it's a combination of factors: the wood, the cooking, the seasoning and the sauce, among others. What happens in the front of the restaurant is also crucial.
"It can be as good as anything in the world out back, but if they don't take care of it up front, it's not fit to eat," he said.
Richard Bradham, 74, has been managing Ward's Bar-B-Que at 1087 Alice Drive for 18 years. Like other joints, Ward's also serves hash, ribs and all the fixin's – hush puppies, slaw, potato salad, baked beans and vegetables. Owner Bubba Ward also has a Liberty Street location. And in July, his brother Buddy will open his own restaurant in Bishopville.
McCabe's Bar-B-Que at 480 N. Brooks St. in Manning has a definite "hole in the wall" feel, but that only adds to the charm of this celebrated barbecue eatery, which has been featured in several magazines. David McCabe, 62, said that he takes all week to get ready for the Thursday to Sunday schedule that characterizes barbecue eating. His secret?
"Not rushing anything you cook," he said simply.
Henry Brailsford has owned D&H in Manning since 1999, but he's worked there since 1988, when he became its manager. D&H, which sits at 412 S. Mill St., uses hams and shoulders for its barbecue, although they'll cook whole hogs for special occasions. Like many of the other joints, the restaurant prides itself on its fried chicken.
"We've got some of the best fried chicken around," Brailsford said. "Everybody orders their fried chicken from me. On an average Sunday, I'll deliver 30 chickens to a local church, just like I'm doing this weekend."
Watford's Barbecue, located at 341 S. Main St. in Bishopville, has been in business for 16 years and serves spaghetti and wings, in addition to pork. Owner and operator Lenora Watford said business has remained mostly good, despite the economic woes, and that the key to good business is just good food.
"You've got to be consistent," she said. "You have to make the food taste good every time. Being consistent is the most important thing."
Carolyn Wells, executive director and co-founder of the 10,000-member Kansas City Barbecue Society , which she calls the world's largest organization of barbecuing and grilling enthusiasts, recently told CNN that part of barbecue's appeal is the fact that it's a slow food that bucks the nation's fast-food focus.
"It's not a solitary pursuit," she said. "It's something you do with your family and friends … (and) a backlash against the hustle and bustle of daily life."
Contact Staff Writer Annabelle Robertson at arobertson@theitem.com or (803) 774-1250.