Barbeque, BBQ, B-B-Q, Bar-B-Que, Barbecue

In South Carolina, the word Barbeque means something specific, although it can refer to many different things. I have found out through my travels that to most of the world, barbeque means anything that is cooked on a grill. I dont know anyone in South Cackalacki (its colloquial) that means "grilled food" when they say barbeque. To us, it means pork slathered in BBQ sauce. How you cook the pork and how you make the sauce is pretty varied in South Cackalacki, almost as varied as how to spell barbeque.

It is commonly thought in that SC we only use mustard based BBQ sauce. Maurice's Gourmet Barbeque (very famous yet not very politically correct) http://www.mauricesbbq.com/ and Shealy's Bar-B-Que http://www.shealysbbq.com/ are two of the most famous BBQ restaurants that use mustard based sauce. I know of a couple of other BBQ restaurants in SC that offer mustard based sauce in addition to more traditional bbq sauces, but the majority of the BBQ restaurants I have been to in SC use a tomato or ketchup based sauce.

I dont particularly care for Maurice's, although the food is not bad. There are several reasons I could say I dont like Maurice's but I will keep this post about the food and service I have experienced. Maurice's is a chain in Columbia that seems to have a restaurant on every corner. I dont know if they cook all of the BBQ in each restaurant or ship it in but, to me, it tastes like it has been sitting around for hours. Each of the restaurants I have been to, including the buffet restaurants, werent very busy and it would appear that the food has been sitting around. Most of the restaurants do not have buffet so you order and take the portioning that is given to you. For me, that is simply not enough BBQ. I have been known to go to a BBQ restaurant and eat only BBQ, a few hushpuppies, and banana pudding. At Maurice's buffet, I found the food to be old and not as appetizing. Maybe I would have to get there when they open.

Shealy's on the other hand is my favorite restaurant, although not for the BBQ. I like Shealy's for the country buffet. The fried chicken is unique and tasty, the lima beans are great and the creamed style corn is delicious. There are many other items that are great too. But the best thing of all is that there is only one Shealy's, and it is busy. Busy enough where the food is always fresh. I do get a little BBQ at Shealy's but it is a side to the veggies that I go for.

More about BBQ to come.