12 Small Town South Carolina BBQ Joints Locals Drive 3 Hours For

These 12 small-town South Carolina barbecue joints are exactly why locals will happily burn three hours of gas just to get a plate — from a farmhouse in Holly Hill that closes the moment the hog runs out, to a Fairfield County spot that opened during a pandemic and is now called the best in the state. Along the way you'll hit a fifty-year family feud that split one restaurant into two rivals a few miles apart, a Saturday-only pit where the line forms before sunrise, and the original home of a barbecue technique that went on to earn national fame. Expect whole hogs smoked overnight over wood, mustard sauces guarded like family heirlooms, and hash-and-rice traditions locals will argue about for hours. Most of these towns don't even show up on a normal map search — but that's exactly why the drive is worth it.