Rodney Scott's BBQ
Rodney Scott will be the first to tell you: To taste the most authentic pulled pork he knows, you have to drive to Hemingway, SC, and order a quart from his mother, where the Scott family still slow cooks whole hogs in pits. But in a blind taste test, you’d be hard-pressed to differentiate between that pork and the tender, juicy strands of pig flesh Scott pulls from his own above-ground smokers at this instant success story that’s beyond “Upper King” on King Street. Scott made history by winning the James Beard Foundation Best Chef Southeast award—as a pitmaster—and has parlayed that momentum into a second location in Birmingham. It’s a prerequisite to order BBQ and slather it in one of two vinegar-based sauces (one made with white vinegar, the other a thicker, tangier ACV-based mix), but don’t overlook the fried catfish, the smoky pit-cooked turkey sandwich, and the slobber-inducing spare ribs. Did we mention the mac & cheese and corn bread with honey butter? In fact, just eat here twice. It’s the only way.
