Living in Charleston and having a small pork obsession I had heard about Sweatman’s BBQ for a while. I tried to make it out there a few weeks back but it was closed (yes I should have checked the Hours). So knowing I didn’t have much planned for the labor day weekend the wife and I decided to make the hour or so trip from Charleston to Holly Hill to give Sweatman’s a try.
When you come around the long corner on Highway 453 Between Holly Hill and Eutawville you see Sweatman’s from far off and it stands out. From the front, the old house from the late 1800’sis situated next to a huge pecan tree and has a long front porch evenly spaced with hanging ferns. The remote locale and the century old structruce more than hinted at what the que was going be be like. We hit right at 12:30 and the line was literally out the door. Being that it is dove season I can easily say that 75% of the people there were in woodland camo all the more adding to the country small town feel Sweatman’s has. We both ordered pulled pork sandwiches with slaw and one order of banana pudding. The lunch buffet consisted of pulled pork with the expected SC mustard sauce, another tray of pork with what they called “Katchup sweet sauce”, an un-sauced tray of pulled pork, ribs, hash, rice, home made pickles and slaw.
We took a seat in the dining room (an obvious more recent addition to the old house) which was full of people enjoying what I had been told by a number of different people is some of the best BBQ in SC. Those people were right, he BBQ was fantastic. Lean, cooked perfectly, slightly smokey with a tangy mustard sauce that is even to or exceeds any of the style I’ve had before. The slaw was great too. Not too much mayo, a little tart and matched up fantastically with the pork. The waitress immediately brought us a full pitcher of sweet tea and water. I am not normally a sweet tea drinker (did I hear someone call me a Yankee?) but even so, I had about 5 cups. As we were finishing up the table next to us got a nice sized plate of skins that looked, smelled and sounded (crunch!) very good. On the way out we noticed the sign that said “We do not guarantee skins!”. Had I known they were an option, we would have ordered some. Next time for sure. For the three sandwiches (yes I had two, so what), tea, and banana pudding we spent about 12 bucks. Not bad at all.
Once we finished I wanted to head around back to see the pit. I wasn’t disappointed. There was a big pile of oak waiting to be broken down and another large pile of already split oak waiting to be added to the pit. While hickory is my wood of choice, oak is a fine substitute. I wanted to take a tour of the pits but felt a little guilty because of how busy they were. Plus it was pretty evident that they had finished any cooking for the week.
Sweatman’s is worth the trip if you are in the area. Next time we may try coming up for the dinner shift. I would guess the buffet has more choices of sides and I’d like to get a shot at some ribs and some skins. Definitely recommended.
October 10, 2006 at 11:28 pm |
You are a man after my own heart–pork and whisky, what more does one need??? I’m jealous of your souther locale and access to good bbq!!
October 11, 2006 at 10:07 am |
Thanks. I hope to have a few more reviews up soon. I’ve been busy and out of the area, but I’m back now.
November 3, 2006 at 11:57 am |
Thank you for sharing the great find! We’re traveling from Dallas, TX to Sweatman’s tomorrow!!!
December 13, 2006 at 4:04 pm |
Great review. We just went there this weekend and it was awesome! They did change a rule to where you can’t get more BBQ on the 2nd trip to the buffet……so I piled it up and got my sides on another plate! I live in SC and this truly is the best in the Carolinas….North and South.
March 13, 2007 at 9:35 pm |
The great thing about the Q is that it may have bits of crunchy skin in it.This makes my heart flutter !!Makes you feel like a kid again ,when all night hog roasting was almost a rite of passage here in South Carolina.The skins of a wood fired pig will make you slap yo momma.Sooeeeyyyyyyyyyy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 9, 2007 at 9:04 pm |
Good review. I was raised in Eutawville; eat at Sweatmans at least twice a month — more often in the winter, and a little less in the summer. Not sure why Jacob Miller says you can’t get more meat on the second trip — that’s not right. You can get it on the second, thrid, whatever, trip. Sweatman’s is great and I’m happy to read all the kind words — those of us from around here are mighty proud of our hometown BBQ.
June 4, 2007 at 7:36 pm |
I grew up in Holly Hill, SC and I grew up going to Sweatman’s. I have to say I now live in Alabama and I have never had BBQ that even comes close to Sweatman’s. My hubby and I were just watching the Food Network and they had a show on regarding BBQ. That is why I just came on the net to search for Sweatman’s to see when it is open. Hubby and I are making plans to go to SC soon (about a 6 hour drive from where we are now) JUST to get some Sweatman’s!!! If you have never been there, you are missing OUT!
June 21, 2007 at 10:42 am |
WILL SOMEONE LET ME KNOW WHAT THE SUMMER HOURS ARE? I KNOW THEY CLOSE SOMETIME AROUND AUGUST, BUT DON’T HAVE THE DATES.
THANKS,
KEN
June 29, 2007 at 9:11 pm |
need to know vacation dates Sweatman’s will be closed; think it is August, not sure. ken
August 11, 2007 at 7:14 pm |
My Dad and his wife love your barbecue.
I am interested in having you cater my Dad’s 90th BD party at Berkley Baptist Church (I believe it is in Goose Creek) on September 29, 2007. Would you please send me some information. We’re expecting 30-40 people.
Thank you.
Nanci McLeskey
September 27, 2007 at 4:16 pm |
Need to know your last month of operation . I am coming to SC 2nd week of October.
Thanks,Tom
September 28, 2007 at 4:04 pm |
Will you be open on Oct. 13 & 14th?
October 1, 2007 at 12:35 pm |
I am a blog that wrote a review of the Restaurant. I am not affiliated in any way with the restaurant. You will need to contact them for their hours.
December 18, 2007 at 5:35 pm |
Am traveling in area around the end of February beginning of March and would like to know if the restaurant is open then.
January 14, 2008 at 7:07 pm |
I plan to go January 26, 2008 with some guests travelling from Ga. to join us there…can anyone tell me if the restaurant is open then? I would contact them but have no number with which to do so….anyone…..any help at all? Thanks….Donna
January 16, 2008 at 9:08 pm |
Sweatmans is only supposed to be closed last two weekends of July and the first weekend of August ,according to menu . Hours are 11:30am- 9;00pm Friday and Saturday . No phone,Visited from Ohio Last year, food was excellent.
April 1, 2008 at 1:51 am |
From San Diego, CA (Texas transplant) I watched and learned about your place on the Travel Channel tonight … Anthony Bourdain culinary host (world wide traveler and culinary expert). Looks like you have an awesome place and would love to drop in one day to taste some of the finest pork in the U.S.
April 2, 2008 at 12:53 pm |
ONCE AGAIN. I AM IN NO WAY CONNECTED TO SWEATMAN’S BBQ. THIS IS A BLOG THAT I OCCASIONALLY WRITE ABOUT BBQ AND BBQ RELATED STORIES. THE OWNERS OF SWEATMANS PRESUMABLY DO NOT READ THIS BLOG.
That being said, if I get a few mins I’ll try and find their contact information to solve the confusion.
April 4, 2008 at 9:53 pm |
The food is good, but don’t get there after 8:30. They close at 9:00. We drove 30 miles to get there, got there at 8:35 and as we are serving our plates, they announce to everyone in there “last call”. They immediately took all of the food off of the bar. There was a table next to us that got up to get some banana pudding. The lady sold them the pudding. My daughter asked her if she had any more and she said yes, turned her back on her and walked off.
April 6, 2008 at 5:11 pm |
going to sc on wed april 9th 08 and plan on stopping at sweatmans on my way to charleston will let you know what this yankee thinks upon my return
April 19, 2008 at 10:13 am |
Saw your BBQ on tv,can’t wait to get back to C-town and try some.
April 24, 2008 at 3:07 pm |
This is the pinnacle of BBQ to me. I may be a little biased because I grew up 10 minutes from Sweatman’s and ate there at least three times a month. I live in St Simons Island, GA now, but I go back home often and nearly always manage to make at least one trip to Sweatman’s. My family eats there for lunch every Friday. Most of them were shown on No Reservations when they visited. You owe it to yourself, if you are any kind of BBQ fan, to make a trip there sometime in your life even if it is out of the way.
June 3, 2008 at 12:42 pm |
Does Sweatman’s have any products available for sale? Rubs, sauces, etc.? Do they accept phone orders and offer shipping?
June 3, 2008 at 2:32 pm |
You’ll have to contact them to find that out.
June 23, 2008 at 6:43 pm |
l9SUod Blogs rating, add your blog to be rated for free:
http://blogsrate.net
June 26, 2008 at 2:11 pm |
Hey hey…
I bet that is some great BBQ… gotta make the trip sometime.
http://www.sweatmanfamily.com
Stu Sweatman
August 21, 2008 at 10:55 am |
[...] any barbecue “aficionado” seriously when he’s never included Holly Hill’s Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que to his [...]
August 21, 2008 at 9:12 pm |
Grew up in Eutawville, and Sweatman’s is the best. My husband is from PA and whenever we go visit my Mom, that is the first place he wants to go. If you havn’t been there what are you waiting for, you won’t be disappointed.
September 17, 2008 at 6:19 pm |
Jenny,
I hear ya! I grew up in Eutawville as well and it was a monthly thing to go eat Sweatman’s. When I was a teenager, we would routinely go eat at Sweatman’s before the football games on Friday night. I introduced my husband to Sweatman’s the very first time I took him to meet my family (who still live in Eutawville). He’s from Ohio and BBQ to him means burgers and dog on a grill!!! He has since been hooked and like your husband can’t get enough anytime we go near Eutawville. We now live near Columbia and have since introduced it to all of our friends! I love Sweatman’s and really prefer nothing else!
September 18, 2008 at 10:09 am |
I don’t eat meat anymore, but my Mom is from Holly Hill and this was a staple stop when we went to visit her people. I can still remember the hash, the cracklin….. I’m a righteous vegetarian now, Born understanding truth…. If I was to eat a piece of swine, this would be the place I would get it from.
I just can’t believe they are still in business. That was yeeeeaaarrrsss ago!
March 1, 2009 at 12:26 pm |
A group of Red Hat ladies came for lunch this past Saturday. What a disappointment – not that the food wasn’t good, but where was the fried chicken, beans, potato salad, lima beans, green beans, mac & cheese, sweet taters, hush puppies, and bread pudding that the other BBQ places serve. And for less cost. I know of 10 that won’t be back. One was allergic to mustard which limited her choice.
I would prefer you not publish this – my comments are meant for the restaurant only. You may return email if you wish. Thanks
March 10, 2009 at 5:29 pm |
We made a pilgramage to Sweatman’s last Saturday and were not disappointed. It was great. We got the grand tour of the pits and woodfire where they make the hot coals. Everything was clean and there was no smell. The hashmaster said they use onion and potato and a little liver, but not much, to give it a twang. He said they use oak, hickory or pecan wood for cooking. They use most of the tree except for the brush and the very largest part of the tree base. They take out the ribs to cook separately and then cook the rest of the pig 6 hours on each side. The hash was great, the ribs were huge and meaty and saucey. The dark meat BBQ was the best, the light was a bit dry. The buffet is AYCE – no restrictions. NOTE FOR GPS USERS: the address of 1313 Gemini is NOT the restaurant, its the mailing address. Go to the end of Gemini and take a right – it will be on the left.
March 20, 2009 at 2:43 pm |
To Jo Jenkins and the redhat ladies: Sweatman’s is a Bar-B-Que place. Get it? A BAR-B-QUE PLACE. Why would you go looking for fried chicken at at BBQ place? Lima beans? Mac and cheese? Sounds like you should be at a cafeteria. BBQ is about pig, the whole pig, and nothing but the pig.
May 25, 2009 at 8:27 pm |
no mail orders?
June 15, 2009 at 1:00 pm |
Mail order for what?
July 4, 2009 at 2:04 am |
I hate to do this, and I may just be a heathen-non-South-Carolinian-masquarading-as-a-Southerner, but I feel that I should add to this discussion my two cents, as previously e-mailed to a friend of mine.
I don’t really care for South Carolina barbecue.
Now, before going on, I must reveal that I am basing my judgment of the distinctive, mustard-based-sauce-style on only one sample (two if Jodi and I are counted independently). However, the one sample is Sweatman’s BBQ, in Holly Hill, South Carolina. This is said by just about everyone to be the best damn South Carolina BBQ in the world. The restaurant is only open on Friday and Saturday, from 11:30 until 9:00. It is located in a tiny town near only one or two other tiny towns. It cooks the split, whole-hog over an oak grill, and pulls and mixes the meat from the entire animal into a savory pile of goodness. There is a buffet, which is so well priced as to be obscene. the only vegetable matter available in the place is cole-slaw and two types of pickle slices (dill and sweet), unless you count the banana pudding. There is a disclaimer that “We cannot guarantee skins!” over the buffet, which includes a dark and moist mix of pig meat, a lighter mix, rice, “hash” (meaty pork gravy) for the rice, the aforementioned pickles and slaw, and (if you arrive early enough) skins.
What could possibly go wrong?
Well, nothing, if you happen to just be passing by, and stop in for a bite, but . . .
I fear that the “whole hog” thing is a disadvantage. The pork comes out with a lot of deep flavor due to the mixing of juices during cooking, but the juices themselves are lost. The pork was dry. The mustard sauce goes very well with pork, but it didn’t replace the lost fat and gelatin. The ribs were great, but it turns out that they cut out the ribs after an hour of two and cook them separately, which is a clue as to why carcasses are separated into primal cuts in the first place; the loin and butt will cook much faster than the less favored cuts, and the plus of marrying the flavors of the dark parts of the hog is not matched by the minus of the irrefutable dessication of the lean bits in whole-hog cooking.
Also, the whole point of barbecue, at least to me, is the slow cooking of meat by way of heated smoke, which imparts a flavor to the meat as it cooks. This is accomplished by an indirect cooking, where the smoke carries the heat to the meat.
In South Carolina, the smoke is, at best, an afterthought. They have a great sauce, which is really appropriate to pork, but they might as well cook the pig in an oven. In fact, braising the hog would retain the moistness lost in the grilling process.
The skins, however, were heavenly. I have never liked pork skins, but these were a salty, crispy, thin bit of goodness that melted into a fatty succulence, releasing the savory essence of the pig just as the saltiness threatens to become dominant. I understand why the skins are not guaranteed. They go in great big heaps to those first in line.
Okay, open up on me, tell me why I’m wrong.
As I noted, I liked Sweatman’s; if it was called “Sweatman’s Pork” it would be the greatest place ever. I take issue with the “BBQ” label. Sweatman’s does not use a “pit”. A pit is a closed container that uses smoke to transfer heat to the meat. Sweatman’s, and other SC BBQ joints, as far as I have seen, use a low-heat grill. The meat is over coals and cooks slowly. The smoke from the fuel is a by-product, not the primary heat source.
I’m really glad to have eaten at Sweatman’s, and I don’t mean to degrade it, I just think that it is not a good example of barbecue.