Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ in Charleston, SC in 2017 was born out of a friendship between Rodney Scott and Nick Pihakis and their mutual respect for the time and technique required to make great barbecue.

Understanding the history of the craft, the difference it makes in flavor profiles to cook over live coal direct heat, and the dying art of whole hog barbecue is what drives them. Hardwood is burned down to glowing embers at the side of the bbq pits.

Those embers are shoveled carefully under the meat and tended—paying special attention to temperature and heat placement—using those coals to regulate cooking through the entire process.