Big T Bar-B-Q Columbia SC

April: We selected this BBQ restaurant from an online listing that gave it high marks for being some of Columbia's better mustard based BBQ. If you have read any of my posts, you know that I am not a mustard base fan, but I have to say that this BBQ was very good. The restaurant is tucked into a strip mall on Garner's Ferry Road. The staff are warm and friendly and there is a wide variety of menu items. The special on the day of our visit was Ox Tails! Ordering is cafeteria style but you get plenty for the cost. The restaurant also has a very large banquet room that could easily accomodate 100 people. While the mustard sauce is already mixed in with the BBQ pork, you can ask for additional hot or mild sauce. I highly recommend the hot sauce. The collards were exceptional while the mac and cheese was just OK. Overall it was good mustard base BBQ and we had a great time with our families celebrating our August birthdays!


Lane: I went with the hash and fried chicken because I already had a great deal of BBQ from Lee's in Greenwood. Big T's hash was very salty with a great tomato based sauce that permeated the rice it was served over. I could really differentiate between the spices and the pork flavor. The only down side was that it was very greasy, so you would need the rice to absorb a good deal of it to balance the textures. The chicken was pretty basic and didn't stand out in any real way. Sometimes that can be a good thing, sometimes it can be bad. I feel, in this case, that it really helped add to the balance of tastes and textures of the hash, rice, and chicken. As for the sides, they served great corn bread, very sweet and almost deseret like. The mac-n-cheese was just like I like it, cheesy and casserole like, the green beans were crisp and fresh. These are my two favorite sides so they made me pretty darn happy.


Big T Bar-B-Q 7535 Garners Ferry Road,
Columbia, SC 29209 (803) 776-7132
Distance from home: 73.36 miles
And for those who would like a different take:
http://scbbq.blogspot.com/2006/01/big-t-bar-b-que.html

Burk's BBQ

April: Burk's BBQ proudly displays "Voted #1 BBQ" on their front window. This is a lofty advertisement in Rock Hill, SC. I will say that after my last visit, I do not disagree.
When the restaurant first opened a few years ago we were immediately patrons for their affordable lunch special (chopped pork sandwich, hushpuppies, and drink for $5.50). I found the chopped pork very dry and in need of some serious taste. The hushpuppies are very good and the tea is almost as good as my mom's. Unfortunately, the pork was a little disappointing. When I lamented to a friend my dislike of the pork, he/she immediately said that what I needed to try was the ribs. I am not a huge fan of ribs and they are a lot more expensive than the $5.50 special! On our last visit, I decided to go for the rib plate. I was NOT disappointed in this pork! The ribs were meaty, smoky, great flavor, and downright fantastic. My only complaint is that you have to wait a little longer for the ribs after you order and all the while sit and smell them cooking! I think it just enhanced the final tasting experience. Burk's has two sauces; a tomato vingear base and a mustard base. While I am also not a fan of mustard base sauces, Burk's has a really good one. I think it has a touch of honey in it that gives it a special flavor. The ribs did not need any additional sauce, but the chopped pork is still very dry - makes a good vehicle for the tasty mustard sauce.
The restaurant itself is functional. I like the large rolls of paper towels on the tables for self dispensing. The walls are covered with stills from old TV shows. Lane and I really enjoyed quizzing each other on character names, actors, favorite episodes, etc while we waited for the food. While Burk's may not be my all time #1 favorite, it is a close second.
Lane: Since we started 100 Mile Smoke numerous people have insisted we try Burk's. I so want our loyal readers to know that we have been to Burk's many times before but there was always a newer place that warrented our perview first. I enjoyed Burk's ribs but in disagreement with April, I found their chopped pork to be very, very good. An excellent palette for their mustard sauce. The sides were your basic BBQ staple; hushpuppies and fries. Here is my theory on sides: sweet sides like your basic salads (pasta salad, potato salad, and coleslaw) work well to counter the vinegar bitter and the smoky salty tastes of the cue, but your starchy sides, (your hushpuppies and French Fries) can sometimes over load your salty taste buds. Besides, if you eat too much then it fills you up quicker sometimes before you can really enjoy your cue. This trip to Burk's, although enjoyable, left me feeling fundamentally unsatisfied. Certainly I was full of hush puppie goodness but truly too full to enjoy my main entree; the chopped pork. I recommend Burk's as your basic enjoyable BBQ restaurant loczted right smack in the middle of good old Rock Hill.

Burk's BBQ 2012 Cherry Road, Rock Hill, SC 29732 (803) 980-4444
Distance from Home: 2.7 miles