Tales from the Corners

These days, people call anything cooked on a grill barbecue. But if you want the real deal, plan a trip to South Carolina. From the cities of Charleston and Columbia to the hamlets of Orangeburg and Cheraw, South Carolina’s barbecue joints serve up their own takes on the traditional, smoky meal. According to the South Carolina Barbeque Association’s Web site, there are four basic barbecue sauces used across the country in basting and serving the meat — vinegar and pepper, mustard, light tomato and heavy tomato. South Carolina is the only state that’s home to all four sauces, writes association president Lake High Jr. on the site. Vinegar and pepper, the oldest and simplest sauce, is popular on the coastal plains of the state. Germans who settled in South Carolina brought mustard sauce to the Santee, Congaree, Broad and Saluda rivers in the 1700s. The Pee Dee region, which includes towns like Darlington, has taken a liking to light tomato sauce, which is vinegar and pepper with ...

In the morning, I visited the set of Army Wives. It's amazing to see how a large crew takes so many hours to put a single shot together. Paying attention to detail barely describes how these hard working folks put a Lifetime series together. The afternoon was filled with visiting even more Charleston restaurants including Dixie Bakery, home to the world's best grits. We also sampled some great BBQ at Jim 'n Nicks. They're a small chain that started in Alabama, but the Q gives the Carolinas some stiff competition. We checked out the latest gadgets at Charleston Cooks! The visit reminded me of the time I went crazy in the Le Creuset store a few blocks away about two years ago. On the way back, some members of our group tried out the bench in front to Hyman's restaurant and market.

I was thinking about a recent Anthony Bourdain program when he visited South Carolina. It inspired me to produce this week's cover story on Men's Traveler Driving to SC for good Q is a real treat for us. Indeed we have some good places in the ATL and the Southeast, but there is something about SC's history and dedication to the art of cooking Q. If you happen to be in our part of the U.S. (the Southeast), try to take a trip throughout South Carolina -- especially the Old 96 district and Olde English district .

These days, people call anything cooked on a grill barbecue. But if you want the real deal, plan a trip to South Carolina. From the cities of Charleston and Columbia to the hamlets of Orangeburg and Cheraw, South Carolina’s barbecue joints serve up their own takes on the traditional, smoky meal.... READ THE ENTIRE STORY AT MEN'S TRAVELER IN THE GOOD EATING SECTION