All About Pitmaster Rodney Scott

"Burn barrels. Fresh coals. Slow. Slow. Slooow cooked all night in the pit. There are no shortcuts. This ain’t a craft, this is a calling."

High praise from the late legendary chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, who helped introduce the world to pitmaster Rodney Scott on a 2015 episode of Parts Unknown. "A man sought after all over the world for some of the finest whole hog BBQ there is," Anthony said.

While Rodney had already been a standout in the Southern BBQ world long before the episode aired, the national spotlight and praise from Anthony helped fast-track his rise to BBQ superstardom. In 2018, he made history as only the second pitmaster ever to win a James Beard Award, taking home the honor for Best Chef: Southeast.

See how family tradition, a deep passion for the craft and the kind of patience that comes with tending fire for 12 straight hours have made Rodney one of the most revered names in all of barbecue.

History and Background

Born in Philadelphia in 1971 to parents Ella and Roosevelt "Rosie" Scott, Rodney and his family relocated to South Carolina just one year later. Settling in Hemingway, his parents opened Scott’s Variety Store + Bar-B-Q, where Rodney started working at just 7 years old. By the time he was 11, he had cooked his first whole hog on his own. At the time, the family store was cooking just one hog a week, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Their barbecue quickly earned a reputation, and the small-town spot quickly became a staple in the Pee Dee region.

Flash forward to the year 2017: After decades of working for the family business, Rodney broke ground on the first Rodney Scott’s BBQ, located in Charleston, South Carolina. And while the name on the sign out front may be slightly different, it was built to keep his family’s tradition alive and well.

Cooking and BBQ Style

Rodney’s traditional whole-hog, pit-cooked barbecue techniques are not for the weary. As Anthony so eloquently put it, it’s "slow, slow, slooow cooked." That tracks, because it takes Rodney nearly half a day just to get the pig ready to serve.

The process starts by burning down oak, hickory, pecan or cherry wood to make fresh charcoal, which is then shoveled by hand under a whole hog laid meat-side down on chicken wire racks. From there, it’s 12 hours of low and slow cooking — adding new hot coals every 15 to 20 minutes to keep the fire consistent. When the time is right, Rodney flips the hog, rubs it with his signature seasoning and mops it with their special sauce. Unlike many other BBQ joints across the Palmetto State, Rodney Scott’s BBQ does not use the standard South Carolina mustard dressing; he uses a family recipe passed down from his father. The meat is then chopped, pulled and served — often blending cuts like hams, shoulders and belly for texture and flavor.

Nothing about the method is automated or easy. He relies on everyday tools — wire cutters, a wheelbarrow and a mop — to get it done. This labor-intensive work is the kind that’s passed down from generation to generation, not learned from any BBQ cookbook.

Restaurants

Rodney Scott’s BBQ first opened its doors in 2017 in Charleston, South Carolina, marking the start of his own brand after decades in the family business. Just one year later, the restaurant gained national acclaim for its authentic whole-hog barbecue and scratch-made sides when Rodney earned one of the highest honors in the culinary world — a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast — becoming only the second pitmaster ever to win.

Since winning, his footprint — or hoofprint, if you will — expanded into three more states, with two locations in Alabama (Homewood and Trussville), one in Atlanta, Georgia, and an expansion onto Nashville’s famed Broadway: a rooftop restaurant launched in partnership with country music star Eric Church.

Currently, all Rodney Scott Whole Hog BBQ locations are temporarily closed.

Awards and Accolades

When it comes to BBQ résumés, it’s hard to top the South Carolina pitmaster. In addition to the aforementioned James Beard Award in 2018, Rodney was inducted into the BBQ Hall of Fame in 2021. Rodney Scott’s BBQ was named one of 13 Most Influential Restaurants of the 2010s by Food & Wine, and his cookbook, Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ, not only won the International Association of Cooking Professionals Cookbook of the Year Award in 2021, it is a New York Times best-seller.

TV Appearances

Not only have Rodney and his beloved barbecue been featured on Anthony's Parts Unknown, Bizarre Foods America with renowned chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern, Netflix’s Chef’s Table: BBQ and Cooking Channel’s Man Fire Food, but they're also becoming a staple on Food Network. He’s made appearances on several shows, including Burgers, Brews & 'Que, finished his fourth season as a judge on BBQ Brawl (currently alongside Carson Kressley and Brooke Williamson) and has hosted an episode of Beat Bobby Flay.