The Music Man Barbecue

We really like South Carolina style barbecue, and The Music Man in Monck's Corner, about 40 minutes from Charleston, does it up right. While there are only a handful of reviews for this place on line, they're all fairly glowing with praise. We even read one that compares this place in quality to Sweatman's, a comparison we can neither refute nor second, as we made the pilgrimage there last night only to find them closed for the Thanksgiving weekend. Drats. Anyway, we drove over to The Music Man in the charming village of Monck's Corner for lunch today and enjoyed some very good barbecue.

Barbecue in the Carolinas means chopped pork. Often places will use just the shoulder, but they smoke the whole hog here...just the way God intended, according to their website. We are definitely for the whole hog approach to barbecue, as it produces incomparable juiciness and flavor. The Music Man is a buffet (they seem to really like their buffets in SC), and you get some wonderful sides with your meal here. Today the choices were lima beans, okra with stewed tomatoes, candied yams, mac and cheese, creamy coleslaw and potato salad. The mac and cheese and candied yams were off the hook, and we both liked the slaw. They offer chopped pork done in two sauces, vinegar and the traditional South Carolina mustard barbecue sauce, plus broiled chicken, ribs and cracklins. I fully expected to like the mustard sauce, but took some of the vinegar sauced pork too, and this was great. You can top your 'cue with more sauce at the end of the line, and I really like this vinegar sauce. There was something about it that made me want more...just delicious. The ribs were tender enough, but we weren't bowled over by them. We wouldn't go back for them, but we liked the chopped pork and the sides enough to return. To finish your meal, do not overlook the bread pudding. It rocks. They put raisins and apples in it, and it has a wonderful brown sugar flavor. Yum.