The Legacy of Whole Hog Barbecue, as Told by Rodney Scott

Courtesy of Rodney Scott

The legacy inherited by Black Americans is linked to the history of enslavement, and food plays a large part in it. As people grow interested in the foods that have come, in part, to define the Black experience, so does the desire to understand where these beloved foods originate.

Take barbecue, for example: Enslaved people had to use ingredients that no one else wanted to eat, and nothing went to waste, so pitmasters perfected whole hog barbecue for the rest of the world to enjoy.

Among those taking the humble barbecue to the next level is Rodney Scott, a pitmaster from Charleston, South Carolina. He makes “low-and-slow” dishes into James Beard Award-winning cuisine, elevating barbecue into an art form. Scott, with Rodney Scott’s BBQ, honors the generations that came before him by channeling his ancestors and simply taking the time to do ribs the right way. Here, on this episode of On The Rise, Scott passes that legacy on to us.

What to order from Rodney Scott’s BBQ, Red Rooster Harlem and Red Rooster Overtown: Rodney’s Ribs