Big “D” Butcher & BBQ

Meat-Market Roots with Real Pit Barbecue

“I go far and wide to find the best products that I would eat myself and then I sell them to you because if I wouldn’t eat it, I wouldn’t sell it,” owner Trevor Dendy told Kelly Duncan of The Clinton Chronicle.

That meat-first way of thinking helps explain Big “D” Butcher & BBQ in Clinton. It is part butcher shop, part barbecue counter, and part Southern plate stop, with smoked meats growing naturally out of the same business that built its name on fresh cuts.

Dendy opened Big D Butcher in 2017 after seeing a need for better meat options in his hometown. According to Duncan’s Clinton Chronicle profile, Dendy grew up on a farm, where slaughtering and processing poultry became second nature.

“I felt like Clinton needed another butcher shop/meat market because I felt like our area doesn’t have the same quality of food that Greenville does or more affluent communities,” Dendy told Duncan.

Trevor Dendy’s Standard for Quality

Big “D” starts with the butcher case, and that matters.

Dendy told The Clinton Chronicle that the shop does everything “from scratch” so customers can end up with “the best quality meat possible.” That approach gives the BBQ side a clear point of view: start with better meat, then smoke it with care.

“Not all meat is created the same as far as quality,” Dendy told Duncan. “Some of them are more expensive because of that quality. I think it’s necessary that people taste something different.”

That quote gets to the heart of Big “D.” This is not a restaurant that happens to have a meat case, nor is it simply a butcher shop with a few plates on the side. The two sides of the business work together.

Smokehouse Side of Big “D”

Dendy described the food side plainly in The Clinton Chronicle: “We offer a clean store, friendly and knowledgeable staff; we’re now able to offer dinners – real pit barbecue and we cater.”

Big “D” puts it even more directly on its Facebook page: “We smoke BBQ daily to ensure freshness!”

The menu backs that up with a full lineup of smoked meats, including Prime beef brisket, St. Louis pork ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken, beef ribs, burnt ends, and hash and rice.

The brisket is described on the menu as dry-rubbed and smoked for 12 hours. Pulled pork gets a similar long-smoke treatment after being marinated with the house dry rub overnight.

The St. Louis pork ribs are smoked with cherry and white oak, bringing a little fruitwood sweetness to the plate. Beef ribs and burnt ends push the menu into heartier territory, especially for folks looking beyond the usual pulled pork plate.

Brisket, Ribs, Burnt Ends, and Hash

The smoked Prime brisket is one of the menu’s headliners, served as a plate, sandwich, or by the pound. For diners who like to sample, the combination meals bring together pulled pork, hash and rice, ribs, brisket, slaw, baked beans, and rolls in different combinations.

Burnt ends get special attention, too. Big “D” describes them as double-smoked prime tender brisket, glazed with the restaurant’s signature tomato-based BBQ sauce.

Pulled pork remains part of the core menu, but Big “D” does not stop there. Half smoked chicken, pork ribs, beef ribs, and meat-by-the-pound options make the barbecue side substantial enough to stand on its own.

Then there is the hash and rice.

Rather than getting tangled in the exact age of the recipe, it is enough to say that Big “D” treats hash like a house specialty. The menu describes it as slow-cooked chicken, beef, and pork served over rice, placing this Clinton spot firmly inside South Carolina barbecue tradition.

Sides, Sauces, and Southern Plates

The sides menu leans classic and generous.

You will find fried okra, coleslaw, french fries, hush puppies, potato salad, green beans, collard greens, baked beans, mac and cheese, and sweet potato crunch. Premium fried sides include fried green beans, fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, and onion rings.

There are also a couple of old-school touches that fit the meat-market personality of the place, including fat back, smoked sausage, and crackling cornbread.

On the sauce side, they offer a signature tomato-based BBQ sauce used on the burnt ends. The BBQ bowl is listed with “both of our homemade Signature Sauces,” the tomato and a mustard sauce.

That BBQ bowl is one of the more modern options: rice, baked beans, pulled pork, cheddar cheese, slaw, and both house sauces. It is a good example of how Big “D” mixes traditional barbecue plates with casual, pile-it-up comfort food.

Butcher Shop, Seafood, and More

The butcher-shop side remains a major part of the identity here. Big “D” promotes family meat bundles, fresh meats, and the kind of customer relationship you would expect from a neighborhood meat market.

The menu also branches beyond barbecue.

Seafood plates include flounder, shrimp, catfish filets, whole catfish, and a flounder-and-shrimp combination. Sandwiches cover brisket, pulled pork, hash, catfish, flounder, and burgers.

That broader menu makes Big “D” flexible for groups. One person can order brisket or ribs, another can go for catfish or shrimp, and someone else can grab a pulled pork sandwich or BBQ bowl.

What to Expect at Big “D”

Big “D” Butcher & BBQ makes the most sense when you understand the butcher-shop foundation. The barbecue menu is real and substantial, but the point of view is meat-first from the start.

Fresh cuts in the case, smoked meats on the plate, hash and rice with South Carolina roots, and a broad Southern menu all come together under one roof.

For Clinton and the surrounding Laurens County area, Big “D” gives barbecue readers something a little different: a local meat market where the smokehouse side has enough weight to be worth seeking out on its own.

What Folks Are Saying

Google Review

Among the many Google Reviews, Local Guide Debbie Goodwin just had to share her experience after discovering Big D while traveling:

I would drive a distance to eat the Brisket here! We are traveling through from NC to Georgia off the interstate and we will travel this way again. We got a variety platter to go with Ribs, Brisket, Pork, hash and rice, Cole slaw and baked beans and my husband and I agree everything was very good!

My favorite was the Brisket and Pork and the ribs were great too! I am picky with my Brisket. I like it to be moist and have good flavor and this was perfect! Glad we found this place just wish we lived closer!

Yelp Review

Over on Yelp, Clinton-area local Mark E found a butcher shop with great food at Big D:

I have been frequenting Big D's for over a year, and have always had a great experience. Very friendly, family owned, clean, great selection, and the best steaks around. Today I tried their freshly-smoked brisket, and will say it is every bit as perfect as that found in Texas (my former home). Well-worth the trip!

Menu for Big “D” Butcher & BBQ

Note: Menu prices and options are subject to change over time. Contact the restaurant for the most up-to-date information.

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