Few barbecue restaurants in South Carolina have a history and setting quite like Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que in Holly Hill.
The old farmhouse in rural Orangeburg County still connects the restaurant to an earlier era of South Carolina barbecue, but Sweatman’s has changed over the years. Ownership, cooking equipment, and the way the food is served have all evolved even as whole hog, mustard sauce, hash and rice, ribs, and the farmhouse itself remain central to its identity.
In 1959, Bub and Margie Sweatman first opened a small barbecue restaurant in nearby Holly Hill. The place didn't last, and after it closed, they returned to making barbecue for special gatherings of friends and family.
But the dream of having their own barbecue restaurant did not end there.
That dream became reality when the Sweatmans purchased an old farmhouse in Eutawville, a rural community close to Holly Hill.
Sweatman's Bar-B-Que opened their doors in 1977 and they haven't closed since, even with the passing of Margie in 2003 and Bub in 2005.
The Sweatman family continued operating the restaurant until 2011, when close family friends Lynn and Mark Behr purchased it.
The Behr era brought some significant changes. The old open concrete-block whole-hog pits were eventually replaced by Southern Pride smokers, and the buffet disappeared after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2026, the Patel family took over Sweatman’s, beginning another chapter in a restaurant whose roots here date to 1977.
Sweatman’s is also one of the key stops in Why Orangeburg Matters to South Carolina Barbecue, where we look more closely at the Sweatman and Bessinger mustard-sauce histories and how they connect with the Dukes and Antley traditions elsewhere in Orangeburg County.
Whole-hog pork remains at the center of Sweatman’s menu, along with ribs, hash and rice, sides, and the mustard-sauce tradition that helped make the restaurant famous.
The cooking process, however, is different from the one longtime visitors may remember. Sweatman’s no longer cooks its hogs on the old open concrete-block pits over beds of wood coals. Southern Pride smokers eventually replaced that system.
The post above documents Sweatman’s former open-pit whole-hog cooking method rather than the equipment used today.
For a first visit, start with the pork and add ribs if your appetite allows. Hash and rice remains one of the restaurant’s defining South Carolina sides, and pork skins are worth ordering whenever they’re available.
The supporting cast includes familiar barbecue sides such as baked beans and slaw, along with desserts including banana pudding. Sweatman’s current website continues to put pulled whole-hog barbecue, ribs, sauces, and traditional sides at the center of what it serves.
Another staple is their hash. SC BBQ hash is a dish that is both original to and widely available within South Carolina but very rarely seen on menus outside of the state.
The hash at Sweatman's is exemplary, and if you've never tried South Carolina hash, this is the place to take your first bite.
As James Boo wrote in Serious Eats, "Throw in the smokehouse's meaty, tender pork ribs and its stellar barbecue hash, and I'd say this is also a solid case for "one hundred mile" barbecue—food so good that I'd easily make a hundred-mile pilgrimage (maybe even a 500 hundred mile pilgrimage?) to fall down at Bub Sweatman's door."
Similarly, you will find the Sweatman's legend spreading among other publications. Sweatman's Bar-B-Que has been featured in several magazines and books over the years, including Southern Living Magazine, Garden & Gun Magazine, USA Today, and The Huffington Post.
In addition, they have been featured on the Travel Channel's "No Reservations," "Food Paradise," and "Bar-B-Que Crawl."
You can also find them on The Cooking Channel's "Man, Fire, Food."
Sure, a couple of folks writing amazing things on review sites like Yelp and Google is one thing, but what about more expert opinions?
Robert F. Moss, a food historian and Southern Living's BBQ Editor, lists Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que among SC's Top Ten. In his book, Barbecue Lovers: The Carolinas, Moss had this to say about Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que:
The real whole hog barbecue and the excellent ribs are the core of Sweatman's offering, but the real appeal is the unique setting of the century-old farmhouse at the curve in the road out in the farmland north of Holly Hill.
When you walk up the creaky wooden steps of the front porch and step into the dining room, it's like stepping back decades to an earlier era of classic Carolina barbecue, and one can hope it continues just like that for many years to come.
In SC, the primary BBQ organization that runs competitions around the state and trains judges using the most exhaustive training process of all gave Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que its highest distinction.
Very few restaurants are awarded their "100-mile BBQ" honor, but Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que tops even that list.
Here's what the SC BBQ Association had to say:
When we first asked our judges to name their 'top three' barbeque houses, Sweatman’s got more first-place votes than any other barbeque restaurant in the state. It is, as many of our judges say, the original 100-mile barbeque.
The Barbecue Bros cover NC BBQ primarily but also review places they might visit during their travels. Monk, one of the main "Bros.," started his review with this:
Holy crap, you guys. I mean, holy crap. Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que has been on my list for a few years now, considering how I tend to get to Charleston a couple of times a year and Holly Hill is not super out of the way if you are willing to take the scenic route off I-26.
Based on my visit, it's a detour well worth taking.
It only got better from there.
And what about the authors of this website? What did we think?
Our view of Sweatman’s has changed as the restaurant itself has changed. For many years, this was one of the easiest statewide barbecue recommendations we could make. Today, we think its importance is a little different.
Sweatman’s remains one of the great names in South Carolina barbecue, and the farmhouse, pork, mustard sauce, hash and rice, ribs, and skins still make it worth experiencing. But you should go understanding that this is a restaurant in the middle of its next chapter, not the same open-pit, buffet-era Sweatman’s described in many older articles and television features.
That history is part of the reason to visit. So is finding out what Sweatman’s becomes from here.
Read our Full Review of Sweatman's Bar-B-Que.
Google reviewer Ari Charles gives Sweatman's all 10s:
This is the best BBQ experience I have had ever. A pork rind came with the rib meal. 10/10. Biscuits are 10/10. Smoked chicken meal, 10/10. Fried pork chop 10/10. All the food 10/10. I don't like bananas. Banana pudding. You guessed it 10/10.
My phone def didn’t eat first. The tea and lemonade, homemade. Highly suggest you get out here to Sweatman's and eat some real Lowcountry BBQ. Thank you Chris for taking care of us while we bussed down on some real good eats.
Over on Yelp, Eliza H remembers the good ole days at Sweatman's and while things have changed, the place still warms the heart and fills the tummy:
While I (and many locals) miss the pre-Covid buffet and the packed dining rooms, warm fireplaces and sense of home (when 4+ generations of your family have been regular patrons, it does feel like home)-- the barbecue is still as tasty, the sauces as delicious and the banana pudding pretty fantastic.
I always take at least a pound to go and freeze for "emergency BBQ" when I need a taste of the Low Country. I'm partial to the red sauce (and the NC style vinegar is really tasty), but they're best known for their mustard sauce, which puts Maurice's to shame.
Note: Menu prices and options are subject to change over time. Contact the restaurant for the most up-to-date information.
Yes. Sweatman's now offers online ordering through its website. Its catering program also offers delivery within its service area. Check the restaurant's current website for the ordering options available when you plan to visit.
Former owner Mark Behr once explained Sweatman’s hash recipe: Sweatman's hash “is all meat — Boston butts and fresh ham cut up. We dump it into a 70-gallon pot with onions and seasonings. After it finishes cooking, we remove the meat from the pot and debone it. Then we grind it up like hamburger,” he said. Next, they added a secret recipe of seasonings and sauces to the prepared meat and mixed them together. “And that’s our hash,” he said. That description documents how the hash was made during the Behr era; we have not independently confirmed whether the recipe has changed under the current ownership.
Mustard sauce has long been central to Sweatman's barbecue tradition. The restaurant has historically offered mustard, vinegar, and red sauces to accompany the pork. Because restaurant details can change, check the current lineup when you visit.
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | |
| Friday | |
| Saturday | |
| Sunday |
Cards and Cash, Hash, Mustard Sauce, True 'Cue Certified, Vinegar Pepper Sauce, Whole Hog
A South Carolina BBQ Tradition Worth ExperiencingWe included Sweatman’s Bar-B-Que in our guide to the best BBQ in South Carolina for the food, place, and barbecue tradition it represents. We also think it’s worth the drive from Summerville.
The things I like about this book are the stories, histories, and recipes. Comparing recipes was most enjoyable. Great book! I would tell any SCBBQ fan to go ahead and get this book. I bought another one after receiving the first one to gift to a BBQ enthusiast.