Up In Smoke BBQ

Daufuskie Island BBQ with a Story Behind the Smoke

Up In Smoke BBQ brings slow-smoked barbecue to Daufuskie Island, where every restaurant has to work with a little more planning, patience, and island grit than a mainland stop.

The restaurant also carries a personal story. According to Adam Van Brimmer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Up In Smoke BBQ pitmasters James Mahaffey and Josh Knose opened their restaurant as a tribute to a chef friend, George Davis, who died while working to start his own business on the island.”

That bit of history gives Up In Smoke more weight than a simple barbecue stop. It is part smokehouse, part island restaurant, and part continuation of an idea that started before the doors opened.

Slow-Smoked Meats on an Island with Its Own Rhythm

Daufuskie Island is not the kind of place where restaurants happen by accident, even when the stories behind them sometimes do.

There is no bridge to the island, and daily life moves around boats, weather, visitors, residents, and the realities of getting supplies where they need to go. In that setting, a barbecue restaurant has to be both practical and purposeful.

Van Brimmer describes Daufuskie’s restaurants as businesses that have each found their own lane. “Frye’s Corner is fried chicken, D’Fuskie’s is pizza and deli sandwiches, and Up in Smoke BBQ is slow-smoked meats,” he writes.

That is the cleanest way to understand Up In Smoke. On an island with a small but distinct dining scene, this is the place built around smoke.

What’s on the BBQ Menu

The barbecue side of the menu keeps the focus where it belongs: smoked meats, sandwiches, plates, and familiar sides.

Up In Smoke’s official menu includes smoked pulled pork, smoked pulled chicken, and smoked beef, available in meat plates and combo plates. The restaurant also serves barbecue sandwiches, including pulled pork and pulled chicken, with house barbecue sauce on a brioche bun.

Brisket has a place in the restaurant’s identity as well. In his Daufuskie Island dining roundup for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Van Brimmer listed Up In Smoke BBQ’s brisket sandwich as the restaurant’s must-try item.

The sides stay in classic barbecue territory. The official menu lists options such as mac and cheese, baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, and chips.

That makes Up In Smoke useful for the reader who wants a straightforward barbecue meal: smoked meat, sauce, sides, and enough choice to build a plate or sandwich around what sounds good that day.

Barbecue by Day, Rotating Menu by Night

Up In Smoke is not only a barbecue counter. The restaurant also has a dinner side, and its own site describes the evening menu as rotating and built around fresh, seasonal ingredients.

That gives the place a split personality in the best sense. Barbecue anchors the restaurant, but the kitchen also stretches beyond the smokehouse when dinner service rolls around.

For Destination BBQ readers, the smoked meats are still the reason to pay attention. But the rotating dinner menu is worth knowing about, especially for visitors who are spending more than a quick afternoon on Daufuskie.

Signature Sauces and Island Flavor

Up In Smoke also puts part of its identity into sauce. The restaurant’s own site describes its offerings as “Authentic BBQ, Dining & Sauces from Daufuskie Island,” and its online shop includes barbecue sauce and hot sauce.

That sauce program gives the restaurant another way to carry its barbecue style beyond the plate. For diners, it also helps round out the experience: smoked meat, house sauce, sides, and the kind of setting that makes Daufuskie different from a typical barbecue run.

Before You Go to Daufuskie

A trip to Daufuskie takes a little more forethought than driving across town for lunch. The island’s restaurants operate in a setting shaped by ferry schedules, golf carts, weather, and seasonal rhythms.

That does not make the trip less worthwhile. It just means readers should check Up In Smoke’s current menu and service details before heading over, especially if they are planning around dinner or a specific item.

For barbecue fans, Up In Smoke BBQ gives Daufuskie Island a smoked-meat stop with a story behind it, a focused daytime menu, and a dinner side that keeps the restaurant from being only one thing.

What Folks Are Saying

Google Review

Among the many Google Reviews, Local Guide Amanda Rowan raved about their visit:

Came here on a weekend trip to the island. I cannot rave enough about this food. We came from Texas originally where they take their barbecue pretty seriously and this place put Texas to shame. The coleslaw was so fresh and crisp. My husband got a sandwich and it didn't even need sauce. I got the barbecue chicken and it was so tender and juicy. And there's just so much I couldn't even finish my plate. All these five star reviews are legit. This is a can't miss when you visit the island.

Yelp Review

Over on Yelp, Jessica G shared the following:

AMAZING! This is hands down the best BBQ place I've ever been! The sliced brisket sandwich was literally mouthwatering. The mac and cheese was great too. I want to go back already. The small little restaurant is on Daufuskie Island and you have to rent a golf cart to get there. You go up to the bar and order your food and they will bring it out to your table. If you have the opportunity to get out to Daufuskie- go! I promise you won't regret it.

Menu for Up in Smoke 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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