What’s Good Here: Big T’s Bar-B-Que

What’s good here? The barbecue, obviously.

The Brown family, Larry and Helen (“Mama”), and sons Travis and Greg, like so many other long-time natives of South Carolina, had a tradition of family gatherings around pit-cooked barbecue long before they decided to open restaurants.

They have mastered their barbecuing technique, as well as their sauce, which Greg says is just the right balance of the ketchup, mustard, and vinegar bases entrenched in the southern barbecue culture. They even bottle some of it and sell it locally.

The establishment is also known for its hash, a slow-cooked mixture of pork and vegetables, that is also distinct from others due to a “secret” family recipe. Customers frequent Big T’s not only for barbecue and hash, as well as its variety of vegetables and sides, but also for crispy fried chicken and tender ribs.

“Our menu is diverse,” says Greg.

For dessert, there are traditional home-baked favorites: red velvet cake, banana pudding, peach cobbler and pound cake, to name a few. Desserts can be purchased whole or by the slice or portion.

How did Big T’s get its start?

After years of family reunions around barbecue, Larry decided to open a restaurant 35 years ago in Gadsden.

Twenty-four years ago, another location opened on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, and then a third location opened on Sparkleberry Lane in Columbia. Big T’s Bar-B-Cue became a Brown family business.

What does the place look like?

Tucked in a strip shopping center on Garners Ferry Road, Big T’s is a simple booth seating and order-at counter environment. Gamecock posters dominate one wall. A framed photograph of Gamecocks women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley, a customer, sits by the register. Plaques of past articles on the restaurant decorate as well.

Who eats here?

Politicians – local and visiting, coaches and their players from grade school on up, and many, many regulars from “toddlers to 99 years old” frequent the restaurant, says Greg.

Much of its business is carry-out by the plate, by the pound, or by the individual sandwich.

Preparing food for tailgaters, especially during football season, is a huge part of Big T’s business. Plus, Big T’s caters for all sizes of parties and special events.

This story was originally published September 7, 2016 at 11:15 AM with the headline "What’s Good Here: Big T’s Bar-B-Que."