The people have spoken. The winner of The State’s Midlands barbecue bracket is...

After a hard-fought battle, Ward’s Bar-B-Que has emerged atop The State’s S.C. Midlands barbecue bracket after receiving more than 21,000 votes from readers.

Ward’s, which has several locations in Sumter County, was founded in 1953 and remains popular despite a minimal presence on the internet. Ward’s hash and rice have been particularly beloved across the decades.

The runner-up, Big T’s Bar-B-Que, which has a location on Garner’s Ferry Road, has received multiple awards for its BBQ since it was founded around 40 years ago.

The State’s barbecue bracket began Feb. 1 with a group of 16 barbecue restaurants selected by members of The State’s staff. The poll, which is not scientific, solicited reader input during several rounds of voting.

The final tally in the last round of voting had Ward’s with 21,526 votes (55%) to Big T’s 17,321 votes (45%).

The barbecue champion

Simply put, Ward’s Bar-B-Que has stood the test of time. Nearly 70 years, to be exact.

A staple of Sumter and the Midlands, Ward’s was founded in 1953 by Thad Ward Sr. and his wife, Olea. The enterprise later passed to Thad Ward Jr. and his wife, Lucille, and other members of the Ward family were part of the business. In June 1996, Ward’s Bar-B-Que was purchased by Charles Hodge, who has overseen the flavorful empire for more than a quarter-century since.

Hodge told The State that a dedication to the traditions of Ward’s is what keeps loyal customers coming back again and again.

“It’s consistent, in that nothing changes,” Hodge said. “You have basically the same process, and the same employees stay in place, for the most part. As far as the cookhouse that prepares all of the food and the sauces and the hash and the barbecue, it stays consistent. It’s just a really good product.”

During a recent visit to the Ward’s location on Sumter’s Alice Drive, a reporter found a prodigious amount of food on the pulled pork barbecue plate. The pork was tender and succulent and got just the right amount of tangy kick from a side of vinegar-based sauce. The coleslaw and potato salad — those two Southern staples — were solid accompaniments, and the hushpuppies were cooked to a perfect crisp.

But the star of the show was the hash and rice.

The slightly red, slightly sweet hash is prepared with pork and is splendidly flavorful. When mixed together with the rice, it could be consumed as a meal on its own. Hodge said the hash has long been a favorite for generations of customers.

“It is the driving force of Ward’s Bar-B-Que,” Hodge said of the hash. “People who are raised in Sumter, South Carolina, go to Ward’s Bar-B-Que and get used to the barbecue and the hash. People might move away, move to Alabama or get married and live out of town, but if they ever come back to Sumter, the first place they go is Ward’s. They can’t get that anywhere else.”

There are three Ward’s restaurant locations currently open in Sumter: One on Alice Drive, another on Pinewood Road and a third on E. Liberty Street.

Hodge was effusive in his praise for the Ward family that founded the barbecue business, insisting that he has simply kept going with what they started.

“It’s not me,” Hodge said. “I was just fortunate enough to carry it on.”

The runner-up

From the moment a customer walks into Big T’s Bar-B-Que, it’s obvious the food is going to blow you away.

The recipes, cooked the old fashioned way, are displayed in blue slide letters on one of those old-school Pepsi menu signs, that in 2022 illustrate how Big T’s has stood the test of time.

The black-eyed peas are sweet and smoky. The collard greens thread the needle between savory and salty, and the barbecue comes slathered in a luxurious Carolina mustard sauce that complements, but doesn’t overpower the juicy pork. The hash is a particularly popular menu item and a favorite of Greg Brown, an employee whose father, Larry (aka “Big T” himself), owns Big T’s.

Brown, 54, who has been at Big T’s “all my life, from day one,” said the hash is slow-cooked “the old fashioned way” in a large pot. The barbecue pork is slow-cooked over wood for 12 hours.

A customer favorite, oxtail served over rice, bristles with a rich, complex flavor and exceptionally tender meat. While Brown is tight-lipped about the oxtail recipe — available on the menu only on certain days, it’s considered something of a secret weapon. His father simmers the oxtail overnight “the old fashioned way,” but what makes the gravy so savory is classified, Brown said.

Because of COVID-19, Big T’s is takeout only, but a quick walk inside reveals dozens of Columbia-centric artifacts. Posters of University of South Carolina Gamecock athletes going back a decade adorn the walls. While it has been reported that USC women’s basketball Coach Dawn Staley is a customer, she doesn’t eat barbecue and is more of a family friend, Brown said.

“We try to make it as family-friendly as possible,” Brown said.

Asked what his favorite part of the job is, Brown said, “To know that I put a smile on the customer’s face with the food we present to the public.”

This story was originally published February 17, 2022 at 5:00 AM.