EDISTO ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA

About an hour southwest of Charleston, Edisto Island seems barely connected to the mainland. Lying among a series of tangled waterways, it has no traffic lights, and beachside residents are required to turn off all outdoor lamps and to be quiet after dark so sea turtles can come ashore and lay their eggs in peace. The buffet line at Po Pigs Bo-B-Q (named for proprietor Robert Bobo Lee) is also proudly primitive, harking back to the old Carolina ritual of a pig pickin'—where everything is laid out, "from the beard to the tail" (barbe à queue). All of the meat is cut and pulled from slow-smoked hogs, and you'll find dark meat, light meat, pork cracklin's made from the skin, even pig innard hash to ladle over white rice. Decorate the pork with any of four different barbecue sauces—including a uniquely South Carolinian mustard sauce—and side it with a panoply of true-South vegetables such as turnip greens and squash casserole, plus hush puppies. True to classic pig pickin' hours, Po Pigs is open only on weekends.

Po Pigs Bo-B-Q
Tel: 843 869 9003