Dickey’s Barbecue, South Carolina

March 7, 2015:

While driving in the rain from Hilton Head to Raleigh (i.e., not through Wilson), around Florence we saw a car across the median do a 360 into the overpass guard rail. We took that as a sign that it was time to stop for lunch and for gas before we left SC, even though the exit appeared not to have any good food options. From the signs on the interstate, it was looking like either a Taco Bell or a Fatz. Providence sent us a Dickey’s Barbecue.

Dickey’s is a Texas chain. I have a fond memory from the late ’70s of walking past a Dickey’s in the DFW airport and seeing them unwrap whole briskets. The smell was divine, a sharp contrast to the normal airport odors. I stopped and enjoyed a sandwich. I had never seen real barbecue in an airport before, and I have felt indebted to Dickey’s since then — despite some very subpar experiences in airports since then.

Although Dickey’s is a Texas/brisket country chain, I ordered a pork plate with green beans and pintos. After all, I was in South Carolina.

The pork was good, if a little fatty. The pit man or woman — let’s say, Pit Artist — at this location was good. The pork was moist and smoky. It comes with onions and pickles — a Texas touch (but not jalapeños, which always are welcome) — and a couple of good sides. The beans were good. The rolls were surprisingly good, especially dipped into their very good sauce. I usually don’t like tomato-based sauce, but Dickey’s uses a sparing hand with the sugar and a generous hand with the cayenne.

They also had free soft serve ice cream. Nancy, who really knows soft serve ice cream, was unenthusiastic about it. They sell cobbler to go with it, and I imagine that it would taste better with cobbler.

The Florence Dickey’s is a good option if you aren’t headed through Wilson or just can’t wait. The managers, Tim and Shawnda, are friendly, competent, and deliberate enough to show that they aren’t just dishing up food. It illustrates how much variation there is among the individual franchisees of barbecue chains. A Pit Artist is just that — an artist.