Faces - July 2024

Faces of barbecue

The great low-and-slow Southern tradition of barbecue has never been hotter. Meet a few locals who are keeping the flame going.

Story by Barry Kaufman + Photography by Lisa Staff

People are passionate about their food no matter where they’re from. Ask someone from New Jersey about pizza, for example, and prepare for a (slightly biased) lesson in why no one outside of the Garden State can do it right. 

But when it comes to barbecue in the South, the word “passionate” just doesn’t approach the reverence with which we treat our signature dish. Here the art of barbecue approaches a religion, with different sects that may disagree on the type of wood, the type of meat and the type of sauce, but all sing from the same hymnal. The sacred rites and traditions they share require the devotion to keeping a flame going low and slow, the fidelity to stand watch as the smoke works its magic throughout a long night, and the fealty to a recipe that each pitmaster knows represents the one true way to cook. 

It’s a culinary art form that defines the South and unifies us all as we gather round to enjoy it. And here you’ll find some of the most reverent locals in the church of barbecue.


Marquith and Danielle Green

This Beaufort couple united family barbecue traditions to create a local favorite.

Marquith and Danielle Green of Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ

It’s been said that one of the greatest ways to learn something is to fail at it. Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ pitmaster Marquith Green can tell you all about it.

Growing up in New York City, he would come down in the summers to visit with the expansive Lowcountry wing of his family, trading the concrete jungle for bucolic moss-draped backwoods gatherings that always revolved around the smoker. His first attempt at joining in the family tradition didn’t exactly go as planned.

“I started smoking meat with my older brother, Tony. It was kind of a rite of passage, a way to hang out with the older guys,” he said. “I burnt some ribs and messed up a 40-pound piece of brisket because I let the fire get too high. I got cursed out, laughed at and joked on all night long after that.”

Undeterred, he continued honing the craft of low-and-slow cooking that his family gatherings revolved around. He took a brief break while going through boot camp at Parris Island, but naturally, he had other things on his mind. “My mom told me not to come down here in June, and I spent June, July and August at boot camp. I almost died,” he said with a laugh.

Drawn back to Beaufort to live on family land with his wife, Danielle, whose Alabama upbringing made the Lowcountry a perfect compromise for the couple, he began his post-Marine Corps career selling insurance and managing retail operations. But the urge to make better barbecue never left him.

Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ in Beaufort
Marquith and Danielle Green are the owners of Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ in Beaufort. They’ve been in business since 2020, bringing their mobile smoking pit to locations and events across the Lowcountry. Their signature dish, Roscoe Ribs, earned them the title of rib champ on the Discovery+ TV show “Moonshiners: Smoke Ring” in 2021. Their ribs, smokin’ brisket and barbecue-stuffed potatoes have been a highlight of many major festivals this year, including the Gullah Celebration in Beaufort, Mayfest in Bluffton and the Juneteenth Celebration on Hilton Head Island.

“I’ve always cooked on weekends and stuff like that, even when I worked. I had a big smoker and a 500-gallon tub that I’d use to cook for employees,” he said. Along the way, those hard lessons learned around the family barbecue pit began to pay off. “It always feels good when you make something for a co-worker, and they tell you that you could do this for a living. You get that enough, and the bug bites you.”

The changes that the pandemic cast on the landscape provided the perfect opportunity. Green dipped into his 401(k), found a trailer that could hold his smoker, and Mother Smokin’ Good BBQ was born. His wife, Danielle, not only supported his dream, saying “he comes from a family where feeding people is how you show love,” she also brought her own Alabama culinary background to their signature sauces and sides.

“I grew up with my grandparents, and they were vegetarians,” said Danielle. “My grandfather taught us how to cook with seasonings, fresh fruit and vegetables… he was big on flavors.”

As a result, they’ve brought two family traditions together for barbecue that lets them share the love with the entire Lowcountry.

Moonshiners, Smoke Ring
Marquith and Danielle Green - Beaufort SC

If Marquith Green looks familiar, it could be because you’ve caught wind of his tantalizing barbecue and followed your nose to his truck at one of the many events he attends across the Lowcountry. Or you may have just been binging Discovery+ and caught his appearance on the cooking show “Moonshiners: Smoke Ring.”

While the exposure from the show was a boost to his then-new business, and being billed as “Moonshiners: Smoke Ring Rib Champ” is a nice feather in his cap, it was a chance to meet his idol that he recalls most fondly.

“When I lived in New York, they had Big Apple BBQ, and Ed Mitchell was always coming up there, and I’d make it a point to be there when he did,” he said. 

Mitchell’s frequent media appearances and advocacy for the use of heritage-breed pork has earned him the title of “most famous pitmaster in North Carolina.” He has appeared in Bon Appetit and on Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and National Geographic. On the set of Moonshiners, Marquith finally met him in person.

“I sat down and had moonshine with him off the set and learned some tips from him, found out how he got started, how he won all those awards,” Marquith said. “He was like a grandfather figure to me.”


Big John Bennett

This Hampton pitmaster has perfected low-and-slow barbecue on the move.

Big John Bennett of Bennett’s BBQ and Smokehouse

Criss-crossing the Lowcountry between here and Hampton as its owner feeds hungry crowds all over, the hot-rod-red trailer of Bennett’s BBQ and Smokehouse is hard to miss. But if you do happen to see it out on the road and notice smoke pouring out of the back, don’t be alarmed. That’s just Big John Bennett, smoking up some Boston butt or brisket en route.

“A lot of times I’ve got meat cooking the whole ride there. I’ve had people flag me down to tell me something was burning,” he said. “I’ve also had people follow me for a few miles to find out where I’m parked, which is a great problem to have.”

It’s also the best way to ensure that, no matter when or where he’s called to serve up the smoked meats that made him famous, each bite benefits from the full low-and-slow treatment. 

“You’re always getting fresh chopped meat. It’s a lot of work,” he said. “My brisket is cooked for 14-16 hours, my ribs for 5-6, and a butt needs 10-12. I’m up at 4:30 in the morning getting everything ready.”

Bennett grew  up in Florida, where the foundation of his barbecue ethos came from the Jacksonville school that made Sonny’s one of the biggest chains in the country. “When I came here and started cooking and saw how they did things here, I mixed what I like from Florida and Carolina barbecue and made my own style,” he said. 

Bennett’s BBQ and Smokehouse
Big John Bennett is the talented pitmaster behind Bennett’s BBQ and Smokehouse. You can find his mobile food trailer on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in Hampton until they sell out. Bennett’s BBQ also makes regular stops at Jarvis Creek General Store on Hilton Head Island, Lot 9 in Bluffton and at many local festivals and events

Interestingly enough, that style wasn’t developed to sell barbecue. It was developed to sell grills. Working as the grill manager for Casual Living, Fireside and Grillin’ in Bluffton, he figured live demonstrations on Saturdays might be a good way to make a few sales. “It got to the point where I had customers who had already bought grills and were coming back just to eat,” he said. As a joke, he casually mentioned to his wife that he should open his own restaurant. “She said, ‘If you can figure out how to get the money, go ahead.’”

The next month, he’d closed on an 800-square-foot former gas station in Hampton. Opening Bennett’s Barbecue and Smokehouse in 1999, he would eventually grow it to a 150-seat mecca for mouthwatering meat. Cooking competitively was the next natural step, leading Bennett to build his first trailer from an old camper. These days he’s upgraded the trailer to the iconic 24-footer now smoking its way down Lowcountry highways and shuttered his Hampton restaurant.

“A lot of people go the other way. But I’ve done brick-and-mortar, and
I know what it’s about,” he said. “More taxes, more overhead and more insurance.”

And less freedom to set down wherever folks are hungry and treat them to a blend of barbecue traditions unlike anything else around. “You’ll see a lot of barbecue trailers trying to do more contemporary stuff,” he said. “I can do that, but really what I do is good, old-country cooking.”

food truck owner – Big John Bennett

Having seen the barbecue world from every angle – as a grill salesman, restaurant owner, competitive smoker and now popular food truck owner – Big John Bennett has been a constant student of the art of barbecue. So what wisdom can he pass along when it comes to preparing the perfect protein?

“Season it or marinate it well, then have patience,” he said. “The best barbecue is low and slow. Brisket will look like it’s burning 7-8 hours in, but that just means you need to cook it for 7-8 hours more. And don’t keep opening the grill – you want a good steady temperature. If you’re going to let the temperature go up and down, you may as well throw it in an oven.”


JoAnne and ‘Pistol’ Pete Feeley

New owners swing for the fences at a beloved local barbecue joint.

JoAnne and ‘Pistol’ Pete Feeley

As much strategy and teamwork as there is in the game of baseball, it is a contest that ultimately comes down to one moment. That moment comes when a player steps up to the plate, staring down a pitcher intent on retiring them without a hit, and takes a swing. If he connects, it can change the entire trajectory of his team’s fortunes.

When JoAnne and “Pistol” Pete Feeley stepped up to the plate as the new owners of Cherry Point BBQ, taking over for owners who had established the restaurant as a regional sleeper pick for best barbecue in the Lowcountry, they knew it was a matter of swinging for the fences. 

“It’s been a labor of love, knowing we’re putting out a product that people love,” said Pete. “If you can do it right, they’ll want to come back. And thankfully, that’s what they’ve done.”

Pistol Jo’s Cherry Point BBQ
JoAnne and Pete Feely own Pistol Jo’s Cherry Point BBQ, a beloved mom-and-pop restaurant located at the corner of Highway 170 and Argent Boulevard in Ridgeland. Renowned for serving some of the best barbecue in the Lowcountry, as evidenced by numerous glowing online reviews, their restaurant offers a variety of slow-cooked dishes, including weekly specials on baby back ribs and beef brisket. Additionally, they are famous for their made-to-order crispy fried chicken, bursting with flavor and prepared to perfection.

The couple cherishes the opportunity to build on Cherry Point’s legacy, because they saw how close they came to losing that shot. Having moved to the Lowcountry a little over two years ago, they were looking to get into the restaurant business after long careers running a youth development baseball organization. They found that the beloved Cherry Point BBQ was for sale, but then they found out there was another offer. 

“We had been really researching a lot on barbecue and how to cook it, all the ins and outs of different recipes and techniques, and really how to make a good product,” said Pete.

“And we didn’t get it at first,” added JoAnne. Fortunately, the other bidder’s financing fell through, so all of their research was about to fuel their next adventure. Now it was just a matter of taking the reins at a restaurant that had deservedly built a following around its slow-smoked barbecue and fried chicken.

It started with a one-month crash course, Pete learning the ropes alongside former owner Zach Zanzig. “He showed me what he did, what his processes were, the cook time… he was really good and open about questions,” said Pete. “I was like a puppy dog, just learning and asking all kinds of questions.”

That continuity was key.

“People came up to us and were like, ‘You’re not going to change the menu, are you?’ It was a big concern,” said Pete. “Because they’d been following this place and weren’t sure if we were going to come in here and just revamp the place or make it some fufu artisan shop.”

“I just didn’t want it to get stale,” said JoAnne. “You’re always trying to bring in something new.”

To the old standbys were added salads, nachos and other items to offer a little broader range of options. They also expanded rib sales to Thursday and Friday, with an occasional Saturday special. But they’ve maintained the dedication to authenticity that made Cherry Point a home run.

“We want to keep it that way,” said JoAnne.

Pistol Jo’s Cherry Point BBQ - BBQ Sauce Flavors

While most of the menu items at Pistol Jo’s Cherry Point BBQ are as Southern as they come, there’s one dish that most of us from South of Dixie might have never heard of. But those transplants and visitors who drop their Rs like JoAnne and Pete Feeley do will immediately recognize the regional favorite known as the North Shore Roast Beef. 

All you “Sawx” fans can thank their son, Dylan, for bringing the New England icon south. He was the one who discovered that one of his favorite northern shops had migrated to Florida and was making a killing selling sandwiches to transplants. “He goes, ‘You got to get that roast beef sandwich.’ We weren’t sure, but we get more people from the north now,” said JoAnne. “Last week I had seven people come in just because they’d heard we sell a North Shore Roast Beef.”

Combining thin-sliced rare roast beef, James River barbecue sauce, mayo and cheese, it’ll make a “believah” out of anyone.

Similar Posts