Pitmaster IndexRoosevelt Scott
Founder, Scott's Bar-B-Que (Hemingway)
Roosevelt Scott
Scott's Bar-B-QueHemingway, SC
Signature:Whole-hog barbecue with spicy vinegar sauce and crispy pork skin
Roosevelt Scott was born and raised in Hemingway, South Carolina. After living in Philadelphia as a young man, he moved back to Hemingway in November 1971, and in 1972 he and his wife, Ella, opened Scott's Variety Store, a convenience store and gas station. Barbecue started as a sideline of two or three pigs a week; the couple smoked whole hogs in pits out back, and it became the main business. Their son Rodney Scott began cooking whole hogs at the family pit at age 11, learning from his parents and longtime employees. Roosevelt Scott died on December 10, 2020.
Technique
Scott's cooked whole hogs in pits behind the store. A 2019 profile said Scott used a lot of oak and kept his pigs lean.