Barbecue with Blues in a Small South Carolina City

In Upstate South Carolina, Greenwood holds several events each year to attract locals and visitors to its Uptown area. The premier event is the three-day S.C. Festival of Discovery that combines barbecue (and other food), blues music, arts and crafts, history, and a dynamic street scene.

Judges await the start of their meeting in the Arts Center.

Now in its 19th year, the festival continues to impress and attract top barbecue cooking teams for a major regional cookoff. Because 93 had registered (although only 83 competed), 16 tables of judging officials — each table with six judges and a table captain — were organized. Even though a lot of judges are needed, registration usually ends on the day in January that it opens. Lindsay Burns, the organizer, recommended to the judges at their meeting that they apply immediately for the contest next year when registration begins because the contest is so popular.

Cooking teams set up along Main Street in Uptown Greenwood.

In addition to the standard meat categories — chicken, ribs, pork, and beef brisket — of a barbecue cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society, the festival holds contests for hash, “anything goes,” and dessert. For this contest, hash is made with potatoes, onions, spices and other seasonings with beef or pork, or both. Entries in the “anything goes” category include at least two products (sausage, ham, beef franks) of Carolina Pride, the primary festival sponsor.

All judging activities were held in the Arts Center.

So many teams were inspired to compete because the sizable prize fund is usually large for a BBQ contest. The festival awarded more than $23,000 in prizes — $1,200 in the hash, anything goes, and dessert contests each — with the remainder presented to the successful barbecue teams. The top prize of $3,000 with a trophy for being grand champion was awarded to Smokin’ Gringo’s BBQ, which aced out Palmetto Pitmasters, the reserve champion, by less than one point.

The center stage featured entertainment on each day of the festival.

The festival also includes a people’s choice contest with the winning team being the one that receives the most votes. In addition, young people from ages six to 15 show off their grilling skills in a Kids Que contest that requires them to use ground beef and bacon in dishes that they prepare.

The Blues Doctors entertain on Friday night, one of their three gigs at the festival.

A popular component of the festival is the blues cruise, with regional performers as well as others from as far away as Indiana, Mississippi, and Washington, D.C. It included 21 ensembles (solos to quartets) performing on the main stage as well as at 12 locations, such as the Arts Center, where judging activities were held on Saturday.

I found Adam Gussow playing as part of The Blue Doctors — I had used his materials in a class that I taught.

One month before the cookoff, Greenwood hosts another major event known as the S.C. Festival of Flowers. The entire city that has slightly more than 22,000 residents dresses up for the occasion, several homes and gardens are open for tours, and more than 40 topiaries decorate the Uptown area. Fortunately for barbecue and blues fans, the topiaries are still on display during the second weekend in July, when the Festival of Discovery is held.

A topiary of a Jeep anchors one corner of an intersection.

I’ve made a note to apply as a judge as soon as registration begins next January. The Festival of Discovery is a delightful event to attend, and I hope to return.

Look closely to see the alligator topiary in the foreground on Main Street.