More Barbecue in Greenwood, SC

A part of the prize money is reserved for the people’s choice contest. Rather than certified judges picking the winners, the festival attendees are in charge. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

One of my favorite locations for judging barbecue contests sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society is Greenwood, SC. The city and its residents fully support this contest, known as the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery. It is the premier event sponsored by local development officials, and the music scene and other entertainment activities are amazing. 

Although blues music was playing at several venues during the festival, the big attraction was barbecue. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

Begun in 2000, the festival celebrates local history, culture, arts, crafts, music, and food — and barbecue takes over Main Street, the main thoroughfare of the city’s business community, throughout the weekend. 

Food vendors arrive early to prepare for the crowds. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

Cooking teams as well as mobile food vendors congregate on this main artery, which is closed for the weekend, as crowds stroll by to observe the cooking teams, enjoy good food available for sale, and listen to groups performing on several stages. 

The winning team was from Pennsylvania. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

This year 76 competition teams vied for $19,850 in prize money. Chunky BBQ of Harrisburg, Pa., was the runaway winner and took home the check for $3,000 for being the grand champion. In second place was QMeisters from Evans, Ga., which also easily outdistanced the other competitors. 

The turn-in table was well-staffed with volunteers from the city's Fire Rescue Department. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

At the table where I was a judge, we were impressed by all the entries that we sampled, particularly the pork ribs. One of the benefits of being a competition judge is to be able to bite into the best barbecue — whether it’s ribs, pork, chicken, or brisket. 

 

The sound of silence can be heard throughout the room as the judges concentrate on their tasks. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.  

Although judges are prohibited by KCBS rules from taking pictures during an event when they are judging, evidently those rules don’t apply to the organizers. Several pictures of the judging activities are included in the album of photos taken by Laura Brown Photography for the festival that is on Facebook.

Greenwood is the only event where I've been photographed during judging (third from left). Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook. 

This year’s event was the third time that I had judged in Greenwood. The other contests in 2019 and 2022 were equally well organized. Because the festival is such a premier event, it’s easy to understand why teams and judges want to be in Greenwood and participate in the cookoff.

Bubbles the Seahorse is one of the many topiaries that adorned the downtown area of Greenwood. Photo: Laura Brown Photography, 2023 Festival of Discovery album on Facebook.

Judging Hash in South Carolina

One of 11 heads used in traditional Lowcountry hogshead hash being made in Camp Branch, SC. Image: Carolina Hash / Folkstreams.

A special experience in barbecue judging is the opportunity to judge a youth contest or an ancillary dish. Sometimes young, aspiring pitmasters compete in “Kids Que” contests. In “Anything Butt” (or “Anything Goes”) and deserts-only contests, family favorites compete for special recognition and prizes. Barbecue cookoffs often have contests for side dishes like the one for hash at the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery in Greenwood, SC. You might ask, What is hash?

 

The Festival of Discovery features BBQ & Blues — and hash.

What Is South Carolina Hash? 

Hash is a traditional stew in South Carolina that dates back to the early 1800s, according to barbecue writer and historian Robert Moss. When hogs were slaughtered for barbecuing, parts such as the head, liver, and other organ meats that didn’t make it onto the pit were used to make hash and to make sure during a rural hog-killin’ that every last scrap of a hog wasn’t wasted. 

These items were cooked in a pot with water over an open fire for many hours until they had broken down and become a thick, gravy-like substance. Items such as red pepper, potatoes, and onions were often added, but the hash depends on the slowly cooked meat items for its hearty flavor.

 

Hash being made in The Hash House in Greenwood, SC. Image: Carolina Hash / Folkstreams.

  

Moss describes hash as a cross between a thick gravy and a stew. It’s typically a side dish that accompanies barbecue and not a meal by itself. Outside of South Carolina, nothing resembles this dish. Hash recipes have also been included in issues of food magazines such as Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and The Local Palate. The name may come from “haslet,” an Old English word for the entrails of a butchered animal but other accounts also attribute the name to the French Huguenot population in early Charleston. 

When barbecue moved “indoors” as restaurants opened, hash was a standard side dish with the stew ladled over a bed of cooked white rice (or bread). When restaurants shifted from cooking whole hog to just shoulders and hams, many began making hash from the barbecue left over from the previous day, and about half of the S.C. barbecue restaurants surveyed by the (Charleston) Post & Courier no longer today include liver in their hash. 

Legendary in its time, The Hash House in Greenwood, SC, has closed. Image: Stan Woodward / Folkstreams.

The S.C. Office of Tourism describes hash as “a stewlike concoction of ground meats flavored with vegetables, condiments, and spices.” Most people are ready to sample it until they learn more about the history of hash and realize that many recipes rely on liver and other organ meats for the pungent flavor of hash. 

What Makes Hash Popular? 

Hash remains popular in South Carolina because it’s rooted in the state’s barbecue traditions. It is a typical side dish that usually accompanies a barbecue order. Definitely comfort food, it also commemorates the humble lifestyles of the past, and many people have developed a fondness for it because of family traditions. At one time “hash houses” were located throughout South Carolina with the largest concentration in the Upstate region, although many such as this one in Troy that closed in 2014 are no longer open. 

The Hash House in Troy, S.C., closed more than a decade ago. Photo: Hash House / Facebook.

The city of Greenwood was one of the most active hash-making places in the state, according to the folklife documentary Carolina Hash on the history of South Carolina hash. (Learn more by watching the documentary.) Today many barbecue restaurants have hash on their menus as the map below illustrates. 

At least 160 S.C. barbecue restaurants serve hash. Image: Southern Living.

How Do You Judge Hash? 

For events such as judging hash, there are no national standards or guidelines like for contests sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Sometimes a contest specifies only turn-in times; however, several guidelines were announced for the Greenwood event. 

This entry has a dominant tomato flavor.

For this contest, hash can consist of potatoes, onions, spices, and other seasonings with shredded pork or beef, or both. Because contest rules prohibited the presentation of the hash with side dishes or with any else such as rice or bread, each entry was simply the hash. (At KCBS events, barbecue is typically presented with a garnish.) 

Diced potatoes are the main component in this hash.

Each entry was judged on appearance, taste, and tenderness (the three criteria of a KCBS contest) and could have earned a maximum of 180 points. The winning team was Chicka-Piga-Moo that outdistanced K&E’s Little Smokers, which finished second, by only three points. Incidentally, Chicka-Piga-Moo is a top competitor in the S.C. Barbecue Association and routinely places high in barbecue contests. 

Mustard could be clearly detected in this hash.

How Different Were the Entries? 

Nineteen teams competed, and every entry had its own distinguishing characteristics, although the ingredients and presentation were limited. The entries varied in color, consistency, taste (some were pungent; some were sweet), texture (from stringy to clumpy), ingredients (from meat items only to all permitted ingredients), and moisture content (some were soupy, some had little moisture). One surprise of the judging activity happened when an entry being shown to a judge was tipped too low and about half a cup of hash “liquid” spilled onto the scoresheet and pants of the judge. How he scored this entry wasn't disclosed!

This hash seemed to have all permitted ingredients.

What Were the Rewards? 

The hash contest had a total of $1,200 in prizes that was divided among the top three places: $500 for first place, $400 for second, and $300 for third. However, more important than the money are the bragging rights for placing among the top three, particularly for the first-place winner. Imagine claiming that you are the state champion for South Carolina, which is known for its barbecue and hash traditions. 

Chicka-Piga-Moo took home $500 for placing first in the hash contest. Photo: Festival of Discovery / Facebook.

What Were the Other Side Contests? 

At the Festival of Discovery, contests were also held for Anything Goes with 29 entries and Desserts with 26 entries. Two Kids Que contests were held; one for kids 10 and under (with five participants) and another for ages 11 and older (three participants). 

The festival conducted two Kids Que contests. Photo: Festival of Discovery / Facebook.

Because teams competing in the hash contest were also permitted to sell their hash to the public during the festival, appreciation for the hash wasn’t limited to only the judges. 

Wrap Up 

The next time you are in South Carolina, find a barbecue restaurant with hash on its menu. See if you don’t agree with the state’s traditions that it belongs on a plate with barbecue.

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Finally, the following video shows hash being made:

Returning to Greenwood, SC, for BBQ

Ari the Lion is one of the distinctive topiaries in Greenwood.

When barbecue is smoking on Main Street and the musicians at the center stage are playing the blues, Greenwood, SC, must be the scene. The city has played host to the BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery every July since it began in 2000 (except when canceled by the coronavirus pandemic). 

BBQ and Blues Festival of Discovery 

The festival has a lively street scene throughout the weekend as the region celebrates culture, history, food, arts, crafts, and music. The downtown area vibrates with the sounds of the blues as musicians perform on stages and at other restaurants. To recognize the region’s food traditions, a barbecue cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society is also held. In addition, the festival holds a separate contest for hash, a South Carolina specialty. 

Blues music is continually played at several locations during the festival.

Perhaps the total of $19,850 in prize money attracted so many cooking teams to compete—92 teams vied for top honors. The prize money is the largest amount of any tournament that I’ve participated in recently and almost double that of the last event where I judged. Because so many teams were competing, about 100 judges were needed. 

A long line of judges forms as they wait on the start time to sign in.

A part of the prize money was reserved for the people’s choice contest. Rather than certified judges picking the winners, the festival attendees were in charge, and their tastebuds determined the best BBQ. More than 20 teams competed. 

This team was ready to smoke its meats.

Barbecue Cookoff Judging 

The five other judges at the table where I was sitting were the most light-hearted group that I’ve been associated with. Perhaps being at a cookoff again after the pandemic has mostly ended has improved everyone’s spirits and the comradery is appreciated even more. In addition to South Carolina, these judges were from Georgia and Florida. 

Judges mingle in the Arts Center before the judging activities begin.

One of the big surprises at the table where I was judging is that we had to disqualify an entry for pork. At KCBS contests, one reason to disqualify an entry is “incorrect meat.” After we had judged ribs, the second category scored, we received entries for the next category, which is pork. To our amazement, in the box of one entry was … ribs. Although ribs are obviously from a hog, at a sanctioned contest they don’t constitute “pork,” which is defined as “Boston butt, Boston roast, picnic, collar (aka cellar), or whole shoulder.” How disappointing for the team because the ribs looked wonderful. 

Teams set up along Main Street in downtown Greenwood.

Later I learned that five entries had been disqualified – three ribs and two pork. I have observed disqualifications before, but five at one event is very surprising. However, some teams may have been participating in their first competitive event. Being disqualified has to be very upsetting for a team, but each contest is a learning experience. 

The center stage is on Main Street among the cooking teams.

Greenwood, SC, As Contest Venue 

Greenwood continues to be a superior contest venue, and the city’s extensive support of the cookoff makes sure that everything happens on time and perfectly. After judging pork, the judges were treated to small servings of lemon sherbet to cleanse our palates. Such a simple touch is typical of the extra effort that the Greenwood organizers make. 

Greenwood is a fun place to be during its festivals.

The downtown area of Greenwood was adorned with 30 topiary displays. Although they were initially designed as the centerpiece attraction of the Festival of Flowers, an event held a month earlier, they still are still show-quality and are very much admired by the BBQ and Blues Festival attendees. My favorite is Barbie-Q the Pig, but so many others are also very creative.

Barbie-Q the Pig is one of the creative topiaries.

This year’s contest is the first one that I was able to attend since 2019, when I judged in Greenwood for the first time. The Festival of Discovery is such a great event that I hope to attend again.