The BBQ scene in Beaufort is now smokin’ even hotter since Bordertown BBQ opened its doors in Beaufort Town Center last February.
It’s been turning a lot of heads and getting some seriously rave reviews ever since, as locals and visitors alike have enjoyed their BBQ style and scintillating smoked offerings.
So much so, that Southern Living magazine has called it one of the Best New Barbecue Joints in the entire South!
That’s some serious recognition!
“The South has its long-enduring barbecue traditions, but the restaurant landscape still evolves as fresh players enter the scene,” Southern Living said.
That’s why every two years they offer our picks for the best new barbecue joints in the South, and that time has rolled around again.
“We’re seeing new wrinkles in the way different regional styles are blurring. Texas-style barbecue has been in ascendence for over a decade, but until recently it was sort of a binary proposition: either a restaurant went all-in for Texas, or stuck to the style of its own region. These days, offset smokers have become standard equipment at new restaurants in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.”
“Slow-smoked brisket and house-made sausage links have gone native, appearing side-by-side with chopped pork, mustard or vinegar sauces, and regional specialties like red slaw, Brunswick stew, and hash and rice.”
SL’s BBQ writer, Robert Moss, took a tour of the South from Texas to Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, and picked the top 16 new spots.
“With a cow-skull logo and a thousand-gallon offset smoker, this Beaufort, South Carolina, newcomer leans toward Central Texas with a little Tex-Mex flair thrown in,” Southern Living said.
“Brisket and pork ribs are featured alongside barbacoa, pepper-encrusted smoked chicken thighs, and a rotating sausage of the day. You can get those smoked meats tucked inside corn tortillas as tacos and pair them with array of flavored margaritas and mojitos,” it added. “While deep-fried cheese curds, savory pit beans, and thick-sliced tallow fries round out the sides.”
Offering a mix of Texas-style barbecue and Mexican street flair, the newer spot has been packed full of patrons nearly every day it’s been open, a very welcome addition to the local BBQ scene.
“The close overlapping of Texas BBQ and Mexican cuisine is what makes our name Bordertown, and the inclusion of Mexican flavors to traditional Texas BBQ is what makes our menu different because they compliment one another,” said co-owner Kristen Miklinevich.
The couple spent 14 years running successful spots in Massachusetts, including Mission Cantina and North Village Smokehouse, until they decided to move south in 2024.
According to Kristen, the key to their taste is “Central Texas-inspired slow smoked meats on a 1000 gallon stick burner.” The smoker is kept outside of the restaurant, and is always smoking nearly all the time, adding a robust scent to the local air.
The menu includes brisket, pulled pork, beef ribs, chicken, turkey, pork ribs, all sold by the half-pound, smoked brisket tacos & sandwiches, smoked pork carnitas, grilled local shrimp & fish tacos, tallow fries, and all the traditional sides you would expect from a BBQ restaurant. Meats are sold by the pound give that consummate Texas feel.
Oh, and occasionally their smoker offers smoked chicken wings. We know. We’ve eaten plenty of them.
Huge congrats to Kristen, Sam, and the Bordertown team. You’ve done good.
See the full list of “Best New BBQ Joints in the South Right Now” here.
