Even for the bacon-shy (yes there are a few of us out there), the Fried Green Tomato BLT ($8.95) is a must-order at Hominy Grill in Charleston. Head chef Robert Stehling takes an otherwise ordinary lunchbox staple and gives it his personal twist. Fried green tomatoes, neither overly crunchy or too soggy, are topped with a few slabs of crispy bacon and iceberg lettuce. More

This combination of sharp cheddar, sliced pimentos, full-fat mayonnaise, and a touch of bourbon is ceamy, fatty, and rich in flavor. With a zesty chile powder kick at the end, this pimento cheese spread feels every bit as decadent as it should. More

Traveling through South Carolina, the Perennial Plate cooked and collaborated on a multi-course dinner with chef Sean Brock of Husk and McCrady's, which consisted entirely of grains from Anson Mills, the seminal grits and rice producer in the United States. "I'm a seed collector. I collect seeds like kids collect baseball cards," said Brock. More

When the Perennial Plate cross-country road trip took us through South Carolina, we asked Sean Brock, the chef at Husk, what farmers to meet near Charleston; he recommended the Joseph Fields Farm. More

What absolutely blew my mind was this dog covered with Sandy's own homemade pimento cheese. A line of mustard and a sprinkling of diced onions add a faint zip in the background, but it's all about the juicy dog and super creamy cheese. Fans of cream cheese dogs would be way into this, although Sandy's is a much more delicately built hot dog, some of the best hot dog presentation we saw in the South. More

When South Carolina Barbeque Association president Lake E. High, Jr. curated a whole hog lunch for Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, he proclaimed that South Carolina is "absolutely the barbecue capital of the world." This isn't the wildest claim a barbecue evangelist can make. I can count at least four barbecue capitals of the world in the American South, and to be perfectly honest I'd like to see at least 500 more vying for the title. The environmental toll of all that burning wood may be an overriding concern. Then again, I may be a hungry man. More

Meat may be the undeniable core of American barbecue, but as long as American barbecue is part of the pantheon of southern cooking, it will not stand alone. From the saltine crackers and pickles of Lockhart, to the lard-fried potatoes (you heard me) of Kansas City, to the barbecue slaw of Lexington, the side dishes served with barbecue are often as exciting as the main course. I indulged in this fact on my recent trip through the Carolinas, looking forward to the $2 servings of local flavor that flanked each serving of smoked pork. More

[Photographs: Chichi Wang] Sweatman's Bar-b-que Route 453 North, Holly Hill SC (map) Sweatman's Bar-b-que is the type of place that comes to mind when envisioning the Southern barbecue pit. Located on a dusty back road off I-95, the restaurant is housed in a cabin-style building with a smoke pit behind the main house. Pecan and hickory trees line the roads; fields of corn grow nearby. True to its rustic charm, the pit is only open two days a week, a vestige that Ed Levine chalks up to the logging industry's work schedule in bygone days. I've wanted to try Sweatman's ever since it was featured on No Reservations. Luckily for us, we were driving through South Carolina on a... More

We realize that photos of [insert animal here] eating/doing something else with [insert food here] falls somewhere between ridiculous and maybe-not-worth-your-time. But on Fridays, they seem acceptable. Oliver, a young koala at the Riverbanks Zoo in South Carolina, was caught here chowing down on a single leaf. Now is that considered a koala snack or a whole meal? Either way he looks pretty pleased to wrap his marsupial paw around it. [via zooborns.com] Related Cat Balancing Cherry Tomatoes Puppy in Cupcake Batter Baby Pygmy Hippopotamus Wants Lettuce Cats Eating Yogurt... More

Nora Ephron helped us taste test three kinds of frozen biscuits. Which one did we like the best? More