The South Carolina 
BBQ Project


Signs, Symbols, and Stories from the Pit

A design-led exploration of barbecue’s visual culture. From hand-painted signs and roadside shacks to the ephemera that shapes how we understand place and authenticity in the South.


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“I suspect that afer reading this book, you'll never look at South Carolina barbecue quite the same way again.”     
— Robert Moss, author of Barbecue: The History of an American Institution

“You don’t have to be from South Carolina to appreciate Spainhour’s compendium of barbecultural iconography, but out-of-staters like me will find their awe tinged with envy.”     
— John Shelton Reed, author of Holy Smoke: The Big Book of North Carolina Barbecue

What’s Inside


  • Signs, roadside architecture, and hand-painted lettering
  • Menus, dining rooms, cups, plates, and everyday ephemera
  • Regional traditions and the distinct sauces of South Carolina
  • Field photography with breakdowns of type, layout, and material
  • Maps and visual typologies revealing patterns across the state
Barbecue is more than food. It is culture, memory, and identity. Part history, part design study, and part love letter to South Carolina’s most treasured foodway, this project examines how visual culture shapes our understanding of authenticity and place. Through signs, objects, and environments, it offers a new way of seeing one of the South’s most iconic traditions.
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Copyright ©2026 Nathan Spainhour



This project is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council which receives support from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, and SEW Eurodrive.