"Dip into the big bin with tongs and hoist up great clusters of cracklins, which are just about the most succulent snack imaginable. Strips and bits of pork rind that are deep fried until shattering-crisp, they crunch when you bite them, but then dissolve into a slurry of pure pork flavor on the tongue."
Michael Stern
"Ahh, what a beautiful sight: a South Carolina barbecue buffet. Hands at the upper left belong to a member of the staff preparing a to-go meal."
Michael Stern
"South Carolinians like their barbecued pork torn into motley shreds that are moist and subtly smoky. The exemplary version at Dukes is set out in a big tray on the buffet line, then it is up to you to sauce it. The sauce of choice around here is a mustard sauce that is slightly sweet and quite tangy, eliciting full sweet pig flavor from the meat."
Michael Stern
"Isn't it nice that Dukes' fried chicken, in the background, shares pan space with freshly-made potato chips? Both are terrific."
Michael Stern
"Loaded with chunks and crumbs of cookie, Dukes' banana pudding is dense and delicious, a dessert that packs big-time satisfaction."
Michael Stern
"If you want to sit a spell outside of Dukes, the Welcome Bench offers a wood-carved happy pig as a companion."
Michael Stern
"Braise cabbage long enough and it becomes one of the gentlest-tempered comfort food vegetables imaginable. Its tender nature makes it a terrific side dish for a meal as full of spice and zest as the barbecue served here."
Michael Stern
"Squash rarely tastes as rich and indulgent as it does in Dukes' sumptuous casserole, enriched with cheese and festooned with chewy ribbons of crust from the top of the dish."
Michael Stern
"Tables at Dukes are lined up mess-hall style, for serious eating."
Michael Stern
"Dukes' peach cobbler is thick and chewy, more about the pastry than the fruit. It will satisfy a sweet tooth, for sure, but it does not belong in the Cobbler Hall of Fame."
Michael Stern
"What does a South Carolinian do when the urge for barbecue strikes Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday?"
Michael Stern
"All the sauces are in bottles up by the buffet line, so tables are set minimally with salt, pepper, and much-needed paper towels."
Michael Stern
The name Dukes will get the attention of any southern barbecue aficionado, for the Dukes family has been a major player in hickory-smoked pork for longer than a half century. There are Dukes restaurants throughout South Carolina, and while each is an independent entity, all trace their ancestry to Earl Dukes, who opened a barbecue in Orangeburg in the 1950s. Most of them serve pretty much the same meal in pretty much the same way: a whole-hog, all-you-can-eat barbecue buffet, generally available only on weekends.
