Dukes Bar-B-Que

History

Manuel Dukes came into the world around 1875 on a farm in Orangeburg County, South Carolina. His boys grew up to become well-known pitmasters in the region, handling catering jobs that eventually turned into a family operation. The Dukes family has German roots, and some historians think that heritage explains why they favored a mustard-based barbecue sauce—a preference that caught on with other German households in South Carolina’s Midlands. Their cooking is a classic example of Midlands-style barbecue.

Over time, the family became famous for a “rust” sauce that blends mustard with tomato. Starting in the 1950s, Manuel’s sons and daughters opened restaurants in places like Orangeburg, Cameron, Charleston, and Aiken. Danny Dukes launched the very first ones in the small towns of Cope and Branchville. A particularly famous spot was started by Earl Duke in 1955 at the corner of Chestnut Street and Columbia Road in Orangeburg; it later relocated to Whitman Street.

Riding on the name’s popularity, other Dukes relatives opened many more restaurants around that same period. These establishments have become a staple of Orangeburg’s dining scene. By 2017, some Dukes restaurants were still run by family members, while others had been sold off. The restaurants operate as all-you-can-eat buffets, serving pulled pork, fried chicken, hash and rice, plus sides like collard greens, mac and cheese, black-eyed peas, hushpuppies, corn nuggets, potato salad, coleslaw, and white bread.