Central BBQ tender to the bone

Barbecue: Early on in my food career, the great debate was is it a noun or a verb? Is it pork, beef or chicken? And how did you spell it, with a "c" or a "q"?

Now living in the South, I realize what a barbecue novice I was. Serious pig business is what barbecue is all about. Will you smoke a butt, a shoulder or the whole hog?

What kind of wood will be your fuel? Will you dig or rig? Wet rub or dry? Mop or sop? Vinegar, mustard or tomato sauce? Pulled, chopped, or sliced? White bread or hamburger bun? Slaw on or off?

These are regional rites. Germans bringing mustard; lines in the sand over vinegar or tomatoes. No wonder the magician of barbecue is called a "pit boss."

But what all good 'cue has in common are the constants of slow and smoke. These two "ingredients" are well-tendered by Jay Lancaster, owner and pit master at Central BBQ. Taming the oak and conquering the combo allow Lancaster to smoke whole chickens, pork butts and ribs to tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness.

The chicken ($5.50-$8.50) is particularly tasty with crisp skin, succulent flesh and the ruby hue of a well-smoked bird. You can take your pick of white or dark meat, but my advice is get the half chicken and enjoy both.

The barbecue pork will not disappoint, both in pricing and in taste. A small sandwich is $3.50, a large $5.50. The meat is a balance of crunchy bark and meltingly tender muscle that has surrendered to time and smoke.

The Lancasters will not exercise any rivalry with East North Carolina, West (Lexington) North Carolina and South Carolina when it comes to your sop. Choose mustard, pepper-vinegar, chile pepper-infused vinegar or a sweet island mix called Trinidad-Tobago. House-made and refreshing, try a squirt of all of them. But do know that the meat carries itself and needs no embellishment to be relished.

The sides (all $1.75) are all the canons of the barbecue experience. Mac 'n' cheese has the right ooey-gooey factor matched by toothsome macaroni and cheese that is both molten and crisped. Coleslaw sticks to the basics: shredded green cabbage, salt, sugar and mayonnaise, a tad of vinegar.

Fans of potato salad will find Central BBQ's version gilded with egg; those of baked beans will appreciate the smoky trail that runs through their pot.

Hash is made in the house, as is rice. This textured "gravy," a gift of the rice fields and a testament to the ultimate use of pig parts, is my least favorite item on the menu.

Like scrapple, it needs to be a part of your foodway home.

Enjoy an icy Nehi, RC Cola or a Sun Drop, sweet elixirs to wash down primal foods.

Central is clean and tidy, and has just the right balance of concrete and corrugated tin.

The paint is fresh as is the barbecue. And when they are out, so are you. Now that's the way to kick butt with smoke and oak.

Restaurant review

Cuisine: Barbecue

Category: Neighborhood Favorite

Phone: 812-5560

Location: 903 Central Ave., Summerville

Food: ¤¤¤ 1/2

Service: ¤¤¤ 1/2

Atmosphere: ¤¤¤ 1/2

Price: $; cash only.

Costs: Sandwiches $3.50-$7, 1/2 chicken $8.50, 1/4 chicken white meat $6, 1/4 chicken dark meat $5.50, platters $5.50-$10, barbecue and 1/4 chicken combo with 2 sides $10, sides $1.75.

Vegetarian Options: Vegetable sides.

Bar: No bar, no alcohol.

Hours: 11 a.m. until the meat runs out; closed Sunday, Monday.

Decibel Level: The quiet of 'cue hounds chewing.

Parking: Lot on property.

Wheelchair Access: Yes.

Other: Ribs on Saturday only (come around 11:30 a.m.-noon); bulk barbecue $10, $6; family pack $25 for 1 pound of barbecue, 1/2 chicken, 2 pints sides, 1/2 gallon tea. Barbecue sauce $4.50; sides 1/2 pint $2.50, pint $4.50, gallon $7; 1/2 chicken $5.50, whole chicken $10. Take-out and catering.