Our Story

Social Q Smokehouse is the latest passion project of Chef, Clarke Merrell and the 81 Hospitality team. The mission is simple: to explore the diverse flavors and celebrate the craft of true wood-smoked barbecue.

It all starts with high quality meats, like our USDA Prime briskets, pork shoulders and house-made sausages. From there, the most important thing we use to enhance flavor is smoke - not a special seasoning blend or sauce. We pay as much attention to the quality and application of smoke as we do any other ingredient in the kitchen. Our meats are smoked over local hardwood all night long.

The name ‘Social Q’ hints at the approach we used to develop our concept and menu. We have studied and taken ‘cues’ from different regional and ethnic styles of barbecue around the world – from Texas-style brisket, to NC-style pork BBQ, to Jamaican jerk chicken and Korean BBQ ribs. ‘Barbecue,’ in all its forms, is one of the most socially diverse cuisines there is. From that eclectic foundation, we are honing a technique and flavor profile that is uniquely our own. It’s familiar, yet probably not quite like any other barbecue you’ve had.

Social Q Smokehouse has been years in the making for Merrell, and the concept got its test-drive in the spring of 2020 during the first wave of state-mandated restaurant shutdowns due to the pandemic. Merrell had been waiting for the right opportunity to introduce Social Q Smokehouse to the public. When the other 81 Hospitality restaurants had to shut down their dining rooms, and diners were suddenly searching for contactless ordering and pickup options, Merrell had the idea to do outdoor ‘pop-ups’ featuring the Social Q menu. The team quickly pivoted towards this project as a way both to meet customer demand in a safely distanced environment, and to provide additional work for staff whose hours were being affected by the shutdowns. The whole community rallied around the new concept so well that it was able to support the staff in a time of dire need. From that experience, Merrell knew that it was time to bring Social Q Smokehouse into the world.

Social Q Smokehouse is part of the 81 Hospitality family of brands, which includes Circa 81 Tapas & Cocktaileria, Dank Burrito, Beaufort Olive Oil Co., and Merrell Estate & Gardens.