USC Union Laurens Location Fires Up New Grills for Smoke & Sizzle 101 Barbecue Course
July 22, 2026
New grills have arrived at the University of South Carolina Union’s Laurens Location ahead of Smoke & Sizzle 101, a four-part barbecue course that begins July 30.
The equipment came courtesy of Robertson’s Ace Hardware in Clinton, which outfitted the class with a Big Green Egg kamado cooker, a recteq pellet grill and a Weber grill. Campus officials said the cookers represent some of the best equipment in the industry and will give participants a chance to learn on professional-grade gear while mastering the fundamentals of live-fire cooking.
Chef Rob will lead the series, which is built around science, flavor and execution rather than guesswork.
The first class, Foundations of Live Fire Cooking, covers heat transfer, fuel systems, fire management and temperature control, an introduction to seasoning and food safety basics. The second class, set for Aug. 6, moves into low and slow barbecue science, including connective tissue breakdown, smoke chemistry, moisture retention, bark formation and cut selection.
The third class, Aug. 13, focuses on production cooking and game day execution, with instruction on cooking for 10 to 30 guests, timing and workflow, holding and resting proteins, and portioning and cost awareness. The series wraps Aug. 20 with flavor systems and sauces, covering regional barbecue styles from the Carolinas, Texas, Kansas City and Memphis, along with sauce construction, injections, brines, finishing salts and presentation.
All four classes meet from 6 to 8 p.m. at the USC Union Laurens Center, 600 Peachtree St., Clinton. Individual classes are $40. Total pricing ranges from $40 to $130 depending on the options selected at registration.
The course is part of a broader push at the Laurens Location to build community programming around food. The campus recently renovated a teaching kitchen and will offer HTMT 270: Intro to Food Production this fall, a hands-on cooking course open to the public as well as to students pursuing a hospitality degree.
Seats remain available, though campus officials have said the first class is filling. Registration is handled online through the university’s marketplace.
