How Maurice’s Piggie Park Ships Authentic South Carolina BBQ Across the Country

Plenty of people grew up on Midlands barbecue and now live somewhere that has never heard of mustard sauce. Others taste it once on a trip through South Carolina and spend the next year trying to find it at home. Either way, the fix is the same: have it shipped.

Below is exactly how orders are packed and shipped, what to do after the box arrives, how to thaw and warm everything so it tastes as it did when the meat came out of the Maurice’s Piggie Park smokehouse, and how to send it as a gift without stressing about timing.

How Orders Are Packed and Shipped

Every food order goes out fully cooked, vacuum sealed, and frozen, packed with quality gel packs inside a Styrofoam cooler. The box is built to hold cold through transit, not to arrive rock solid. Partial thawing is normal and fine. What matters is that the contents are cool to the touch when you open it.

Frozen barbecue meats ship by UPS. Ground service is used where the destination falls inside the one- or two-day zone, and 2nd Day Air is used beyond that range. Because 2nd Day Air doesn’t move on weekends, those packages ship Monday through Wednesday. Sauce and non-perishable items, such as shirts, have more flexibility and can go USPS Ground delivery.

Checkout only shows the shipping methods that are valid for your address and package type. If standard service doesn’t appear as an option, it’s because a perishable package would not reach you within a safe window, so an express option is required. There are a few limits to know up front: no P.O. boxes and no meat or frozen food outside the contiguous United States.

You’ll get a tracking number by email once the package ships. Delivery windows are up to the carrier; UPS generally delivers between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Around July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, both the pits and the carriers are busy, so plan to order with extra lead time, and keep the food in your freezer or refrigerator in advance.

What to Do When the Box Arrives

This is the part that’s entirely on you, and it takes two minutes.

• Open the box the day it arrives. Do not leave it in a garage or on a porch overnight. If you know the delivery date from your tracking, keep an eye out for it, especially in hot weather.
• Check the feel, not the state. Partially thawed is expected. Cool to the touch is the standard.
• Sort it immediately. Anything you’ll eat within three days goes in the refrigerator. Everything else goes straight into the freezer.
• Keep the insert. Every food package includes an insert with heating directions for what you ordered. Reheating times differ by item, so use that sheet rather than guessing.

Packages left outside for long stretches, or opened days later, are the one scenario that can’t be salvaged. Plan to be around on delivery day or have someone check the door.

How to Thaw and Reheat

Barbecue is forgiving on the pit and unforgiving in a microwave. The goal is to warm the meat through while keeping moisture in.

Thaw in the refrigerator.

Most items need about 12 hours, so plan on overnight. Large items, such as a turkey or ham, deserve a full day. Never thaw barbecue on the counter.

Reheat low and slow.

Gentle heat protects texture. Follow the heating directions on the insert included with your package for the specific item you’re warming.

Keep moisture in the meat.

Warm pulled pork in a covered dish to hold steam in and keep it from drying out. Adding a little Southern Gold® during warming helps, and adding more at the table is never a bad idea.

Add sauce lightly while heating.

Sauce over direct high heat can tighten and scorch. Warm the meat first, then finish it with sauce.

Warm hash gently.

Carolina hash is made from lean pork and barbecue ham with potatoes, onions, bell peppers, golden mustard, and brown sugar. Use low, steady heat and stir as it warms. Cook white rice fresh while the hash heats for the full Midlands experience.

A sealed bottle of Southern Gold® has a three-year shelf life in a cool, dark pantry. Once opened, refrigerate it and use it within one year.

Sending Barbecue as a Gift

Shipped barbecue makes a strong gift, especially for someone from the Midlands living out of state.

Tell the recipient it’s coming. Once you receive the tracking number, share the expected delivery date so they know to check the door for a perishable box. That one message prevents most gift-shipping problems.

Use the checkout fields for a short gift message or special instructions. If you want an order held for a later ship or delivery date, review the shipping disclaimer first to make sure the requested timing works with an available shipping option.

If you would rather not select each item yourself, the Taste of Carolina gift package bundles barbeque, hash, ribs, and Southern Gold® sauce in one box.

Ready to get South Carolina barbecue to your door or someone else’s? Order from our shop, or contact us for help choosing the right option.