Mike & Jeff’s
GETTING BBQ JUST RIGHT ON THE WEST SIDE
This quarter, we had the pleasure of sitting down to talk barbecue with Jeff, one-half of the famous Greenville institution: Mike and Jeff’s BBQ.
Jeff is approaching 30 years of serving incredible food on the West Side of Greenville in Sans Souci. His days typically start around 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning and run until 6:00 at night. And that’s one of the things he loves most about his job. “You get to spend some time by yourself, focused, with no distractions.”
Jeff is, in fact, laser-focused on good barbecue. He loves the craft. When we asked him why, when given the opportunity to start a restaurant, he chose barbecue, he said it came down to the technical aspects of the genre. “It’s because barbecue has to be done with skill. You have to take your time, you have to know what you’re doing to get it just right.” Jeff is known for getting it right.
At Mike and Jeff’s, every day is treated like opening day. The meat is never cut ahead of time. It smokes for no less than 16 hours over an open wood fire—no gas, electricity, or charcoal—and the green beans take all night to make, every night.
Another thing that makes this place stand out is the portion sizes. They don’t use measurements or limits beyond whatever the plate itself can hold. Jeff says that’s why so many barbecue joints don’t make it—they offer sizes like small, medium, or large. At Mike and Jeff’s, they load up the plate for every customer, every order. Jeff’s philosophy? “Make everyone a plate the same way you would make it if they were coming to the house.”
He then went on to talk about the Golden Rule—treating others the way you want to be treated. And, as he pointed out, everyone wants to be treated to ribs, chicken, pulled pork, potato soufflé, mac and cheese, and all the tea you can drink.
One thing about barbecue is that it brings people together—all kinds of people. You can tell a good barbecue place by its customers. If you walk in and see businessmen in suits and ties in one booth, construction workers in another, and a family sitting around a table behind them—that’s what barbecue is all about. And that’s exactly the kind of crowd you’ll find at Mike and Jeff’s. Lawyers coming in from downtown are treated the same way as people walking in off the streets of the Sans Souci neighborhood.
All of this makes Mike and Jeff’s an integral part of Greenville’s culinary scene—literally. While we were sitting down with Jeff for this interview, a big van pulled up. It was one of John Nolan’s Greenville Culinary Tours. A handful of people emerged from Nolan’s van to check out Jeff’s process and sample what many consider some of the best pulled pork in Greenville.
It’s so good that wedding season is one of their busiest times. Every year, dozens of couples ask Mike and Jeff’s to cater their most special day.
Jeff’s life goal was to run a restaurant that would provide for him and his family. He has definitely met that goal. And we suspect he’ll continue to meet it for many years to come.
Mike and Jeff’s is located at 2401 Old Buncombe Road and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next time you’re in Sans Souci, stop in for a bite and meet Jeff. He’s always around.
At some point, make sure to try the “BBQ Dog,” a unique offering that combines a hot dog with pulled pork, chopped red onions, and South Carolina's mustard-based BBQ sauce. Enjoy!
