Buc-ee’s finally arrives in South Carolina on May 16, and with a grand celebration planned, it’s sure to be packed the first day — even the first week — that it’s open.
So, it’s time to be strategic. You don’t want to be battling through crowds, lost and wandering around aimlessly. You need a plan. What are the most important, unique — and weird — foods to buy on your first trip?
We’ve got you covered.
We visited a Buc-ee’s in Royce City, Texas, to see what all is available. We found some delectable food, some intriguing (deeply strange) items in jars and plenty of merchandise to ensure you can show off to all of your friends on social media that yes, you went to Buc-ee’s.
Pickled quail eggs
We’re starting off with the weird — or, maybe this is something normal for you; to each their own. There is an entire section, multiple stands, devoted exclusively to everything you could ever think to pickle, and everything you didn’t think could be pickled.
A few of the many pickled foods: Asparagus, Brussels sprouts, beets, habanero garlic, okra and blue cheese stuffed olives
Though, pickled quail eggs stood out the most for us. No, we didn’t try them. If you do, please let us know what they taste like.
Burnt peanuts
You’ve heard of boiled peanuts, yes? Well, Buc-ee’s took it a step further and “burnt” them. Not entirely sure if said peanuts are actually, well, burned, but they are scarlet red, candy-coated and buried within the gas station’s sweet treats aisle.
Next to them, on said “candy” aisle, you will find Boston Baked Beans (another … peanut variety), salt water taffy, candy blox (looks like edible legos), cherry sours and everyone’s controversial favorite — candy corn!
Hot sauce
You can’t be a place that claims to sell renowned Texas BBQ without selling some good hot sauce. Here are a few of the varieties offered, but beware, some of them might be a lot spicier than you are used to.
- Buc-ee’s Sweet & Spicy Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce
- Buc-ee’s Peach Habanero Hot Sauce (just in time for peach season)
- Yellowbird Habanero Condiment
- Melinda’s Habanero Wing Sauce
- Seed Ranch’s Truffle Hound Gourmet Truffle Hot Sauce
Our reporter’s personal favorite is the Yellowbird Habanero Condiment, which comes in several other flavors, including ghost pepper and serrano, depending on how intense you like your wings, sandwiches or whatever you throw hot sauce on.
Honey butter
Bought a biscuit at Bojangles on the road but want to upgrade the experience? You can try Buc-ee’s cinnamon honey butter, pecan honey butter or salted caramel honey butter.
Texans love the iconic honey butter chicken biscuit from Whataburger, a staple Texas fast food chain. If you want taste Texas without ever leaving South Carolina, honey butter is the way to go.
Breakfast tacos
The heart of Texas, the state’s capital, Austin, is known for one dish more than anything else — breakfast tacos. Some of them are small; some are huge. Buc-ee’s offers several to fit the fancy lighter eaters or anyone looking to gorge themselves.
We tried the hippo taco — it’s as big as the name suggests — which includes bacon, beans, eggs, cheese, potatoes and green salsa. But Buc-ee’s also has simpler options, like bacon and egg or bean and cheese.
Fudge
Our reporter’s favorite dish to grab every time he goes to Buc-ee’s is the fudge. He always grabs cookies and cream, but there are a host of other flavor options, from mochaccino to birthday cake to dark chocolate caramel sea salt to “tiger butter.”
We can’t tell you what the last one tastes like, but please try it, try everything. It’s all tasty.
Jerky
One flavor of jerky isn’t simply enough, so Buc-ee’s sells a half a dozen.
You can buy it in a bag of 5-10 ounces or you can buy it by the pound, depending on ,how long your drive is — or how much you want to take home.
We tried the teriyaki and lemon pepper flavors. Both were delicious, though the latter was spicier than most lemon pepper wings you’ll find on game day. To those of you with more delicate palates, proceed with caution.
There’s so much more to try — and buy — at Buc-ee’s when it opens in Florence. And that’s just the first location to come to South Carolina; the Upstate will be getting its own in a few years.
This story was originally published May 11, 2022 5:00 AM.
Chase Karacostas writes about tourism in Myrtle Beach and across South Carolina for McClatchy. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2020 with degrees in Journalism and Political Communication. He began working for McClatchy in 2020 after growing up in Texas, where he has bylines in three of the state’s largest print media outlets as well as the Texas Tribune covering state politics, the environment, housing and the LGBTQ+ community.
