JOHNS ISLAND — Blu Smoke Pit BBQ is now open on Johns Island with a nod to a James Island smokehouse legacy.

At Live Oak Square on Johns Island, a shopping center just off Maybank Highway, a new menu of smoked meats, ribs, wings, fried chicken livers, smoked burgers and oysters marks the space’s third restaurant concept in roughly as many years.

The newest concept opened Sept. 12 and its opening day menu post on social media racked up more than 150 likes in the first hour.

Owners Rick Agius and his wife Jennifer Agius hope to revive the spirit of their long-running Smoky Oak Taproom that had a 13-year run on James Island before closing in 2021. Argus also owns Zeppelin, a pizzeria at 2817 Maybank Highway.

Pitmaster Lucas Harrell, who worked at Smoky Oak Taproom for more than a decade

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