Lowcountry boil is ‘king’ in Beaufort. Meet the cook tasked with preparing it for 2,500

Each summer in Beaufort, Craig Reaves becomes a ring leader, captaining a team of dedicated volunteers who agree to work in searing conditions — even for South Carolina.

Surrounded by 10 100-pound propane cylinders with enough firepower to fuel 20 cookers, his mission is making enough “Lowcountry boil” in 90 minutes to feed a community.

“It’s like you are in the center of the ring of fire,” Reaves said. “Like it’s not hot enough at 4 o’clock on the 21st of July. You are going to stand in between 20 cookers.”

It’s called the Lowcountry Supper, and Lowcountry boil, a popular coastal seafood dish, is the main menu item, prepared on a massive scale during the 7th day of the 10-day Beaufort Water Festival. The festival celebrates the city’s coastal life including the food that flourishes in local waters such as shrimp, a key ingredient in the boil.

Reaves, a Beaufort-based fisherman and businessman who catches seafood that he sells at retail and prepares as a caterer, is the head cook. A bit of an adrenaline junkie, Reaves looks forward to working in the ring of fire where he commands a core team of 10, with hundreds more helping to prepare and serve the food.

“You don’t get to cook for 2,500 people all the time,” Reaves told The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette on Tuesday.

Coastal cooking, from Louisiana to North Carolina, has some version of a boil, Reaves says. Cajuns may use crawfish instead of shrimp. Other places may add blue crab.

Reaves, a North Carolina native, grew up eating clam boil.

In the Lowcountry, sausage, corn-on-the-cob, potatoes and shrimp are the ingredients, but there’s debate over the name. Some call it Lowcountry boil or Beaufort Stew and others Frogmore Stew — so named after a community on St. Helena Island.

Whatever the Southern comfort food is called, there’s no argument over the popularity. Reaves has been asked to prepare enough food for 2,500 people.

“You can’t go wrong with some sweet corn and red potatoes, some local sausage, the Carolina-fried sausage we use, and Hunting Island shrimp,” Reaves said. “Come on.”

Volunteers will begin the preparations Thursday morning, when two teams of seven or eight will squeeze into a 24-foot-long refrigerated truck to cut up 1,000 pounds of sausage.

At 4 p.m., two hours before the gates open, cooking begins with the sausage, which flavors the pots. Then the cooked sausage is placed in insulated coolers. “It’s basically a hot box,” said Reaves, noting the coolers keep in the steam.

Next, 2,500 ears of corn are cooked and placed in coolers. Beginning at 5 p.m., potatoes are boiled for 25 minutes.

The shrimp — 1,200 pounds — comes last, at 5:50 p.m., with throngs of hungry guests lining up ready to eat. The cooks churn out 250 pounds every 5 minutes.

Reaves and his wife, Jana, own Sea Eagle Market at Village Creek, a family-owned and operated retail and wholesale market and catering company that catches and prepares seafood like shrimp, oysters and fish.

So he not only cooks the boil, he catches the shrimp, too.

“These will be caught right off of Hunting Island and Fripp (island),” Reaves said of the Lowcountry Supper shrimp. “I think his best drag was off of Hunting island, the south end of Hunting, so they are very local.”

Rounding out the feast is slaw, tea, lemonade and 80 watermelons from Barefoot Farms on St. Helena Island.

Reaves has been the head cook for the Lowcountry Supper for the past 6 years. He was called to active duty by a past festival commodore, a friend, after a kitchen malfunction at Parris Island, where the food had been prepared. Ever since, Lowcountry boil has been fixed on site at Waterfront Park.

On Tuesday, Reaves had just returned from “crabbin’” on Battery Creek. He paused to remove a rubber boot and dumped some water out. He noted how hot it was, then headed inside Sea Eagle Market to sit down, sipping a Coke as he discussed the details of the commercial-scale cooking effort and the shrimping business.

With the inflation driving up the cost of diesel fuel to $5.40 to $5.70 a gallon compared to $2.40 to $2.70 last year, Reaves said, it’s difficult to turn a profit and requires his shrimp boat crews to “catch ‘em fast” and in large volumes.

“Right now,” Reaves said, “you have to get ‘em quick or your expenses will eat you up.”

In his catering business, customers occasionally request pulled pork and barbecue — maybe some shrimp and grits. Oysters are popular in the winter. But Lowcountry boil is No. 1. It is a simple dish, Reaves said, but also diverse and delicious.

“I would say the Lowcountry boil, or the Frogmore Stew,” Reaves said, “is king around here.”

Final Water Festival weekend

Thursday: Lowcountry Supper, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Headline entertainment: Nashville recording artist Mike Ponder & Steel Rail Express, opening act Katie Godowns, featuring Chris Jones. Cost: $15.

Friday: Bed Race, 4:30 p.m., corner of Bay and Harrington; Rockin’ the River featuring Hardwired, a Metallica tribute band, with opening act Killin’ Quaid. $15. Gates open at 7 p.m. Free shuttle service from Beaufort County Government Center.

Saturday: Grand Parade, downtown Beaufort, 10 a.m. to noon.; air show, Waterfront Park, 1 to 4 p.m. free; Commodore’s Ball, 8 p.m. $10.

Sunday: Blessing of the Fleet and Parade of Boats, Noon to 2 p.m. Free.

The full schedule of events and tickets are available at bftwaterfestival.com.