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In 1979 The Skylight Inn BBQ restaurant in Ayden, NC was named the BBQ capital of the world by National Geographic. So to make it somewhat official, founder and owner Pete Jones had somewhat of a replica of the US Capitol dome built to sit atop his nondescript brick building. Known for it basic menu of eastern style whole hog chopped BBQ, the Skylight Inn has been serving up award winning BBQ to locals, travelers, American Presidents and international guests since 1947 in the sleepy town of Ayden, NC (which is also known as the collards capital of the world). A short 20 min drive south of Greenville, Ayden and the Skylight Inn are off the beaten path for most people, but that doesn’t stop BBQ aficionados, questers and fans from going out of their way to give the pork a try, myself included. In 2003 The James Beard Foundation awarded the Skylight the 2003 American Classics Restaurant award, so this place has been recognized by a lot more than BBQ schlubs like myself.

I made plans to head to the Skylight on the way back from a business trip in Norfolk, VA. The drive was mostly on two lane back country roads with plenty of cotton and soybean fields surrounding old rotting and beat down barns, sheds and houses. It kind of set the stage. Unlike Wilber’s in Goldsboro, the Skylight Inn isn’t on any major through-way that gets a ton of traffic. It sits in a gravel parking lot on the side of  South Lee St. outside of the main part of Ayden (which isn’t saying much). You can see the “Capitol” dome with the ever present Old Glory as you come up on it. The sign, a recent addition, says “If it’s not cooked with wood, it’s not BBQ”. Damn straight. As soon as you step in you can hear the rhythmic pounding of BBQ being chopped by some dual cleaver wielding employee. The smell of smoke is prevalent (as it damn well should be) and the starkness of the plain walls tells you this place means BBQ business. There’s no table service. You step up to the counter and place your order then take it to one of the many school cafeteria type tables throughout the three or four large plain rooms. Right behind the counter is an open window into the kitchen and that’s where the man wielding the cleavers is going to town on large hunks of smoked pork, chopping away like a drummer on a snare drum. Bring cash because they don’t accept cards, which fits the place.  And like a few other old school BBQ joints I’ve been in recently there is a sign asking you to get off your cell phone when at the counter. And really, if you need a sign to tell you that you’ve got bigger problems.

The menu is small and BBQ focused. They offer chopped pork, chicken, cornbread and a that’s about it. Until recently they only offered bottled drinks but now have a soda machine and iced tea. You can get a sandwich or a small, medium or large “tray”. Tray here means one of those red and white paper trays that I always associate with fries or hush-puppies. You get one filled with chopped pork, the a slice of a super dense skillet cornbread stacked on top of that then another tray full of slaw on top of that with a sheet of wax paper as your table cover. The pork is classic eastern whole hog style with bits of fat and cracklin’ and the occasional piece of gristle mixed in with the medium chopped meat. The smoke is well represented and there’s just a hint of “sauce”. The sauce, so I understand it, is just a mix of vinegar and Texas Pete administered as the meat is chopped. It works. I’m not one to over-sauce anyway but I felt no need to add anything to Skylight’s que. The slaw is a light mayo based fine chopped sweet slaw and it accompanies the pork well. The third part of the “tray’ trinity is a large square of a dense skillet cornbread rumored to be from a 180 year old recipe. A little salty and crisp with a dense center. A bite of the cornbread, que and slaw is pretty damn perfect. Is this the best BBQ in the world? Who knows. There are so many good BBQ places (and bad ones) out there and I hate giving titles to one over another. Is this damn good Eastern Style BBQ. You better believe it. Ayden is not in my normal traveling pattern but I’m sure I’ll make it back.

On my way back from a long week of working in Norfolk, VA I made a detour to go by what is widely considered the premier example of Eastern North Carolina style whole hog BBQ, Wilber’s BBQ. Located on Hwy 70 in Goldsboro, NC Wilber’s just celebrated 50 years of serving BBQ to the masses. The building, and frankly many of the employees, look like I imagine it looked back in the 60′s. The clientele is exactly what you want in a BBQ joint: black, white, brown, rich, poor, young and old.

I ordered my standard first time BBQ visit order, a pulled pork sandwich with slaw hush-puppies and this time fries (which was a mistake). The pork lived up to its reputation, slightly smokey, juicy, tender and dressed with a classic eastern vinegar and pepper sauce, “It’s Spicy Good!. It really might be the best eastern NC BBQ I’ve had. It is no wonder that Wilber’s is often the first place mentioned when someone asks about people’s favorite NC BBQ stops.

The slaw was pretty standard fare and the hush puppies were sweet and light. The fries were completely inedible, but who cares. I don’t go to a BBQ joint for its fries.
If you’re in east NC and have time, or even don’t, head to Goldsboro and stop in Wilber’s for the definitive example of the style. But do it soon, from what I understand when namesake, owner and pitmaster Wilber Shirley passes on his restaurant will have to convert from wood to gas to come into compliance with Goldsboro’s air quality standards (Wilber’s was grandfathered in when the law was passed).

Sierra Nevada will open an east coast brewery in Mills River, NC outside Asheville early 2014 complete with restaurant. Should bring about 100 full-time jobs and 80 part-time to the area.

Sweet.

Looking more and more likely. 

Henderson County could be on the verge of a major economic coup.

Officials with California craft-beer maker Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. are expected to announce this week they have chosen Western North Carolina for the company’s much-publicized East Coast expansion, sources with knowledge of the negotiations have told the Times-News. The sources asked not to be named because of the confidential nature of economic development projects.

Chico, Calif.-based Sierra Nevada — the nation’s second-largest craft-beer producer, which distributes to all 50 states — is expected to build its new facility at Ferncliff Industrial Park in Mills River.

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Company officials have said they want 50 acres to build the facility, which likely will include a restaurant, tasting room and music venue in addition to the brewing and bottling operations.

Should this pan out it is not only good news for the area economically, it’s great news for South East craft beer fans.

While out on the road this past week I tried to hit three different BBQ resteraunts flailing miserably at each attmept.

Sweatman’s BBQ in Holly Hill, SC – Closed for vacation Supposed to a must visit stop for any BBQ enthusiast

McCabe’s Bar-B-Q – As per a recomendation from a friend and from a recent article in the Charleston City Paper

Allen and Son’s – Chapel Hill, NC – hit it between lunch and dinner. I’ve been here many times. My Grandfather’s favorite BBQ joint and well worth a visit.

Finally after some quick searching on the internet by my wife with her handy cellular wireless card we ended up at some place called Jed’s BBQ in Greensboro, NC. While not the worse BBQ I’ve ever had it was by far the most boring. We each got a sandwhich and a side of slaw (one coleslaw and one BBQ slaw), one side of fries and one of hush puppies.

Even though I swear I saw a smoker in the kitchen the pork had zero dicernable smoke flavor. The pork was cooked pretty well but was just boring. The cole slaw was basic and nothing to write home about and the BBQ slaw was reflective of their sauce, salty and not very flavorful.

The fries were your typical krinkle cut frozen numbers. The hush puppies may be the only thing that was ok. While they lacked the sweetness that most really good pups have they were still enjoyable.

Needless to say I was disapointed. If I had just been patient enough to take a detour to Lexington all in the world would have been right (well at least the BBQ would have been).