Skylight Inn - Historical North Carolina BBQ

[clkq4]

My Great Uncle raised hogs. As a young boy I would call and "slop" the hogs. As a slightly older boy, I gathered with the men folk several times a year for the seasonal rituals. I observed all things pigs, from the castrations to the slaughter. My uncle had a smokehouse with a scald tub on the side. Dug into the side of a hill was the cooking pit. He even had a cast iron cauldron for making cracklins. The men would stay up all night cooking the hogs. They also killed lots of Pabst Blue Ribbon. The women would sit around the kitchen table and make souse. We had a huge family get together every 4th of July. It was my favorite week of the year. I played with cousins from other states, and ate some great whole hog barbecue.

A visit to Skylight Inn brought a flood of memories. This place is truly timeless. They have cooked whole hogs on this site since 1947. You can read all about them here. Their menu is quite plain and simple. At the Skylight Inn it is all about the BBQ. You won't find any fancy sides like mac-n-cheese or potato salad. But you will find chopped, whole hog, slow cooked traditional East Carolina BBQ. I ordered the pork with baked beans and sweet tea. Chris ( Chris C) had the pork with slaw. Every meal is served with their traditional corn cake, a dense corn bread cooked in pork drippings. It goes well with the pork. Their chopped pork consists of meat and crispy bits of skin. It gets seasoned with Texas Pete, salt, pepper and vinegar as it is chopped. This sounds so simple, yet tastes so good and complex. The crispy bits of skin really give it a one of a kind flavor. After our lunch, we stood and talked to Mr. Bruce Jones for a bit. He is quite the character. His son Sam is the now public face of the Skylight Inn. He was on a tractor working their horse riding field adjacent to the restaurant. One of their employees asked if we wanted to see the pit. You can guess what we said. Even as I type, I still smell of cooking pork and oak wood smoke. I may never wash this shirt.

We made the 5 hour (round trip) pilgrimage from the Virginia peninsula to Ayden, North Carolina. Some of you live close to our "neck of the woods". If you do, I highly recommend you make this trip. Most things in our hustle and bustle world change, almost daily it seems. The Skylight Inn does not change. This place is truly timeless. Hop in your car (or truck) and head there ASAP!

[W.A.]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.

[DWCowles]

Fantastic!

[RonB]

I'd love to get down there. Some retired buddies and I go to lunch once a month. Someone different gets to pick, (and pay), each month. The only requirement about where we go is that the place has to serve beer. We have been going farther and farther from our location, and I'd pick this place - if they served beer.

[Mr. Bones]

Super-Cool road trip, thanks many times fer sharin'!!!

[Danjohnston949]

clkq4, I truly enjoyed Your description of "Butchering Day" when You were Young! It was very similar on the farm where I was raised in Norh Central North Dakota! When Eunice and I were first married, My Mom used to tell Her, "Well the Holiday❓ is coming "Time for Sonny(Dad) to Kill Something"!
Because of shortage of Freezer Space much of the Meat was Canned! The Hogs were Scalded and Scraped and the Skin left on, Hams, Bacon Slabs, and Shoulders were Packed in Curing Salt in Red Wing Crocks❓ Things were Different +55-65 Yrs Ago! I believe the Scrapers are Still in the Old Barn at the Farm❓ 👍👍Thanks for the Memories!👍👍
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan