Skylight Inn - Ayden, NC

The Skylight Inn in Ayden, part of the NC BBQ Trails, was already one of the highlights of the BBQ tour for me in advance. The shop is considered the pioneer of Whole Hog BBQ in eastern NC. Since it's closed on Sundays, we planned our trip so that we wouldn't arrive on a Sunday. Today was Monday, so the organization worked well. Closing time was 7 pm. We arrived on time around 4 pm.

From a distance, you could already see the small replica of the Capitol from Washington on the roof of the restaurant. Proud as a peacock to finally be here, Steffi and I entered the shop. The menu was quite simple: pork and poultry. The food is served in trays. We both ordered a large portion of pork, coleslaw, and cornbread for $9 each. I had withdrawn cash beforehand because I had read that they only accept cash there. The employee grinned and said that after over 70 years, they now also accept cards. With our order, we also received a free portion of baked beans. The pork (Whole Hog) is chopped up here by an employee (Chopper). It is particularly important to make sure that the meat is not chopped too finely and still retains enough texture. The crispy pork skin is also chopped up and served with the meat for free. In the end, the whole meat mountain is seasoned a bit and drenched in apple cider vinegar. We had already had the experience of vinegar-based food in Charleston, so the taste was not completely unfamiliar. However, you have to get used to it at the beginning.

The meat at the Skylight Inn was wonderfully seasoned, and the crispy skin was simply fantastic. So far, one of my best pork experiences in the USA. Steffi was also very impressed with the meat and the skin, which rounded everything off so beautifully. The beans were amazing. Absolutely delicious! We were glad that we received them for free. The cole slaw, on the other hand, took some getting used to. The sauce was made from a mayo-vinegar base. The cabbage itself was completely finely chopped. But in combination with the chopped pork, it actually worked quite well. There was also a spicy vinegar sauce that you could take, which went well with the meat. We had finished everything except for the last bite when I wanted to order another portion of meat. I could already see the large pile of pork, when me and the other visitors waiting in line were told that this was an order for a caterer. There was no more pork today. The shop was empty in no time. As consolation, we each ordered a portion of chocolate cake, which was wonderfully moist and ended our visit to the Skylight Inn on a high note.

My conclusion: If we had been 30 minutes later in Ayden, I wouldn't have gotten any meat, so lucky us. This shop is an institution for eastern NC Style BBQ and anyone near the Skylight Inn should definitely make a detour there, it's totally worth it! Out of the 30+ BBQ shops we have visited across the country, this one is right up there at the top!