A Journey to the Capital
Our destination was the Skylight Inn in Ayden, North Carolina, the self-proclaimed “barbecue capital of the world.” While almost all barbecue joints claim to have the best product anywhere, the high opinion that the owners of the Skylight hold for their pork is shared by many, not the least of whom is the author Michael Pollen who, in his latest New York Times #1 best-seller Cooked, had very high praise.
Before making the trip, I did a little online research, reading every review Google could turn up for me. I’ve learned from long experience that customer reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. When it comes to barbecue reviews, I’d recommend not only a liberal dose of salt but a healthy shot of Texas Pete as well. A lot of the reviewers are clearly from another planet but if you read enough of them, you’ll often see a fairly reliable pattern begin to emerge. I must have read forty-five reviews before lunching at the Skylight and I’d have to say that my overall impression is pretty closely in line with the general consensus.
First of all, the pork itself was, without a doubt, the most delicious I’ve ever tasted (only possibly matched by a few private pig-pickings I’ve been fortunate enough to attend). Most of the reviewers agree on that. Opinion seems to be widely divided on the cornbread however, one reviewer comparing it with a hockey puck. While I think that’s a little unfair, I have to admit that I was unable to finish mine. The main reason was that the barbecue was so spectacular that I didn’t want anything to interrupt my enjoyment of it.
Gary and I arrived at about 11:30 a.m. safely ahead of the noon rush. The building was a simple brick structure somewhat nondescript were it not for the large silver dome on the roof – quintessential North Carolina kitsch reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol in D.C. There being no one in line, we walked straight up to the counter and placed our order, each ordering the “large barbecue tray” with sweet tea.
The young man who took my order placed a square of wax paper on the counter then turned around to the chopping block behind him where another lad with two large cleavers was skillfully chopping the pork while carefully mixing in chopped cracklins (crispy roasted pig skin). He scooped about a half pound of the meat into a paper dish, plopped the dish onto the wax paper, placed a 4”x4” square of the hock – I mean, corn bread on top of the dish of meat and then added another paper dish of coleslaw on top. When he placed my Styrofoam tea cup beside it, I was good to go. After helping ourselves to ice and tea, we took a seat at a table in the first of the restaurant’s two dining rooms. By the time we were halfway done with our meal, a line had formed from the counter, right down the middle of the room and out the front door.
And I just have to say that, even if I and some other picky whiners were not ecstatic over the cornbread, I admire the Skylight for serving it. After all, the recipe dates back to the 1830s. How often do we get to enjoy a taste of living history? Shut up and eat your corn pone!
I felt a real kinship with these folks. For years people have offered me suggestions for improving my charter sailing business to make more money. But sometimes I’d just rather do things my way than to make more money. And fortunately, there are right many customers around who agree. From the look of the lines, the Skylight has no reason to change the way they do things either.
The main problem with most good barbecue joints is that they tend to be off the beaten path. Our trip to Ayden began with a rough and rainy ferry ride to Swan Quarter and the rain continued throughout most of the morning. From Little Washington, we took U.S. 17 south to N.C. 102 which turned out to be a rather scenic drive past some interesting old farms and homes. In Ayden, a charming little town that made me think of Mark Twain, the route took us right through the downtown where we noticed another “wood cooked barbecue” place we’d never heard of – Bum’s.
How unfortunate, we thought, to have a barbecue restaurant right in the same town with the “barbecue capital of the world.” Bummer! But this place sort of looked as though it had been around, like the Skylight, for several generations. And even well before the lunch hour rush, they appeared to have right many customers.
By the time we left the capital, we were pretty well satisfied – except the historic cornbread had somehow fallen short of the corn sticks I usually like to have when I’m enjoying barbecue. So on the way back I pulled up in front of Bum’s to see what they had to offer.
Once again, I wasn’t disappointed. Not only did they have corn sticks (of which we bought a good supply) but they also had a variety of traditional southern sides including delicious-looking collard greens. Have mercy! We were both “hard aground,” but we each bought a pint of their wood-cooked barbecue to go. No need to feel sorry for Bum’s. They had a long line at the counter just like the Skylight and I’m sure much of their success is due to their large selection of side dishes plus they’re open for breakfast.
If you like barbecue half as much as I do, you might consider renouncing all your bad habits and living a pure and virtuous life. That way, when you die you might have a shot at spending eternity in Ayden.
