The Southern Male Democrat

Please forgive my lack of postings the last couple of weeks. I entered a period at work where I was absolutely snowed under and when I got through writing each day, the last thing I wanted to do was spend more time writing. But, these times eventually do pass and the Southern Male Democrat is back to bloggin’!

Though I’ve been busy, my work did take me down to New Bern, NC last week. Typically, when I go to the coast for fun, I prefer the Brunswick County region. There is something about that drive along the Intercoastal Waterway from Sunset Beach to Calabash that soothes my soul.  Having not spent much time in the New Bern/Morehead City region, I was pleasantly surprised and can’t wait to go back. New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola, which is after all, the one true cola. That stuff in the red can is just an imposter.  

The highlight of my trip was that I found barbecue heaven in a little town called Ayden, NC. Readers who aren’t from these parts should know that here in North Cackalacky, the word “barbecue” is a noun. It is NOT a verb. If we are cooking hot dogs or hamburgers on the grill, we are in fact “grilling” them. We don’t host “barbecues”, we host “cookouts.”

As a proud North Carolinian, I consider myself a barbecue conneseuir. I have eaten in most of the better barbecue establishments across the state. Wilber’s in Goldsboro? Been there. Stamey’s in Lexington? Done that. Parker’s, King’s, Bridge’s, Bullock’s Cooper’s, Holden? I’ve got the XXL t-shirts. (Asute readers who know their ‘cue will see both eastern and western establishments on this list.) And I can even do my own whole pig when the mood strikes me. Like any good southern boy worth his salt, I have my own pig cooker on wheels. Here’s a picture from when I pulled it out to a State football game -

For years, I had read of the glories of Pete Jones’ Skylight Inn, in Ayden, NC. Though Pete passed away a couple of years ago, the restaurant has billed itself as the “Barbecue Capital of the World” for quite some time and still continues the tradition that Pete established more than 50 years ago.  While the Skylight’s reputation was known far and wide, I never had the opportunity to get down to Ayden and sample their ‘cue.

While planning my route for the New Bern trip, I noticed the little map dot that said Ayden, sitting just south of Greenville. (Note to new residents of NC who just moved here from parts North. We pronounce this town as Green-VUHL, and not Green-VILLE. Say it right if you want to fit in. ) Ayden sits on Hwy. 11 and was only a hop, skip and a jump from my route going home. I finally had the chance to get to this legendary establishment.

What I found was nothing short of heaven. I think I’ve done a good job of establishing my barbecue bona-fides in this column. So let me say this - “Pete Jones’ Skylight Inn makes the BEST barbecue I’ve ever had, and the rest aren’t even close.” Yes, it was THAT good.

First, they only serve barbecue. There’s no fried chicken, no combo plates, no seafood, no vegetables or baked potatoes. There’s not even hushpuppies. You can either order a sandwich, or  varying sizes of just the meat. The only side is an order of slaw and homemade cornbread.  That’s it.  It was so good that I had to take a picture with my cell phone. See -

The secret is that they cut up the little skin cracklins and chop it up with the meat. So that adds even more juicy, flavorful fat.

This definitely ain’t health food! And then there’s the matter of the sauce. While the Skylight does have a secret sauce that is brushed on while the pig cooks over wood, that’s the only sauce they use. There are bottles of typical eastern-NC vinegar based sauce at the tables for those who must have it, but this stuff is so good it doesn’t even need it.

I was also blown away by the cornbread. The Skylight uses a local recipe handed down from the 1830’s. Cornmeal, water and salt are combined with the pork drippings and poured into a large flat pan to bake. The result is a cornbread  that is soft on the inside, but crunchy on the outside.

After I stuffed myself with a second helping, it was time to hit the road. But now that I know where heaven is, I cannot wait to go back. I may even take a trip just to go to the Skylight. It’s THAT good.

Stay tuned for more political, sports and definitely more food commentary from the SMD this week. It’s good to be back!