After defeating South Carolina in a barbecue contest held in Washington DC back in the 1980s, Skylight Inn declared that tiny Ayden NC was the Barbecue Capital of the World.
Lexington NC also claims that title–it seems our nation has a lot of barbecue capitals. If Skylight Inn called itself the nation’s whole hog barbecue capital, I don’t know who would argue. It was by far the best whole hog barbecue I ever tasted.
The combination of crispy skin, juicy middlings and dark ham meat on hot unleavened cornbread was an amazing breakfast.
I recently did a run from Virginia to North Carolina (west side) to South Carolina. BBQ wasn’t the main objective, but we make a few stops along the way.