Tammy found Skylight Inn BBQ on one of the cable channels that was doing a documentary on NC BBQ. When she showed it to me they looked pretty interesting so we decided to take a ride one Saturday to check them out. We just had to find out if they were as good as they looked on television. Well read on my friend and see what you think.
Skylight Inn BBQ, Lee St. Ayden, NC
Where’s Skylight Inn BBQ Located?
Skylight Inn BBQ can be found on Lee St. in Ayden, NC. Easy right? Maybe for people near this area but others may need to find them. Let’s just say that for travelers, they are off the grid. Ayden is located on NC 11 between Highways 13 and 17. I guess if you’re heading to some of the Carolina Beaches you could make a slight detour and get to them. This one you’ll have to Google up and see if you can make it there.
Choppin’ Que.
Skylight Inn BBQ, Ayden, NC.
Just one little hint…DO IT!
The Restaurant and Staff:
Skylight Inn BBQ has two dining rooms. One smaller one in the area that you order and a larger one off to the side. They had that one closed when we went there. When we walked in the line was about 10 people deep. My first thought was to leave and try them some other day. But they were serving food up pretty fast so we waited our turn. The young man that took our order was very friendly. Knowing that this was our first time there he helped us out with our choices. Even as busy as they were, he took his time with us to be sure we were satisfied with our order. Most of the people were getting orders to go so we didn’t have a problem getting a table. While sitting there I watched one of the cooks chopping the bbq. Let me mention two things here:
- Skylight Inn BBQ cooks and uses whole hogs. You get a good mix of meat.
- They only accept cash. No debit or credit cards.
Our Choices at Skylight Inn BBQ:
Pork BBQ with Slaw, Baked Beans and Cornbread.
Well our choices were pretty simple since we’re not talking about brisket and ribs and such. They do have chicken but we didn’t try any of it.
As I said they use the whole hog. It really has a great smoke flavor and is chopped up pretty good. They also mix in some of the skin which adds little pieces of crunch to it. When you order you can choose small, medium, or large. Don’t be deceived, the small containers the meat is served in hold a lot more than they seem.
Yep, I went large. It comes with slaw and cornbread. The slaw was very good. It had a sweet taste and was chopped up pretty fine. The cornbread came in large squares. It was homemade and excellent. We watched a cook making some of it also while we were there. Just for good measure we both ordered a side of homemade baked beans. These were some of the best beans that I have ever had. I’m not sure how they do it but I think they have some really fine hamburger and bacon mixed in. The burger, if that’s what it is, reminded me of hotdog chili cooked into really fine pieces. Whatever it is that they do, the beans were awesome.
Pig Picking Cake…Awesome!
And we couldn’t leave without desert. They have chocolate cake and pineapple cake on the menu. We asked which was better and were told that was an easy choice today. They were out of both but they have Pig Picking Cake. Oh have mercy. This cake was killer, moist and delicious.
The Wood Pile.
Some serious smokin’ going on.
Final Thoughts:
Skylight Inn BBQ is a really cool stop on the BBQ Trail. No matter how far off the beaten path they are you should go there at least once to experience some old time traditional bbq. The restaurant is shaped like a capital building and the parking lot is a dirt field. Parking can get a little hairy. There are no lines and some people just pull in and park with no rhyme or reason. Also, out back where the cookers are, I could not believe how much wood there was. I’ve never seen this much wood at a single restaurant. This place was just so cool, I’d like for everyone who reads this to visit them. Just relax and take a ride. Motorcycle riders and Jeep peeps, Route 11 in North Carolina is a really nice ride.
Your Thoughts:
I think I covered my thoughts about Skylight Inn BBQ. Now let us know how you feel about them. Let’s get some comments rolling in and add to this story.
Have you been to Skylight Inn BBQ? Tell us about your visit.
What do the regulars at Skylight Inn BBQ think?
Leave your comments and I’ll get them posted for everyone to see.
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I look forward to hearing from you.
You can check out their website at: www.skylightinnbbq.com
Skylight Inn BBQ is also on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Skylight-Inn-BBQ-94674564942/?fref=ts
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