Skylight Inn BBQ is one of my go-to’s for delectable down east wood smoked pork. A place where Carhartt and plaid meet the dress code of the day. Men, with their names embroidered on blue collar shirts and ladies dripping with southern charm, all converge on this little place along the vein of country life most days between high noon and sunset.

Fords, Chevys and Ram trucks, with a Toyota or two scattered about, are the modern day covered wagons which have found a resting place amidst an old gravel lot riddled with potholes and tire tracks. It’s a place of comfort for every soul who crosses the threshold of this hidden gem.

Over the years, Skylight Inn BBQ has graced the pages of Our State Magazine, Southern Living, and Garden & Gun. There’s a reason for their notoriety…they simply serve some of the most mouth watering whole hog you’ll find anywhere east of Lexington. Low and Slow Smokehouse in Johnston Co., B’s in Greenville, and Wilber’s in Goldsboro, rank in my top four. Well, Sam Jones, too, but he’s an automatic shoe-in.

Since 1947, the Jones family has remained true to their holy hand raisin’ craft and for that, they’ve enriched the bellies of many North Carolinians, and some foreigners, too! Founder, Pete Jones, once said, “A place like this don’t need any sign”. I suppose word of mouth and wood smoke wafting across Pitt Co. is all the persuasion needed to attract us flies to the honey.

Me? I recently had the medium pig tray with a slice of corn bread and baked beans. I was feeling a bit weak in the knees so I sprung for some tater salad and ‘nanner puddin’, too. The other white meat was so tender with a sweet sauce just slightly doused on top like a blanket of love. It was as if I was consuming pork flavored cotton candy. I’ll save the details for my food blog one day, but rest assured, it’s worth the hour and fifteen minute hunt from Raleigh. My only regret? I didn’t order the large.