North Carolina BBQ Tour! Woohoo! - Lexington/Ayden/Goldsboro

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I spent a week traveling around the East Coast last month and learned a LOT about North Carolina BBQ in 3 short days there. First and foremost, people tend to be a great deal more friendly and welcoming there. Loved talking to strangers there about food, hiking, travel and cotton, oddly enough.
Anyway, I flew into Charlotte and promptly got lost between the terminal and the Sixt car rental. This is becoming a bit of a common occurrence for me so it failed to deter me. For the record, they were no signs for the staircase, only for the elevators and the escalator. My error.
So I got my rental car, hit my hotel for the night and promptly tore off for Lexington in search of Lexington BBQ/Honeymonks. Big old parking lot filled with cars and pickups so I followed the people inside and was immediately seated, welcomed and asked if I wanted tea. Sweet tea, of course, and it was rich and delicious. Never realized how thin tea is up here in Montana.

The pork was served coarse chopped, with red coleslaw that was slightly different than what I am used to but really good. Hushpuppies were addictive, loved them. French fries got in the way. Definitely a “want to come back!” visit.
My other stop in Lexington was at TarHeel Q which had the ambiance from the outside, pickups, tons of stacked wood and acres of asphalt. LOL! I went in and it seemed a bit off. Not sure what threw me, but I ordered a pulled pork sandwich instead of a plate or tray and sat down. Got the sandwich and it was wrapped in paper, not served on a plate or in a tray. Odd. It was kind of a mess. I took a quick photo and dug in. Not my favorite meal of the trip.

Hopped in the X5 (free upgrades are great!) and took scenic 64 towards Raleigh. Saw the Haw River on my map so I stopped at a fishing spot and walked a bit. Beautiful stretch of water.

I was listening to SyriusXM Channel 558 “Top 1,000 Country Songs of All Time” and had just listened to Bobby Gentry sing Talahatchee Bridge an hour before so the timing was perfect! Don’t judge! LOL!
I just have to say, no repeats for 3 days is a nice change from Classic Rewind!
Anyway, got my hotel in Raleigh and walked downtown, still full from my late lunches at Lexington, so I walked past The Pit Authentic BBQ and did not go in. Woe is me.
Cool little city, though!
Drove to Ayden for the Skylight Inn and again, perfect location amid a veritable forest of harvested lumber, gravel parking lot and tons of pickups and utility trucks. Walked up to the entry door and saw an older gent with an armful of folded towels coming up so I held the door for him. As he walked by I noticed he was carrying an old L-Frame Smith and Wesson nestled on top of the towels, just what you need to keep the help in line, I guess. I moseyed up to the order bar and saw that the chopping block was an apparently solid piece of wood a foot thick by 2 foot by 4 foot. It has been used so long that there is a slight bowl in the center of it. That is a bit of history there. Clean and well cared for but it has seen some use. I wish I had the temerity to have taken a photo of it. The guys were friendly and got my order in a flash. Skylight has a finer chop on both their pork and their slaw, which is the white type not the red. And the slaw is a sweet, almost dessert like side. LOVED IT! The corn pone was historic, much like the chopping block. Like it in more ways than one, actually.
Used a touch of the Sam Jones BBQ sauce and dug in. Very good pulled pork, nearly as good as Lexington BBQ. Would definitely go back. Place filled up quickly after I got there, this is a locals favorite.
See the crackling at the bottom of the pork plate? Outstanding!

I went off on a bit of a tangent at that point. I have traveled by New Bern a time or two and wanted to see if it was as quaint in person as it is from a mile away and I can safely say that it is and more. Great little town! Home of Pepsi Cola, as they remind you a time or two. Beautiful tidal river front, older homes. Beautiful.

Beautiful older wooden boat at the visitor center. Just a classic.

Drove by shimmering fields of cotton along the way. Never seen the bolls actually open in the field before. It is a mesmerizing sight, a blazing white, but shimmering, somehow. Must have been the wind. I found a stray cotton boll and hauled it along with me for a day or two.

My final stop was at Wilber’s in Goldsboro. Older brick building with 2 tented drive up lanes, plus 1 with no tent for the oversized pickups/trucks. I will let you guess which saw the most use. I was warmly welcomed and my order arrived hot and quick and oh, my, goodness. It is good! I had not had any okra recently so I ordered the fried okra and Brunswick stew. The okra was good but the Brunswick stew was rich and slightly spicy and completely delicious. Loved it! The pulled pork was a mix of fine and medium chop and was a mildly smokey feast. Another great tray/plate of BBQ.

You may wonder how I managed to hit 3 great BBQ spots given my visiting BBQ-rookie status, but I did what had to be done. I followed John Tanner’s advice. LOL!
Definitely 3 great BBQ joints, Lexington BBQ, Skylight Inn and Wilber’s all were the real deal. And I think I ordered poorly at TarHeel Q, that pulled pork sandwich was not all that good.
But it was a great trip and I would definitely love to try other BBQ places in the region, especially since the plate/tray is usually priced under $12 each and comes with 2 or 3 sides.

[johntannerbbq (john tanner)]

Great report! I;m glad you enjoyed the trip – and the food.

They go through those chopping blocks every couple of years at the skylight. I love to hear the sound of chopping.

Note that the Sam Jones barbecue sauce is not what they use on the meat (they use vinegar and Texas Pete in both Skylight and Sam Jones BBQ). The bottled sauce includes some honey and ketchup, both of which are alien to the eastern part of the state.
Also, the sandwich wrapped in paper is not unusual.

Let me know when you’re up for another trip!

[linguafood (Natascha)]

Fabulous report! That cotton boll is stunning, and I can imagine the fields’ blazing white thanks to your vivid description.

A BBQ tour sounds fun & delicious, plus those prices are very budget-friendly!

Thx so much for sharing with us

[Madrid]

As someone who grew up in Eastern North Carolina, and who ate a lot of Eastern NC BBQ in decades past, I agree that the sandwich wrapped in paper is not at all unusual, and that honey and ketchup in a barbecue sauce in Eastern NC is not just alien, it’s anathema.

[mig (you can call me mig)]

I did a two-day bbq tour around Raleigh several years ago and I’m pretty sure we stopped at skylight.

I remember the experience vividly mostly bec it was my first ever experience with heartburn.

[Madrid]

If vinegar causes you heartburn, you surely would have experienced it there!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

I am glad my trip report was a good read! I really enjoy traveling for food and then sharing thoughts about it.
I am amazed that the Skylight actually goes through blocks relatively fast. I was thinking that bowl shape in the block took decades to achieve. Wow. But it is a lot of chopping so it makes sense.
It is also interesting just how quickly BBQ styles seem to shift as I drove from Charlotte to Ayden. The red slaw was one of my favorite aspects of the Piedmont BBQ but I have to admit that the finely chopped sweet white slaw at Skylight was outstanding as well.
The cotton fields were mostly along Hwy 64 if memory serves. I imagine that the cotton picking season is not now or I would have seen more of it. But what I saw was memorable. I wish I had kept that boll.
And talk about budget foods! The plates went from $9 to $12, with two sides usually. That is a bargain. The sweet tea (or fountain drink) was usually $2 or $3 but the total meal price was a nice surprise.
Ah. Heartburn. Occupational hazard at my age. I was immune as a young man. I bought a roll of 1000mg Tums at the airport on my way in and I still have most of them, so I did not suffer too badly.
I am already planning my next two trips, but both are returns to favorite destinations. Nothing new until 2025.

[johntannerbbq (john tanner)]

It’s a wonderful state for barbecue – and slaw. Its shows what a difference a little bit of ketchup can make. The red slaw is basically Piedmont/Lexington/Western barbecue sauce on grated cabbage – this vinegar rather than a more conventional slaw dressing. I agree that both are terrific. And the prices are terrific too, although when you start getting into the cities, especially with the Texas-style places, prices soar.

You might think about a South Carolina tour. The barbecue is more regionally varies there, and there are numerous intensely local side dishes – hash and rice, perloo, chicken mull – with fascinating regional variations.

[vinouspleasure]

great trip report! lex 1 is probably my favorite, imo, you ordered just right, coarse chop with outside bark. They have great, great hushpuppies as did wilbur’s when I was there many years ago, sadly haven’t been since they changed ownership.

before I retired, I had a client in charlotte that I’d visit 3-4 times a year, a week at a time. Typically I’d be up at lex 1 twice, price’s chicken coop (now defunct) twice and then out with the client a couple of times followed by a crash diet upon my return to NY

Nothing like having a client pay for travel, bbq and fried chicken!

[johntannerbbq (john tanner)]

FYI - the new Wilber’s is excellent, maybe better than ever.

[vinouspleasure]

you’ve mentioned that in past threads, looks like a much smaller menu, which is probably a good thing, lets them focus on what do they best. when I first ate there, I dunno, 20 or 25 years ago, my kids had never had a hushpuppy so I got through most of the first basket on my own before they noticed. That was the last time I had a basket to myself and in fact, when the server brought us a refill, they were gone in the blink of an eye!

unfortunately, our trip home from fl this trip won’t be through the carolinas but I’ll have to make do with houston bbq.

[erica1]

What a great trip you had!

Skylight was one of the first eastern NC BBQ places I visited, maybe ten years ago when I would chart our drive from NYC to Florida with stops at as many BBQ places as we could. To this day I will never forget the sound of chopping that greeted us as we walked in the door! They used to have a collard stand next door but it was always closed when we drove south in mid-December. Would have liked to get my hands on a few pounds of the collards, although I did have them on another trip at Bum’s in Ayden. We now ship the car so no more wandering south–no Skylight, no Bunn’s, and no more of the lunch buffets at Shuler’s. At least for the time being, so it was great to read your report and see the photos!!! I did get some closeups of the chopping and if I can find them, will post here… Oh, that sound!! (Oddly enough I mentioned it a couple of days ago near Valencia when I was scraping up thee rice at the bottom of the paellera, trying to get the socarrat…two sounds heralding great eating, one in Ayden and one in the Comunitat Valenciana!!)!). We ought to have a thread on the sounds accompanying great food!

I ate at the “old” Wilbur’s and it was not a favorite, so would like to try the reincarnation.

Glad you rented from Sixt. I use them in Spain now and am always delighted. Supposedly they are up for a big expansion in the US.

[Madrid]

As someone who was born and grew up with barbecue in North Carolina, and then lived 2 years in Spain and fell in love with that country in every way possible, I love you combining NC and Spain in the same food post! thank you.

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Did someone mention Spain?

I am out of place with this, Erica and Madrid, but if either of you were advising someone regarding a city in the south of Spain for someone to take a Spanish language course, do you have any favorite cities for food, history and architecture?
I am thinking Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia or Seville.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I am thinking of ending my winter sojourn in March, and Spain for a few weeks is at top of mind right now.

[Madrid]

Ziv, I am very sorry to say that I left Spain in 1984 and haven’t had a chance to return for many different reasons.

I personally way back then preferred Northern Spain, again, for many different reasons. History, architecture, and food, but that’s me. I’ve heard third hand that Salamanca has some good Spanish language courses. That’s not southern Spain, obviously.

I’m sorry I can’t help out.

[erica1]

March is a fantastic month for the south, and for Valencia.
I would first look at the classes offered.
If all are equal, I might rule out Cartagena as too quiet; mind you, Ii have never been but have read a lot.
Sevilla would be marvelous. For that city, and for all of the south, you must keep in mind the dates for Holy Week which falls late this year, in April, but keep in mind–higher prices and more crowded.

Yours truly took her first steps in Europe many years ago, in Valencia, where I went to school to learn Spanish for two months in summer. You will not go wrong there.

All being equal, I would put Sevilla on top of the list, followed by Valencia. II never warmed to Malaga but many others love the city so I might give it another try and you might love it…

Look at the schools, and keep in mind wifi you really want to learn the language, maybe you are best off in a spot not so enticing so you will STUDY!
I cannot share enough about the difference it makes when traveling if you can converse in the language. A good base for a few weeks, and really putting your mind to it, will get you very far. See if you can stay with a family so you will HAVE to speak Spanish. I am so interested in what you decide and would do all I can to help out in your quest!

Just to offer a small, non-food-related example: We were in Denia for four nights last week. The front desk manager, from Argentina, as are many Spanish residents, spoke excellent English and since my partner does not speak Spanish, I spoke with her in English. Until the last day when I answered something she said in Spanish. You have no idea of the smile that broke out over her face and the change in welcome she offered once she realized that Ii spoke Spanish…“why did you not tell me, etc etc…” From then on, we had a totally different relationship; she had been professional before, but once we began speaking in Spanish, it was like we were fast friends at least for the short amount of time we had left. I’d not been south of Valencia before and I really fell for Denia and would like to explore more of the Costa Blanca…so maybe you will, as well, if Valencia is your pick. There is no reminder of the horrible flooding disaster in the city or nearby that we noticed while taking train and driving, in case you are wondering about that.

Madrid makes a good point about Salamanca and also northern Spain, but in March weather will be so lovely in the south…I will be in Sevilla in March myself, so who knows!!

[ZivBnd (Ziv)]

Thank you both for your comments! I am looking for somewhere warm in March so southern Spain is on the top of my list right now. I am a snowbird trying to escape the cold weather in Montana for a few months so the Mediterranean sounds good. I usually spend a good part of February on a couple of the Greek islands and they are a touch chilly for me at that time of year. I love them, but I want to finish my trip in a warmer clime.
Valencia has gotten my attention for the food and Seville for the architecture, especially the Plaza de Espana, but I have to admit that my search of Spanish classes is kind of a blur. Malaga had a school that kind of stood out (mostly because they cater to older students) but it is on the outskirts of the city. Granada/Alhambra had the architecture I liked the best but it is 40’some miles inland so I did not short list it.
Thank you both for your thoughts! I will keep them in mind as I do my research on Spanish classes!
Silly story. I was heading from downtown Rome to FCO airport via taxi after spending 3 months trying to learn Italian on Duo Lingo then Babel before my trip to Italy. After that time I could do stuff on-line and speak reasonably well to the microphone, but my active Italian was very weak and the cab driver gave up on trying to talk to me. I said something in my broken Spanish from college 30 years before and the cab driver started talking to me in Spanish and even though my grammar and vocabulary were worse in Spanish vs Italian, I was able to make myself understood much better in 30’year lapsed Spanish rather than my Babel Italian.
Shortly before he dropped me at the airport, he said (in broken English) something to the effect of “You sound like you speak Spanish better than you do.” I had to laugh at that.