{"id":4174,"date":"2026-07-08T14:35:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4174"},"modified":"2026-07-08T14:35:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T14:35:16","slug":"iconic-nc-bbq-joint-is-one-of-americas-best-cheap-eats-spots-travel-site-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4174","title":{"rendered":"Iconic NC BBQ joint is one of America\u2019s best cheap eats spots, travel site says"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"summary\">AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/news\/nation-world\/national\/article280707640.html\">Read our AI Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In North Carolina, barbecue has always been a beloved but humble delicacy.<\/p>\n<p>Now one of the state\u2019s barbecue temples has been named one of the country\u2019s best \u201ccheap\u201d meals.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4172\">Electric blue waves at NC beaches? Best spots to see bioluminescence<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The iconic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/food-drink\/article288802565.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">Skylight Inn in Ayden<\/a> is one of America\u2019s best affordable plates of barbecue, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cheapism.com\/spots-in-each-state-you-can-get-good-cheap-bbq\/\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">budget travel site Cheapism<\/a>. Ayden is about 90 minutes east of Raleigh.<\/p>\n<p>Known as one of North Carolina\u2019s finest whole hog barbecue joints, Skylight Inn is famous for the silver dome atop its cinderblock building and for the rhythmic sound of chopping of cleavers on crispy pork skin that diners hear inside. Founded in 1947, Skylight Inn has been operated by three generations of the Jones Family and is today steered by Sam Jones.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIts menu stays intentionally simple, centering on chopped pork dressed with a vinegar-based sauce and served alongside classic cornbread, a formula that helps keep prices approachable while maintaining exceptional quality,\u201d the Cheapism list says of Skylight Inn.<\/p>\n<p>Skylight Inn specializes in a kind of barbecue that\u2019s been largely unchanged for more than a century, cooking whole hogs directly over wood coals. But just because it\u2019s ancient and affordable doesn\u2019t mean it isn\u2019t special. There\u2019s a James Beard medal hanging on the dining room wall of Skylight, honoring the restaurant with an American Classics award for one of the country\u2019s most distinguished and culturally important independent restaurants.<\/p>\n<p>While Skylight has been doing its thing for three-quarters of a century, its whole hog style has helped ignite a national fervor for barbecue at the moment.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4170\">Another Costco could be coming to the Triangle. What we know<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBarbecue was peasant food, and up until the last decade, it was always that way,\u201d Sam Jones<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/article222258235.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\"> told The News &amp; Observer in 2018<\/a>. \u201cThen all of a sudden it\u2019s looked at as a craft. There\u2019s this mystique around the pitmaster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The most popular item at Skylight is the tray of pork, slaw and cornbread, starting at $9.50.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBarbecue enthusiasts regularly recommend making the drive to Ayden, saying the authentic flavors and generous portions deliver tremendous value,\u201d Cheapism writes.<\/p>\n<p>For those that can\u2019t make the 90 minute drive to Ayden, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsobserver.com\/living\/food-drink\/article314997490.html\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\">Sam Jones BBQ<\/a> in Raleigh serves the same<a href=\"https:\/\/www.samjonesbbq.com\/raleigh\" rel=\"Follow\" target=\"_blank\"> \u201cJones Family Tray\u201d for $13<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4169\">Old favorites: Here\u2019s a list of all the closed Triangle restaurants we miss<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Skylight Inn in Ayden NC serves whole hog barbecue with vinegar sauce, cornbread and a tray starting at $9.50. It\u2019s been named among the best cheap eats in US.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-read-todays-edition"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Iconic NC BBQ joint is one of America\u2019s best cheap eats spots, travel site says - Durham Moving Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/durhammovinghub.com\/?p=4174\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Iconic NC BBQ joint is one of America\u2019s best cheap eats spots, travel site says - Durham Moving Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Skylight Inn in Ayden NC serves whole hog barbecue with vinegar sauce, cornbread and a tray starting at $9.50. 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