Sam Jones BBQ

"Sam Jones has become a Carolina barbecue legend by carrying on his family’s tradition of cooking whole hogs. 'The way I look at it, I’m the fourth generation of my family that’s been doing this right here,' says Jones, owner of Sam Jones BBQ." - Avery Dalal

"It’s not easy sneaking in amazing meals when you’re on the road with a one-year-old baby and a three-and-a-half-year-old toddler. We had to justify this detour with a pit stop at Pirates Play Indoor Playground up the street. But oh man, was it worth it. Sam Jones is known for its wood-fired whole hog barbecue. Jones’s grandfather Pete Jones founded the legendary Skylight Inn BBQ, and Sam has been recognized as one of the state’s great pitmasters. Boy, does the legacy show. Sure, we had to order it to go and eat it like parents-of-young-children desperados in the car and finish it up later in our vacation rental, but even under those dire circumstances, not only was the barbecue some of the best and most tender I’ve ever had, all of the side dishes held up brilliantly, including my favorite, the collard greens." - AFAR Editors