Damn you, Joe York. The Leni Reifenstahl of the Southern Foodways Alliance has an entire catalog of short films that do nothing but make you hungry.
OK, fine, they also make you appreciate the cuisine, cooks and culture of the South. York recently turned his lens to barbecue. The result, Capitol Q, profiles our beloved Skylighttps://bbqjew.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1380&message=1ht Inn. Folks, this is 16 minutes of riveting swine celluloid:
The film does a nice job documenting the multi-generational excellence of the Jones family. Having enjoyed the Jones’s ‘cue, I can attest to the fullness of their brilliance and the flatness of their corn bread.
York captured a few great lines from the co-owners. On how they go through two cutting boads per year and whether any of that makes it into the ‘cue, co-owner Bruce Jones unleashed this one: “Our wood tastes better than most people’s barbecue.”
Co-owner Jeff Jones described the menu’s simplicity:
“We don’t have, like, a long menu of different things. all we do here is barbecue cornbread and slaw. When you walk in the door, all we need to know is, like, how much you need.
On the topic of amounts, the menu lists a 6-pound to-go bucket of barbecue as one of the options. Sign me up.
The film even featured our pals John Shelton Reed and Dale Reed lending their wisdom on North Carolina ‘cue. Although it’s too bad that Dale doesn’t get a word in and that John has a South Carolina flag on his jacket. (…kidding)
The only objection I had with the film was its end, when Bruce Jones compared the Skylight Inn to the King James Bible. Hey, guys, let’s not mix barbecue and religion. I mean, come on!
Filed under: 'Cue Culture, Restaurants & Reviews | Tagged: Swine celluloid |
BBQ Jew 
The only comment critique I’ve got about that bbq short is that there is no mention of the pitmaster. I mean the Jones’ do own the place, but the african-american man who is tending the pigs and chopping the barbecue isn’t really talked about. I mean he is interviewed, but I think the viewers should have gotten some history on him too (if he has a large hand in their operations or has been there a long while).
@ burgeoningfoodie
A very good point, I had a similar reaction to the film. I also had always assumed someone from the Jones family was the pitmaster, so it was interesting seeing there is an employee in that role. I suspect this is quite common, but it’s interesting anyway.
Dale actually had a lot to say, but Joe cut our two-hour interview to what you see — and since it meant more time for the Joneses, I’m not complaining.
And you would notice that jacket, wouldn’t you? I shouldn’t have worn it for this interview, but the red palmetto is a souvenir of my semester teaching at The Citadel. (Charleston’s not much of a barbecue town, but it has other things going for it.)
/ John
[…] here and featured–especially between the 8:00 and 12:00 minute marks–in the documentary Capitol Q, runs the pits at The Skylight Inn. As you can see, Howell also chops and seasons the […]