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Deep in the Heart of Jersey
Boyd Lafferty grew up in Cape May, then spent 28 years in the semiconductor business in Austin, Texas. While there he earned a PhD. in international business, but when he returned home in 2004 he was thinking strictly local.
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Boyd’s Texas-Style Barbecue (Villas)
Drive about seven miles northwest of Cape May and you come to Villas. Your nose may tell you you’ve reached Boyd’s before you see the sign (2301 Bayshore Rd; 609-886-0300, villasbbq.com). He also runs a 120-seat branch at 2812 Boardwalk in Wildwood (609-898-RIBS).
Lafferty smokes his meats in mesquite he imports from Texas. The style may strike some as dry, but Lafferty prides himself on bringing forth the meat and mesquite flavors without sauce (which is available on the side).
For me, the excitement is in the sides: Crisp sweet potato fries dusted with cinnamon; beer-battered, deep-fried jalapeño rings; incredible homemade ruffled potato chips; and baked beans for the gods. (You didn’t know the gods have an all-points alert out for beans this good?) Available hot or sweet (secret ingredient in the latter is grape jelly; secret ingredient in both is shredded bacon), the pinto beans are cooked al dente, so each has a crackly surface and a meaty interior.
