In South Phoenix, James Lewis produces a wide range of smoked meats in the style of Arkansas, where he grew up. His shop is no-frills, he prefers to smoke “high, then low and slow,” and he claims to make the best pulled pork in the country. (It’s very good — tender, succulent, and unshyly spiced.) He puts a huge, assertive smoke on meats using oak and mesquite. Lewis plates a thick, indulgent smoked Bologna, Chicago-style sausage bunned with chile flakes and cabbage, and rich rib tips slathered in sauce. On weekends, the shop offers jerk oxtails.
