Lew’s BBQ: Meat, Sauce, and Soul

Barbecue: it is meat and sauce and soul.

It is also heavily debated, depending on where you are from.

One thing I think all carnivores can all agree on: it is damn good.

I’m going to tell you about our first visit to Lew’s BBQ, but I don’t think I can do the meat, or the man, justice.

Lew’s BBQ is a small building on the corner of Pacific Avenue and Fulton Street. There’s a trailer out front that has been converted into a large smoker that has definitely seen better days, but is still solid and clearly well-loved. As you wind your way up the wheelchair ramp that leads to the front door, the smells of meat and sauce get stronger and your stomach starts to wake up.

Custom smoker trailer // Rachel Weatherholt

Entering Lew’s feels like you’re paying a visit to your grandparents, I nearly knocked on the door. There is an electric fireplace and some seating in the front room, knick-knacks and barbecue-related memorabilia line the counters and the walls. Framed photos and certificates are proudly hung behind the front counter. There are handwritten cards and letters from customers and friends, thanking Lew for his service to the community. Lew’s has one small dining room with a television on the wall and a train set in the corner. More knick-knacks adorn the dining room and that feeling that you are in your grandparent’s living room persists.

At the front counter, Lew has laminated menus available for customers to order off of. Since it was our first visit, we wanted to try all the things so we ordered the Big Daddy, the Big Papa, and the Sampler plate. My photos do not do this food justice, we took it to-go but had I not had an appointment that evening, we would have eaten it there.

The Big Daddy is a smoked beef sausage on a toasted hoagie roll topped with so much pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and cheese that you can’t see the sausage. Lew slipped a few slices of crispy bacon on this monster, too. It also comes with a choice of side: cornbread, collard greens, mac n cheese, coleslaw, baked beans, or potato salad. I picked mac n cheese.

The bun was toasted well enough that it held up to the pile of meat and sausage (even on the 2nd day!) but it was still too large to eat without utensils. I discovered why the Big Daddy is called out on Lew’s sign out front: it is amazing.

The Big Papa is beef brisket, bacon, cheese, grilled onions, tomatoes, and lettuce piled high on a toasted bun. Also with choice of side. My boyfriend had asked for collard greens as his side but he was given mac n cheese. We should have checked before we left but were in awe of the main courses Lew was showing us as he bagged our order. We were kind of disappointed because the boyfriend loves greens but he didn’t cry, it just means we have to go back. The bottom bun was soaked in juices so it required silverware but I knew he enjoyed it since he communicated in grunts and groans.

The Sampler plate is a little of everything: pulled pork, brisket, chicken, one rib with your choice of a side. We opted for…wait for it… mac n cheese! Apparently we really wanted mac n cheese that night.

All of the meat was exceptionally moist and flavorful. The amount of sauce was perfect, although leftovers the next day could have used a fresh splash of sauce. The mac n cheese is seasoned and delicious, a little too salty for my preference. That did not stop me from inhaling my side as soon as we got home though.

Sampler plate for the indecisive // Rachel Weatherholt

While we were there Lew was brewing up a massive batch of his chili that only makes an appearance four times a year. He was kind enough to offer us a little taste of it and it was incredible. He also makes gumbo a few times a year too. Lew told us he would be posting his chili and gumbo specials on his Facebook page when these delectable dishes will be available.

Now that I’ve told you about the food, let me tell you about the man who is the real star of this story. Lew is a man who is as passionate about giving back to his community as he is about barbecue. He comes from the streets of South Central LA where he experienced homelessness and drug addiction, but has completely turned his life around. In his words, he “was led to a Christian rehab center” where he devoted himself to Christianity and got sober. Within a few months he was directing that rehab center and went on to direct two more rehab homes.

After moving to Snohomish County he became a corrections officer, a career he dedicated himself to for seven years, before being called to open a restaurant. Lew is married with three children and has been serving barbecue since 2011. He founded Feed the Need where he feeds the community and provides resources and material goods like clothing and toys for those who are struggling. Reading all of the cards on the wall in the front room gives you an inkling of how many lives he has touched.

We weren’t at the restaurant long and Lew was in the kitchen cooking and assembling our food for most of the visit, but in the few minutes we did get to chat with him he radiated warmth and acceptance. He is a man that is as modest as he is passionate and a man that I am proud to introduce to you.