Neil Strawder and Phyllis Strawder planted Bigmista’s Barbecue & Sammich Shop at Los Coyotes Center in northeast Long Beach. The couple smokes meat with almond wood or compressed oak “mojo bricks” to great effect.

A firetruck red smoker rests out front. They’ve got a spare smoker on wheels in the street. Most people grab their barbecue to go. Still, they do have four tables on-site, protected with red and white checked cloths. Just order from a white board at the counter.

Their Pulled Pork Sammich ($8.80) features an open-faced bun piled with peppery, smoke-buffeted pork. The Strawders douse their juicy pork shreds with a choice of two different sauces. Clearly, this meat calls for spicy sauce. Say spicy and Phyllis Strawder will shout your order back to the kitchen: “Drop it like it’s hot.” If you’re smart, pair your pork with Mac & Cheese, a four-cheese blend folded with butter and sour cream. The mac costs more than most sides, but as Phyllis Strawder said, “It costs more because it’s got more love.”

Dose of Vitamin P spotlights my favorite pork dish from the previous week.