Alabama: Smac's Shack Food Truck
Artious Walker’s entrepreneurial spirit was cultivated during his days at Alabama A&M University, where he sold sandwiches grilled on a modest, portable electric grill (until the university shut him down). Undeterred, Walker spent five years learning about barbecue and building out his red-roofed, pine-sided truck. Smac's Shack Food Truck slings smoked meats at weekend festivals along the Gulf Coast, where pulled pork, chopped chicken and brisket can be piled on to fries (Smac Stacks), cheesy tortilla chips (Not-Yo Nachos) or in a sandwich (Bang’n Baguette). For a local taste, go for the chopped chicken Bang’n baguette, in which a flash-fried baguette is sliced-and-stuffed with smoked chopped chicken, then drizzle at will with Alabama white sauce. If you’re hitting the truck late-night, pair your brew with the smoked "wild wangs," which come in three flavors: sassy (hot), classy (lemon-pepper) or ashy (ranch).