Blount: Vegetarians have a beef with barbecue restaurants

lack of demand.

Keith Hill, co-owner of Bushwood BBQ at 13800 Jones Maltsberger, said he doesn’t believe more sophisticated vegetarian dishes would be worth the effort. People come to Bushwood to eat smoked meats, and aside from the sides, he said, the best he can offer is a baked potato.

“It’s really not something that would be cost-effective for me,” Hill said. “We maybe get two customers per month that are vegetarian, so it would be hard to justify. But if there was high demand, trust me, something like cauliflower is a heck of a lot cheaper than meat nowadays.”

Chris Ashford, owner of BBQ Life at 902 S. WW White Road, said that another problem is pit space and the standards of the vegetarian and vegan communities. “I have vegetarian friends that are picky eaters, and they tell me that they absolutely don’t want their food to be anywhere near the meat,” Ashford said. “That’s just not gonna happen at my restaurant. But we are in the process of expanding, and if that demand gets there, I would consider doing something special.”

But Daniel Vaughn, barbecue editor for Texas Monthly magazine, has noticed a slight uptick in vegetarian options, at least in the big cities of Texas. CM Smokehouse in Austin offers cauliflower wings with various sauces. Sugarfire Smokehouse in Dallas has a smoked portobello sandwich, which is listed on the menu as “something we snuck in for our vegetarian friends.” It’s a doubledecker mushroom with lettuce, balsamic onions, a special sauce, onions, pickles and American cheese.

“The (portobello) sandwich was something that really surprised me,” Vaughn said. “It was dressed like a Big Mac and made for a serious meal.”

With time, Vaughn said, he expects to see more vegetarian options in the barbecue restaurant scene, but meats aren’t in any danger of a produce takeover.

“I think with anything, people are doing whatever they can to appeal to broader audiences, and barbecue is included in that,” Vaughn said. “Trends that get popular have a way of always filtering down.”

For now, Krooss said that going to a barbecue restaurant isn’t something that appeals to her in San Antonio. But the next time she’s in Dallas, “I would love to try that (portobello) sandwich.”

Chuck Blount / Staff file photo At most barbecue restaurants, the options for vegetarians are limited to sides, which at Bushwood BBQ include potato salad, coleslaw and green beans coated with minced garlic.