Phoenix Restaurants

Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue crafts vegetarian dishes Since opening his Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue in Cave Creek a year ago, owner Bryan Dooley has discovered an interesting thing about his customers.

Not all of them eats meat.

But rather than smack them upside the head for choosing to dine in a carnivore’s emporium (a bestseller is the “Big Pig,” a huge basket of french fries smothered in pulled pork, barbecue sauce, beans, scallions, jalapenos and sour cream), Dooley is experimenting with vegetarian options.

A “pulled” squash sandwich has been a favorite from the beginning. As a play on pulled meats that are slow-cooked and shredded, the recipe features roasted spaghetti squash (the yellow fruit separates into pasta-like strands when cooked) moistened in Dooley’s homemade sauce that’s a tangy combination of tomato puree, vinegar, Worcestershire, garlic, mustard, sugar, lemon, spices and plenty of beer. It sits on a buttered, toasted bun, and comes with a sweet-fiery pickled jalapeño plus a side like baked potato salad

or creamy, olive-studded coleslaw.

The squash won’t fool anyone into thinking he or she is chomping beef brisket, but it is surprisingly toothsome and hearty. For a touch more substance, try it topped with a fried egg.

Dooley has been testing other non-meat tricks in his pecan-wood smoker, too, including whole cabbages, though he admits he has yet to find a home on the menu for that unlikely bite.

New offerings include an heirloom tomato sandwich with peppery upland cress, red onion, basil and Dijon mayonnaise finished in a sprinkle of pecan-smoked sea salt.

Other new nibbles feature fresh-cut watermelon wedges drizzled with homemade cardamom-jalapeno honey, or the “rib salad,” which rather than pork on the bone, is romaine lettuce ribs, rubbed in rib-eye spice and splashed with lemon-pepper vinaigrette for a cool, crunchy treat.

Details: Bryan’s Black Mountain Barbecue, 6130 E. Cave Creek Road, Cave Creek. 480-575-7155. bryansbarbecue.com

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