Ross and Katherine Marquette were service industry veterans when the COVID-19 pandemic left them both jobless. They maintained a connection to their old lives by delivering DoorDash orders. “We found a way to survive and make enough money,” Ross said. But it was their next move that proved to have staying power. Using a refurbished smoker they already owned, the couple began a series of barbecue pop-ups at local breweries in the DFW area under the name Smoke & Bone.In 2023, they decided that, after a few years of roaming with their tent and tables, a stable address was required to grow the business. David Slaughter of Slaughter’s BBQ was moving into a stand-alone space in Sulphur Springs and told them he was selling his…

The post A Small Fort Worth BBQ Trailer Puts Stunning Variety on Its Menu appeared first on Texas Monthly.

Pillowy tortellini and a velvety tomato-cream broth, enriched with my easy homemade sausage spice mix. Bursting with bold Italian flavors and ready in just 30 minutes, it’s your new favorite irresistible soup.

I got some almond ricotta–stuffed tortellini, so I decided to make an amazing soup with it. This is a hearty, delicious, and easy tortellini soup recipe. It uses the usual suspects of an Italian-flavored soup: aromatics, carrot, celery, Italian herbs, and vegan sausage. Those flavors pair up with the tortellini, tomato purée, and some non-dairy cream. 

It turns out absolutely delicious.

I make this spice mix which adds all the flavor of sausage to whatever plant based protein you choose. This spice mix combines smoked paprika, fennel seeds, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, and pepper flakes, and it’s just so versatile and flavorful!

First make the spice mix, and then decide which protein you want to use for the sausage. You can use vegan sausage, lentils, walnuts, pecans, chickpeas, crumbled tofu, chopped up soaked soy curls, seitan, or whatever else you like. 

Cook your protein of choice with some garlic and the spice mix, then add all the aromatics. Fold in the tomato sauce, tortellini, and some stock, then add non-dairy cream at the end. The tortellini cooks up in the same pan with the rest of the soup.

The soup comes together within 30 minutes in just 1 pan, and is creamy and satisfying!

Why You’ll Love Tortellini Soup

• super easy 1-pot meal ready in 30 minutes
• creamy, tomatoey broth with sausagey flavors and tender, cheesy tortellini
• super versatile! Use whatever plant-based protein you like!
• Easily made gluten-free, soy-free, and/or nut-free.

Continue reading: Creamy Tortellini Soup (30 Minutes!)

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Bill Dumas took off his apron, then his shirt and undershirt, while walking away from the booth where he was serving sausage at the 2022 Monterrey BBQ Fest, in Mexico. Under the hot afternoon sun, he strutted toward the masked luchadores warming up outside a wrestling ring set up at the event. With animated hand motions and very little Spanish, Dumas persuaded one of them to climb in through the ropes with him and give him a proper body slam. Ever the showman, he feigned injury as he lay on the mat in his blue jeans, then rolled out onto the grass and walked back to his booth with a beaming smile.If you find Dumas at another barbecue festival, you may be treated to his…

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At the end of last year, Hop and Sting Brewing, in Grapevine, lost its longtime barbecue partner. Trey Sanchez moved his mobile Vaqueros Texas Bar-B-Q operation into a new physical location, in Allen, but he had a suggestion for his replacement. The duo of Christian Martinez and Paul Pizana had grown Pasión BBQ from pop-up to food truck in two short years and needed a new spot. “They were happy to have us here, and we were blessed to be here,” Martinez says.Martinez and Pizana were childhood friends growing up in Arlington, and they bonded as adults over barbecue. Together in their backyards, they smoked ribs and briskets for their friends and family members before moving on to beef tongue and cheeks. “We would try…

The post With Big Shoes to Fill at a North Texas Brewery, a Barbecue Truck Delivers the Spice appeared first on Texas Monthly.

When Andrew Peña’s job as a refinery inspector in Corpus Christi was paused during COVID-19, he went looking for a smoker. He found one nearby via an online ad and hauled it back to his driveway. Peña had been grilling steaks and ribs since he was twelve, but smoking brisket became his new challenge. By mid-2020, he was confident enough to sell his barbecue for preorders on Facebook. Needing a name and a logo, he sketched one out for Full Send BBQ. “It means one hundred percent. Don’t take shortcuts,” he explained. “What you put into it is what you get out of it.”Peña started dating a woman named Desirae Hill, who happened to be a great cook. They’re no longer a couple, but they…

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The parking lot of Salty Sow looks a lot busier during lunch these days. The restaurant only serves dinner, but six weeks ago, a West Texas pitmaster pulled in with a new trailer and a thousand-gallon smoker. The side of the building got a new paint job announcing the arrival of Waylon J’s Barbeque. The restaurant-within-a-restaurant is open Friday through Sunday, serving some remarkably good barbecue.Pitmaster Chad Deen spent a decade in Midland surveying well sites for oil companies. Starting in late 2020, he’d take off early on Friday afternoons to fire up his smoker to cook barbecue for lunch on Saturdays at Tall City Brewing under the name Bury Me in Smoke Barbecue. The barbecue bug had bitten him the year prior. He watched…

The post Just Six Weeks In, This New Austin BBQ Joint Is Already Impressive appeared first on Texas Monthly.

John Baines cannot tolerate a dirty pit. The owner of JB’s Barbeque & More, on the northeast side of Houston, gets calls from aspiring pitmasters in the area who are looking for advice. He tells them the first step is for him to get a look at their cooker. “When they open their pit and I see all that gooey stuff,” Baines said, referring to the buildup of soot and grease some people call seasoning, he tells them, “If you want me to mentor you, clean it up and call me back.”Baines has been cooking barbecue for 25 years, but he’s been a pastor for longer. He started with a small Christian congregation on the northeast side of Houston in 1995. His Heart of Faith…

The post A Pastor on Sundays and a Pitmaster on Fridays, John Baines Is Just Happy to Serve appeared first on Texas Monthly.

Texas barbecue has drawn many cultural collaborations from around the world over the past few years. Joints have paired their smoked meats with Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Egyptian, and Japanese cuisines. At Parish Barbecue, in Austin, owner and pitmaster Holden Fulco is looking just across the eastern border, to his home state of Louisiana, for menu inspiration at his new food truck. He’s parked outside craft brewery Batch and has been serving on a regular schedule since March.When Fulco was attending Louisiana Tech, in northern Louisiana, his parents hoped he would stick with his prelaw path. He switched majors several times, even dabbling in sportswriting, but eventually got a business degree. Instead of seeking internships after college, he went to Houston to work at Pinkerton’s Barbecue. “Sometimes…

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