Lil’ Barbecue, Coming to the Woodlawn Neighborhood in Portland

Woodlawn is in the news here at Bridgetown Bites. First we published details about LaVerne’s opening this month on NE Dekum Street. Now we are happy to share the news of Lil’ Barbecue arriving in the area, too. They’ll also be on NE Dekum (but on the opposite side of the neighborhood), bringing great barbecued meats and more out of the kitchen at the Tough Luck bar. I spoke with Ben Vaughn the other day about their plans, and here is what I’ve learned.

Ownership of Lil’ Barbecue, and Ben Vaughn’s Story

The owners of Lil’ Barbecue are Ali Clem, founder of La Barbecue, and Ben Vaughn, who was pitmaster at La Barbecue for a number of years.

Ben told me that La Barbecue was his first job in the field of barbecue. But right before that he was a prep manager for a Detroit-style pizza place in Austin called Via 313. “It started out as trailers—when I first started working there, it was two trailers at bars. And now they’re been bought out by one of those companies that franchises restaurants across the country. 
I think they have locations in Utah and Colorado—all over the place.”

And it was his time making pizza that led him to barbecue. “I started working at barbecue because me and my coworker had gotten really efficient at making pizza dough,” he explained. “And so I was finishing my shift really early in the day. I was getting bored. And I started looking for a second job and went to barbecue, working afternoons.”

He added, “So I’d spend all morning making pizza dough in a trailer, and then go to barbecue in the afternoon. And I think for the first four or five months I was there, I mostly peeled potatoes and washed dishes. And then when other people would leave, they would let me step in and do sides or meats or whatever, and then I was just trying to slowly work my way up.” And so he did, and La Barbecue won a Michelin star in 2024.

Coming To Portland

I wondered if Ben came to Portland knowing that Lil’ Barbecue was already in the pipeline, or did the process start after he arrived. Turns out, it’s the former. He visited for the first time in June 2024 to attend a family wedding. He and his wife had been talking about maybe moving out of Austin for a while, and Portland was on a very short list of places they were considering.

“When we came up here for the wedding, we were just like, this is the place we want to move to—this is great!” No doubt the cooler weather compared to Texas’s demonic heat played a part in the decision. Plus it’s gorgeous here. Ben also mentioned the proximity to so much fresh water is really appealing.

So not long after that trip, he went back to Ali and told her of his plans to move to Portland the following year—and to open his own place here in town. He asked her if she wanted to be involved with it, with La Barbecue acting as a kind of sister restaurant to the action here in Portland. And she was down for that. “So, yeah, it’s been the plans for a while,” said Ben.

Lil’ Barbecue Name Origins

So why is it called “Lil’ Barbecue”? It’s pretty straightforward: “It’s like a spinoff,” explained Ben. “I’m the little brother to La Barbecue.”

“Little,” in part because no matter how much we love the barbecue options in Portland, it is hard to compare to the massive barbecue scene in central Texas. Which also come with Lone Star State-sized lines.

The Popularity of Texas Barbecue Joints, and the Lines

Ben explained the legendary lines to me, someone who has not experienced the world of barbecue in Texas.

“La Barbecue is pretty big,” he said. “Usually when they open at 11am there’s already a long line around the corner. It usually takes like two hours [to get through] on the weekends. For some places like Franklin [Barbecue], it can be more like five or six hours.”

That is pretty epic, even by Portland brunch line standards.

Ben doesn’t anticipate the kind of lines they have there to happen here at Lil’ Barbecue. “You can kind of get away with that in Texas because the places are so famous and people expect it,” he remarked. “I really don’t want to ask people to do that in Portland because they’re not used to it. They’re not expecting it.” 


He continued, “I think even when people are used to it, they don’t really like it. In Central Texas, they would like regularly have people need medical assistance just from the heat.”

But after you get through the lines, the rest of the process is pretty straightforward. “So then it’s like kind of cafeteria style,” he explained. “You go through, somebody cuts your meat in front of you, puts the sides on your little tray and then as soon as you make it to the front, you’re basically done. You get all your food and pay and sit down and eat.”

Location

I asked how Ben arrived at this location for Lil’ Barbecue. “So the way that came about was Michael Russell from The Oregonian was doing an interview with me when I was still in Austin,” explained Ben [who moved to Portland this past summer]. “And I didn’t really have any plans then, apart from that I just leased a house here, and I was planning to move out in a couple of weeks.”

He continued, “And he asked what part of the city I was going in and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m in Woodlawn on [Dehkum] Street.’ 
He was like, ‘It’s actually pronounced ‘Dekum.'”

So that little tidbit made it into his article. And Ezra from Tough Luck (also Hi-Top) sent Ben an email telling him about the bar he owns on Dekum. He wrote, “Would you be interested in maybe doing your food out of our kitchen?” So Ben went to talk to them—which happened to be a short walk from his house.

They hit it off, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Texas-Style Barbecue at Lil’ Barbecue

At Lil’ Barbecue, it’s probably no surprise that they’ll be making Texas-style barbecue—specifically Central Texas-style. Ben tells me that when it comes to barbecue, many pitmasters focus on the wood. “So, like in Central Texas, they use post oak, whereas in like North and South Texas, they would use mesquite, but it’s kind of just about what grows in your area.”

Of course, I asked what they would use here.
”I’m going to use white oak, I think, which is pretty similar to the post oak, but grows here. I know some people are kind of like militaristic about shipping up a specific kind of wood.
I don’t think it’s as important. I think it’s more about just having a clean burning fire.”

The Menu at Lil’ Barbecue

I asked about his plans for the menu. “It’s going to be broadly similar to what people were used to if they went to have barbecue in Austin,” he explained. “So brisket and pork ribs and sausage are like the big three in Texas—the Holy Trinity. And those will be the same.”

He continued, “And then, pulled pork—that’s what I grew up eating, so I love it. Sometimes in Texas it’s kind of an afterthought, but I really like it.”

He went on to poultry. “We did turkey in Austin, but I’m going to do chicken thighs here,” he said. “The turkey we did in Austin was really good and continues to be good,
I just prefer chicken thighs because I think they’re a little more forgiving.

“And on the sides, it will be a little different. I’m going to keep the mac and cheese from Austin because it’s everybody’s favorite. And then, I can start a potato salad, I’m going to do tater tots, almost like a fried potato salad. And then a side Caesar salad and collard greens, because I grew up in Alabama and I like collard greens. And usually in Texas they do more of like a savory pinto bean, and I’m going to do more of a traditional barbecued sweet beans, which is what I prefer.”

He talked about the burger that they would do on special at La Barbecue—which won Best Burger in Austin the first year that they were doing it. “I’m going to have that on every day here.” It sounds like queso may be involved.

As far as the burger style, it’s not a pub burger and not technically a smash burger. “It’s just like a very simple flat burger with American cheese, mustard, and pickles. It’s made from all brisket trimmings,” he explained. And it’s a quarter pound of meat.

As far as drinks go, that’s the domain of Tough Luck. “They are planning to do a little refresh on their menu,” he said.

And as for dessert, he plans to have banana pudding, which is a sweet staple at Texas barbecue spots. (“You have to have banana pudding!”) And then they will do rotating specials, leveraging the amazing fruit we have here in the PNW.

Vegan or Vegetarian? It Is Portland

I asked if there be any kind of vegan options. “Yeah, I want to do burnt ends made out of beets,” he explained. I could not be more “WOW” about this—as a lover of beets and of burnt ends, I am seriously intrigued. 


The aforementioned Caesar salad won’t be vegan but will be vegetarian. He recognizes that barbecue is for most people about the meat, but wants there to be some options for folks who come in with a group, who don’t eat meat, and for them to have something on the menu they can eat. “You know, you’re with a group and someone doesn’t eat meat—I don’t want them to feel excluded.”

Good Barbecue in the Area

Ben mentioned there are some really good barbecue restaurants here, though not in the quantity that there are in Austin. But it’s barbecue made by passionate people. He’s been trying different places in the area. “I drove out to Hood River, which is not technically Portland, to see the guys at Grasslands,” he said. “They do really cool stuff. I’ve been following them on Instagram for a while. Super nice guys.”

“I also want HarBQ, you know, a trailer at Von Ebert. He’s also doing incredible stuff. I also went to a Bark City, which is another truck. It’s at The Heist.”

He also praised Portland’s food cart scene and lamented the food truck parks in Austin getting pushed out as land values increase. “It’s kind of just condos now,” he remarked. He is glad to see the success of food carts in Portland.

Lil’ Barbecue Opening Dates

It looks like they plan to open on October 12 or 13 right now. “I think they’re going to close the bar down for a few days prior to that,” Ben said. This will give the Tough Luck folks time to make some changes they want to make on the inside.

And Ben is keeping the kitchen staff that’s already there. “I think it’ll be a pretty easy transition for the kitchen staff,” said Ben. We’re just just going to spend that week learning to cook barbecue and stuff.”

They do plan to be open every day, the same hours as Tough Luck. “One of the things that really appealed to me about Tough Luck was that it’s a neighborhood bar,” said Ben. “To me, part of being a neighborhood bar is being open every day, available to the neighborhood.” So, you’ll be able to get barbecue seven days a week. 


A Taste of Austin in Portland

Ben is excited about being able to bring the flavors of Central Texas barbecue to Portland, especially bringing his experience at such a lauded and respected spot as La Barbecue. “I think the fact that I was in Texas making it for a long time at a place like La Barbecue that’s pedigreed is helpful,” he said. “There are a lot of people who, like myself, have moved away from Texas, but still miss certain aspects of it. I hope that I can provide a little sense of home for fellow transplants.”

Although I’m not from Texas, I did come here from New York City, which is both wonderful and a place full of challenges. Those challenges (I’m looking at you, MTA) can drive you crazy in a lot of ways, but then you move away, time passes, and good memories really do overcome those of daily trials and tribulations. Over time, nostalgia builds and you realize you’ll always have a piece of yourself “back there.” A great way to connect with that missing piece is through regional food and drink from your previous life.

Ben says he’s received a lot of really nice messages from people on Instagram who are looking forward to Lil’ Barbecue opening. That’s gotta feel good. All the best to Ben and the Three on a Match guys (they own Tough Luck) as they prepare for some serious barbecue action coming out of their bar’s kitchen.

Lil’ Barbecue [opening October 12, 2025]
1771 NE Dekum Street, Portland
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