The “Burger Al Pastor” at BIG & little’s

Yesterday, during my lunch break, I needed to run an errand up to the Spice House in Old Town for reasons which will be revealed in good time people, have a little patience. Anyway, I figured a lunchtime bike ride was a good excuse to get another bloggable sandwich but Old Town itself is kind of a sandwich wasteland IMO (that is, if you’re a giant snob like me and don’t consider the proximity of half-a-dozen Subways to be sandwich heaven). I guess I could have gotten something at Old Jerusalem but I wasn’t feeling it.

I don’t know what made me think of BIG & little–it’s weird how it’s so close to that area but somehow the 2 blocks separating Orleans from Wells make them seem like 2 different worlds. But it was a fantastic idea and I don’t get there enough.

I walked in and spent a few minutes just gaping at the menu. It’s largely still familiar–a few new things here and there–but there’s so much there that choices are difficult. I stepped up to the counter and BIG himself, Gary Strauss, was taking orders. I asked him for a little guidance.

“You want the Pastor burger,” he said, “and fries. It’s a pretty big burger, so you might not be able to finish the fries–but you’ll want them.” Happy to take his advice, that’s what I ordered.

The Burger al Pastor

The Burger al Pastor

The Burger al Pastor is a half pound of house-ground chuck, hand-formed and grilled to order (I got mine medium rare), with (processed) swiss cheese, chili aioli, deep-fried jalapeno rings, deep-fried chunks of pork belly, and grilled pineapple. It’s obscene.

Didn't catch the pork belly in the last pic? Here it is.

Didn’t catch the pork belly in the last pic? Here it is.

And by obscene I mean delicious of course. I inhaled this burger at a rate that kind of frightened me, actually.

My notes:

  • I’d either fry the jalapenos less or add a bunch more, ’cause I could use a bigger hit of heat.
    • If that makes the burger sloppier, SO BE IT.
  • The pork belly was crispy and delicious–it might not be needed on a burger but that’s not the way we think around here pal so I loved it.
    • I’m not sure if the pork belly was marinated or otherwise seasoned, but it tasted of a bit more than just pork and pork fat
    • Not that pork and pork fat wouldn’t be enough
  • The combination of the pineapple & juicy burger almost immediately started disintegrating the bottom bun but it actually managed to hold together fairly well.
  • I’d like to see the addition of some grilled onions
    • The onions shouldn’t be fully caramelized since the pineapple is already adding the sweetness but I feel like a cooked-onion flavor would help the impression of al pastor they’re apparently going for here.
    • If that makes the burger sloppier, see my first note.

Regarding the fries, he was right. I wanted them. The fresh-cut fries weren’t quite as crisp as I’d like but they were cooked darker than I’ve gotten them there in the past, which is a start. You can get them with your fancy cajun salt, or truffle salt, but I just went with the basic item. Fried potatoes are love.

Fried potatoes are love

Fried potatoes are love. Also, burgers are sandwiches.

He was also right that I didn’t finish them.

Jim Behymer

I like sandwiches. I like a lot of other things too but sandwiches are pretty great

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5 Responses

  1. AndrewTSKS says:

    For the record, Subway will DEFINITELY be showing up in Confessions Of A Crap Eater before all is said and done.

  2. AndrewTSKS says:

    In fact, if anything, it doesn’t seem crappy ENOUGH to truly be worth writing about in that column. But because of the contempt expressed for it in this post, it’s gonna happen.

  3. Crit says:

    Oh man, the pineapple reminds me I need to eat and write about a hamburger with the lot sometime soon…

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