Listed in Restaurants
Big Butcher Barbeque is an Etobicoke burger joint with a few surprises up its sleeve. Located on Kipling, just south of Bloor, the family-friendly new joint is actually an offshoot of Market Jolly, an Eastern European-centric grocery store near Glencairn station. Little surprise, then, that next to the menu's towering cheeseburgers and BBQ ribs, you'll find Balkan-style pork sausages and traditional Serbian salads.Though the restaurant's name conjures images of hyper-indulgent Southern feasts, it actually stems from their hands-on approach to their burgers, which they grind in-house and are planning to start selling in a freezer case at the front of the shop. (They also bake their own buns.) Staff members stress that their meats, from pork, lamb and and beef to grilled salmon and chicken, are antibiotic- and hormone-free.
The atmosphere inside the shop is streamlined and light-filled, with pops of red in the tables and an industrial touch courtesy of white subway tile and metal Navy chairs. In addition to seating for about 50, there's a small rack of grab-and-go European grocery items, including Jaffa cakes and red pepper spread (which is available as an add-on topping, if you're so inclined).
Of their six or so burger options, I sample the Primetime ($8), which comes served - like all their entrees - on a wooden cutting board. At first glance, it's a straight-up bacon cheeseburger, but the burger gets extra oomph from smoked cheddar - melted and just crisped around the edges - and double-smoked bacon from Brandt in Mississauga. The burger's just blushing pink inside - and plenty moist, despite not having a lick of sauce on the whole thing. It's finished with off with pickles, tomato, and spring mix for a fresh touch.
The chevaps sandwich ($8) consists of eight finger-sized pork sausages (not dissimilar to a kebab) on one of their chewy, fluffy house-made buns. A sprinkle of chopped white onions adds some zip; the whole thing is topped off with a thick dairy-based sauce. Even next to a menu of meaty, enticing burgers, this humble little dish, fresh and comforting, manages to be a standout.The eastern European influence is strong; other cuisines trickle in, too, via a California-style avocado burger, a Greek lamb burger with tzatziki and feta, and a hoisin-glazed pork belly sandwich ($8). The belly is nicely caramelized on the outside and tender inside, with some extra, extra-gentle heat from their "spicy" mayo, fresh cilantro leaves, and some pickled cabbage to cut the fattiness. (I would have happily eaten an entire side of that briny, sweet cabbage slaw.)
Ribs ($8) come eight to an order; they're dry-rubbed and slow-roasted for four hours with veggies and some apple juice, which get turned into BBQ sauce. They start falling apart as I try to separate a bone from the pile - a good sign. The housemade sauce lends a tomato-y tang; the edges of the ribs are crisp, while the meat comes right off the bone.
In addition, you'll find salads ($6-7), with optional chicken, salmon, pork belly and chevaps, as well as soups (a daily option and a thematically-appropriate pork hock and bean). To drink, there's soda in glass bottles. The only beer you can get there is non-alcoholic - but they're working on obtaining a liquor license.Big Butcher is open 11am-8pm Monday through Sunday.
Photos by Morris Lum.