The smashingly good burgers at Burger Pig are no joke
Neither is chef Timothy Abell’s dedication to the best ingredients
Timothy Abell remembers hearing famed chef Jacques Pepin talk about his love of food. Specifically, his love of fast food.
“I remember he was like ‘yeah, I eat everything, even McDonald’s,’ Abell said. “And I was like ‘you’re not eating only farm fresh and organic food?’”
That resonated with Abell, whose fondest food memories involve Whoppers and Quarter Pounders. So it makes sense that at his restaurant, Burger Pig, Abell takes that idea of a basic burger and amps it up.
“I wanted to do a fast food burger, but I also have a commitment to buying local and buying the highest quality products that I can,” he said.
To that end, all the beef served at Burger Pig is from Oklahoma. The burgers are served on the classic Martin potato rolls, and the Iowa pork in the classic Triple Pig is heritage bred.
His best seller, the Classic Pig, is a California-style all beef patty topped with a large-sized hand cut pickle; a house sauce made with ketchup, homemade mayonnaise, sriracha and relish; butter lettuce and an heirloom style tomato.
The Triple Pig’s patty has ⅔ ground heritage pork and ⅓ spicy chorizo, which Abell sears hard and tops with Manchego cheese, house-made tomato jam, spicy arugula and pickled onions.
“We build the burger so you have the same bite from beginning to end,” he said. “It’s always over before you want it to be.”
Abell, an Oklahoma native, returned to Oklahoma City in 2017 after more than a decade working and cooking in Los Angeles, where, among other things, he ran a burger-centric food truck where he served a version of the Triple Pig. A writer from LA Weekly called the burger “the perfect backyard burger,” he said.
Now, the menu at Burger Pig is expanding into additional carefully crafted items but still focusing on dishes that evoke childhood memories. Take the menu’s new macaroni and cheese, made with locally made pasta, a five cheese sauce, heritage pork and sliced scallions.
A new sundae and ice cream sandwich (coated with pink glitter, no less) are available now, and chili cheese fries are coming soon.
“Burger Pig,” Abell said, “is for people who love junk food and want the best possible version of it.”
