Big Lou’s Butcher: For Serious Porchetta Cravings
Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
I was craving Meat and Bread‘s famous porchetta sandwich but decided to give Big Lou’s a try. Thankfully, the porchetta sandwich at Big Lou’s Butcher Shop satisfied my craving for juicy roast pork.
Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
My co-worker and I got to Big Lou’s shortly after noon but there was already a long queue forming. The shop smelled amazing, with heavy and rich smells of roasting meat wafting throughout the room. I quickly became very distracted by the cool decor though. The inside of Big Lou’s Butcher Shop looks and feels like the inside of an old Western movie, wood panels on the wall, old style cash register, big display cases of homemade sausage and freshly cut steaks. There was even a sheriff in full uniform standing in the corner. No joke.
Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
Also posted up on the walls are diagrams of cows and pigs, with different cuts of meats labelled. If you weren’t already totally hungry and you love meat, these diagrams will definitely make you salivate.
Porchetta sandwich, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
I ordered the porchetta sandwich straight away and my friend ordered the roast beef sandwich. Our sandwiches came wrapped up neatly in meat paper and cooking string, they were toasty and warm in our hands as we dashed off to find a place to eat (there is limited seating in the butcher shop).
Porchetta sandwich, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
Now for my readers who are dying for the Meat and Bread versus Big Lou’s porchetta sandwich comparisons: yes, the two sandwiches are definitely different. Big Lou’s sandwich is huge. And that’s an understatement. Big Lou’s sandwich is definitely more hearty and rustic, the bread is crustier, firmer, the porchetta chunks are massive. The meat is chopped more roughly than at Meat and Bread, I had to pull out a few pieces to eat separately since they were so big. It tasted incredible though, juicy, moist, the olive oil from the chimichurri sauce was literally dripping right out of the sandwich.
Porchetta sandwich, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
It’s impossible to eat this sandwich without dropping bits and pieces of it all over the place. But it’s well worth it.
Roast beef sandwich, Big Lou’s Butcher Shop, 269 Powell Street, Railtown, Vancouver
My co-worker enjoyed his roast beef as well. It was probably a less messy sandwich than mine or maybe he has better dining etiquette skills than me! I will definitely have to try the roast beef the next time I visit Big Lou’s.