Big O's adds tasty BBQ to the Thunder arena roaster
Big O's Pork and Dreams, an OKC-area barbecue joint, is now operating a stand at Paycom Center.
Headed into the new season, the Oklahoma City Thunder needed another big man to protect the rim, rebounding help and a quality barbecue stand.
A week into the new season, at least one of those has been achieved.
Big O’s Pork and Dreams, with locations in Edmond and Midwest City, is now operating a stand at the Paycom Center.
While I’ve had better Oklahoma barbecue than Big O’s, I haven’t had many that are more fun.
“I’m like a mad scientist, I see things and just start creating,” Owen Wilson, the restaurant’s owner, told me last year.
At his restaurants, Wilson serves a variety of sandwich combinations, including the Rollie Ollie, a massive sandwich with your choice of meat piled under baked beans, potato salad, a hotlink (or Polish sausage) and a heap of cheese.
In my experience, barbecue restaurants that pile a dish high with toppings are trying to mask subpar meat. But that’s not the case at Big O’s.
At Big O’s Paycom Center location, the menu is smaller. My favorite is the classic pulled pork sandwich. The meat is juicy — not greasy — and usually includes great pieces of bark. The hickory smoke flavor is subtle and clean.
The arena menu also includes a smoked turkey leg, chopped brisket sandwich and sides of baked beans and macaroni salad. You can also get Big O’s loaded potato or loaded nachos.
If you do find yourself at his Edmond or Midwest City restaurant, I’d recommend the pork ribs, which are marinated in a dry rub for a full day before being smoked with hickory, resulting in a tender yet moist meat.
The rib meat is truly fall-off-the-bone, typically a sign of being overcooked and a frowned-upon feature among barbecue aficionados. But the attention to detail is still evident in each bite.
“You don’t work too hard to eat my ribs,” Wilson said. “I just want you to have that real easy bite that tastes amazing.”
There are no ribs yet at Thunder games. But the rest of the menu is worth being your new go-to when you are at Paycom Center.