{"id":36444,"date":"2016-11-06T08:00:06","date_gmt":"2016-11-06T13:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=36444"},"modified":"2016-11-02T14:32:20","modified_gmt":"2016-11-02T19:32:20","slug":"piggin-out-in-north-mississippi-the-neon-pig-offers-farm-to-table-goodness-in-a-casual-hip-setting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/piggin-out-in-north-mississippi-the-neon-pig-offers-farm-to-table-goodness-in-a-casual-hip-setting\/","title":{"rendered":"Piggin’ Out in North Mississippi: The Neon Pig offers farm-to-table goodness in a casual, hip setting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Butchering is a dying art, but the deft hands behind the meat counter at the Neon Pig<\/strong>, including those of co-owner and chief butcher, Seth Copeland<\/strong>, aspire far beyond perfectly marbled ribeye and supple filet to ambitious creations like duck prosciutto, chicken-strawberry sausage, and salmon jerky. Copeland, along with co-owner and marketing director, Trish McCluney<\/strong>, and managing partner Ashley Peeler<\/strong>, who oversees the Oxford location, have created carnivorous oasis. Manager Allison Wells<\/strong> helps feed the hungry masses. \u201cWe\u2019re an old-school butcher shop that proudly showcases, in a farm-to-table atmosphere, the beautiful and delicious foods of this area,\u201d said Wells, speaking over her shoulder as she fell in alongside the grill man, spatula in hand, flipping the caf\u00e9\u2019s marquee offering: a succulent, third-pound patty made of commingled ribeye, sirloin, New York strip, and Benton\u2019s bacon called the Smash Burger<\/strong>. The meat hissed and sizzled on the flattop and Wells tapped the fat drippings from her implement, laid it aside with a metallic clang, turned, smiled, and warmly welcomed a new customer.<\/span>
\n The man stepped to the bar, tapped his thumbs together and didn\u2019t bother looking at the menu, impressive as it was, laden with unique specialties. He passed over the seared pork belly selections, served either on an Asian-style bun or in a wrap, with napa cabbage and house-made hoisin, pickles, and siracha. He didn\u2019t go for the grilled cheese made from the milk of sweet-grass-fed cows, specifically, Thomasville cheddar. He didn\u2019t choose any of the numerous selections made from hearty Benton\u2019s bacon, from Madisonville<\/strong>, Tennessee<\/strong>. It wasn\u2019t dessert he came for, like classic Southern layer cakes from Sugaree\u2019s Bakery in New Albany or frozen treats made with all-natural, organically grown fruits from Tupelo\u2019s own PoPsy, or roasted pecan and salted caramel gelato from Sweet Magnolia Ice Cream<\/strong> in Clarksdale<\/strong>. \u201cI know what I want and what I come back for,\u201d said returning patron, Steve Ladd<\/strong>, as he nodded at Wells and simply said, \u201cSmash burger,\u201d and ordered a beer.<\/span>
\n The Smash Burger recently brought home the award for \u201cBest Burger in America,\u201d awarded by THRILLIST.com<\/strong>. It\u2019s one of the many concoctions crafted from steers, which are brought in gutted and beheaded and, like the pigs and lambs that arrive at the back door, ready to be cordoned off by the skillful hands of the Neon Pig\u2019s butchers. The grass-fed, pasture-raised meat comes from places like Circle W Farms<\/strong> in Houlka<\/strong>, Simpson Farm<\/strong> in Athens<\/strong>, Tennessee, the produce from Woodson Ridge Farms<\/strong> and the milk from Brown Family Dairy<\/strong>, both in Oxford, and jams and jellies<\/strong> from Native Son Farm<\/strong> just down the road in Tupelo<\/strong>.<\/span>
\n Behind the immaculately clean, cool-to-touch glass of the meat counter, thick, heavy slabs of T-bones and arching, marbled-crown roasts of lamb rest alongside burgundy steaks of ahi tuna, Coho salmon, and other bounties of the Gulf. \u201cWe hand-cut into primal and sub-primals,\u201d said Wells. \u201cWe use a hand saw and a ban saw to cut through large bones.\u201d The best sellers, she said, are the cowboy, a bone-in ribeye, as well as the Denver cut, taken from the shoulder of any of the Neon Pig\u2019s whiskey or beer-marinated ribeyes.<\/span>
\n House-made savories, like pimento and cheese and crisp, briny pickles, add to the overall, local experience of eating at the Neon Pig a customer can pick up a meat order or grab a packet of Gypsy Dawg dry rub or a quick, protein boost of OG or salmon jerky. Leaving nothing to waste, dogs can even grab a snack from a stash of discarded bones from the butchering.<\/span>
\n Like the Tupelo location the Neon Pig in Oxford specializes in direct-connect, farm-to-table goodness. The Oxford location opened January 11 and according to managing partner Ashley Peeler, Oxonians have received it well. \u201cThis is how our grandparents bought their meat, locally, fresh, and cut to order,\u201d said Peeler. The Oxford menu features a Belvis Burger, a play on the name of Mississippi\u2019s most famous pelvis-shaking crooner, which includes a patty made from the Smash grind topped with house-made pimento cheese, house-cured pork belly, Creole mustard, and house-made jerky sauce, all dripping and oozing and served on a ciabatta bun. Another decadent favorite is a fried chicken bacon sandwich, the complex construction of which involves soaking pork belly in chicken stock then a scratch-made roux. Slaw burgers and hot shrimp sandwiches keep salivating patrons coming back for more, Peeler said, as do Taco Tuesdays, when the kitchen staff piles high orders of three flour tortillas, heaped with salmon, Smash grind, or several other delectable favorites, served with chips and a drink. Every evening the \u201cafter 5\u201d menu includes a generously cut, locally sourced steak with locally grown veggies stacked on top and even a fried egg crowning the concoction like a cherry atop a sundae.<\/span>
\n It\u2019s hard to overstate the value of farm-to-table goodness, Wells said. \u201cWe buy local, we support local businesses, farms, and communities, and the money flows back to local sources.\u201d Executive Chef Mitch McCamey, who is the brain-trust behind most of the Neon Pig\u2019s menu, is working in concert with a movement in food culture that values wholesomeness, localness, and sustainability, Wells said. Carnivorous connoisseurs, lovers of specialty, niche culinary creations and all things delicious will find something to enjoy at the Neon Pig, Wells said. \u201cWe love people with big appetites for locally sourced, delicious food and a heart for their communities,\u201d Wells said.<\/span>
\nThe Neon Pig is open Sundays 11 am until 4 pm and all other days 11 am until 9 pm. Located at 1203 North Gloster Street. Phone (662) 269-2533. In Oxford the Neon Pig is located at 711 N Lamar Blvd., phone (662) 638-3257. \u00a0\"The<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Butchering is a dying art, but the deft hands behind the meat counter at the Neon Pig, including<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"featured_media":36449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68],"tags":[3838,5678,9493,3470,9494,9496,9497,4,9495,9498,2676,3,753,187,390],"class_list":["post-36444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-food","tag-athens","tag-brown-family-dairy","tag-circle-w-farms","tag-clarksdale","tag-houlka","tag-jams-and-jellies","tag-native-son-farm","tag-oxford","tag-simpson-farm","tag-steve-ladd","tag-tennessee","tag-the-local-voice","tag-tlv","tag-tupelo","tag-woodson-ridge-farms"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/2016-11-2-Neon-Pig.jpg?fit=620%2C349&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36444"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36444\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}