Italian seasoned slow cooked pork, with broccoli rabe and sharp provolone. The other Philly sandwich that deserves a big fat spot light.
Everyone knows and loves a Philly cheese-steak, and I’m making a case for the true star of the sandwich city – Philly Italian Pork Sandwich, this is your moment. I’ve adapted an old Bon Appétit recipe, adding a step of searing the meat before slow cooking in loads of flavor packed ingredients.
The broccoli rabe can be a bit of a sell to some eaters, and I highly encourage pushing it, but you can sub spinach or forget the greens all together – it will still be legit. Blanching and sautéing the slightly bitter greens in garlic and oil helps to reduce the bite a bit.
This monstrous garlic (Elephant Garlic) came from Trader Joe’s – it has a slightly milder flavor and is super easy to peel – I only needed one clove for this recipe instead of the usual 6!
Philly Italian Pork Sandwich
Ingredients
Pork
- 4 lb boneless pork shoulder Boston butt
- kosher salt & black pepper
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 head of garlic halved cross wise
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1-2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup warm water
Broccoli Rabe & Assembly
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe woody ends trimmed
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4-6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 hoagie rolls
- 8 oz sharp provolone thinly sliced
- 1 jar pickled banana peppers (for serving)
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
Pork
- Cut the Pork into four large pieces, and sprinkle generously with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Heat a dutch oven or a large skillet over medium high heat, and sear the meat in the canola oil, looking to get a little crust on each side of each piece of pork.
- Combine the vinegar, garlic, rosemary, honey, fennel, red pepper flakes, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 1 cup water in the insert of slow cooker. Place the pork on top of the liquid, turning with tongs to coat and mix ingredients. Cook on high until pork is very tender and shreds easily, about 4 hours.
- Transfer pork to a medium bowl and let rest until cool enough to handle. Pour cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan; discard solids. Let liquid settle so fat rises to the top, then pour off and discard all but a thin layer of fat. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about a third, 12–18 minutes.
- Meanwhile, shred pork with your fingers or 2 forks, discarding any large bits of fat. Season with salt.
- Set aside 1 cup cooking juices for serving, then add shredded pork to saucepan with remaining juices and toss to coat and rewarm pork.
Broccoli Rabe and Assembly
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Fill a large bowl with ice water and have at the ready. Add broccoli rabe to pot and cook just until stems are tender, about 2-3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer broccoli rabe to bowl of ice water and agitate to rapidly cool down. Drain and pat dry on paper towels. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into 1" pieces on the diagonal, all the way from stem to leaves.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring often, until garlic is golden around the edges, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add broccoli rabe; season with salt. Cook, tossing constantly, until leafy bits are just starting to crisp slightly, 7–10 minutes.
- Preheat your broiler, and line up the hoagie rolls topping with the provolone - broil for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the rolls are slightly toasted. Divide pork among bottoms of rolls, then spoon broccoli rabe over, and finish with a generous topping of pickled banana peppers and a squeeze of lemon juice over the broccoli rabe. Close up sandwiches and cut in half. Serve with reserved juices for dipping.
Notes
