Philly Style Roast Pork with Broccoli Rabe and Provolone Hero. This roast pork sandwich is a signature dish hailing from the great city of Philadelphia where many Italian immigrants settled. It was originally created by Domenico Bucci, an Italian immigrant and is sold today all over Philly. In fact, Bucci’s grandson John owns the famous John’s Roast Pork where he serves this classic. This sandwich is considered a sibling to the famous Philly Cheesesteak. But, I actually like it better.
The pork is seasoned and cooked in a delicious au jus. Then sliced and put on crispy Italian Bread, topped with broccoli rabe, sharp provolone and roasted peppers. All the ingredients can be prepared in advance. Just assemble before serving.
Philly Roast Pork and Broccoli Rabe Sandwich
(Makes 8 Small Heros)
The Pork
6 Lbs. Pork Butt
2 Cups Salt - plus 1 tsp.
1 Cup Sugar
4 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Rosemary
2 Tbsp. Chopped Fresh Thyme
2 Tbsp. Fennel Seeds
1 Tbsp. Red Pepper Flakes
The Aus Jus Dipping Sauce
1 Au Jus Packet
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
2 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
10 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbsp. Honey
For the Broccoli Rabe
2 Bunches of Broccoli Rabe - Stems trimmed
¼ Cup Olive Oil
3 Garlic Cloves
1 tsp. Salt
⅛ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
To Assemble the Sandwich
8 Italian Hero Rolls
1 Small Jar Roasted Peppers or 3 Peppers Roasted Homemade (See my recipe)
1 lb. Sliced Provolone
Method
In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, rosemary, thyme, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes. Put the pork butt in a deep pan and cover with the salt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take the pork out of the refrigerator and rinse well and pat dry.
Put it in a roasting pan or dutch oven. In a small pot mix the au jus packet according to package directions.
Then add in worcestershire, rosemary and garlic. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Pour this over the pork and put in the oven for 20 minutes. The pork will start to brown a little.
Reduce the heat in the oven to 275 degrees and cook the pork for about another 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the pork reads 140 degrees.
In the meantime, make the broccoli rabe. Please note, this can be done in advance. Boil a pot of water. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes until the stems become soft. Drain and put in an ice bath. This will keep the color of the broccoli rabe nice and green and stop it from cooking more.
In a frying pan add the oil, red pepper flakes and the garlic. Saute the garlic on a low flame until it is cooked through. Add the broccoli rabe and saute for about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and shut off the heat. Set aside.
Once the pork is at 140 degrees, remove it from the oven.
Remove the pork from the au jus.
Strain the aus jus and return it to the dutch oven or put it in a pot if you used a roasting pan. Retrieve the garlic from what has been strained and mash. Whisk into the aus jus along with honey. Bring to a simmer on a low temp.pan.
Let the pork rest for about 15 minutes then slice. I do this on my slicing machine but you can do it by hand. I like to slice very thin.
Return it to the aus jus once it is sliced.
Reduce the heat in the oven to 350 degrees. Now it is time to assemble the sandwich. Slice the rolls and top the bread with the pork, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and the provolone. . Put in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted. Serve with a side of the aus jus for dipping.