Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich
Inspired by Dinicโs Roast Pork Sandwich at Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, this Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich is simply amazing. Loaded with tender pulled pork thatโs been slow roasted for hours then topped with cheese, broccoli rabe and roasted peppersโฆ.a true Philly favorite that everyone will love.
If you havenโt ever been to Reading Terminal Market and you happen to venture to Americaโs birthplace (PhillyโฆIโm talking about Philadelphia) this is definitely something that should be on your must-see list. Itโs one of my favorite places to visit when I hike my butt into the city and the food there is intoxicating. Reading Terminal Market is one of the oldest farmerโs markets in the countryโฆ.the oldestโฆmaybe, my history is a little fuzzy so feel free to educate me if you know the history of the market. But the most important thing about this place is the food and the varietyโฆand the people. They have everything from local produce to ridiculously insane baked goods to fresh oysters on the half shell to Dinicโs crazy amazing sandwiches. Itโs definitely a culinary experience that every food lover and people that need food to live should see.
Parking is a pain in the behindโฆ.reallyโฆ.sometimes itโs so busy that youโre lucky to find a $20 parking spot at the top of a parking garage. So, when a craving strikes for a Dinicโs Roast Pork Sandwichโฆitโs not always convenient to hop in the car and drive there for lunch. I had to come up with a planโฆ.a recipe of sorts that was just like my favorite sandwich. It took a few tries but I finally got it rightโฆand guess what? I made this baby in the slow cooker. ๐ Yep, itโs so easy I donโt think Iโll ever have to drive into the city again. Well, thatโs a little drastic butโฆ.I will never have to go just for this sandwich. I can now whip it up in my kitchen.
This Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich is super easy to make, a little hands on time in the beginning browning the pork is really the only work you need to put in. The rest of the time your slow cooker will take care of things. When your pork is ready, you can whip up the broccoli rabe fairly easilyโฆnot a fan of broccoli rabe? Sauteed spinach will do the trick and without the bitterness of broccoli rabe. I also top my sandwich with a pile of sharp provolone and some roasted red peppers. The flavor will seriously knock your socks off. And guess what else? This makes and excellent tailgating mealโฆ.itโs hearty and filling and if youโre team is losing, youโll be so preoccupied with your Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich you wonโt even know! Not a pork fan, you can try these insanely delicious hot dogs topped Philly style or go a little mexican with my loaded tater tots.
Looking for even more easy pork recipesโฆ.you have to try these family favorites!
- Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast with Honey Garlic Sauce
- Slow Cooker Kalua Pork
- Slow Roasted Pork and Sauerkraut
- Easy Pork Posole Recipeโฆready in minutes.
If you want something more Chicagoanโฆ..try this Italian Beef Sandwich!
Get the Recipe: Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 6-7 pound bone-in pork shoulder
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 head garlic, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 โ2 cup red wine
- 3 tbsp. ground fennel seeds
- 3 tbsp. dried parsley
- 1 1 โ2 tbsp. dried thyme
- 3 1 โ2 tsp. crushed red chile flakes, plus more
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 3 sprigs rosemary, stemmed and finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 lb broccoli rabe
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 1 โ4 cup canola oil
- 1 lb sharp provolone, shredded
- 1 cup rough chopped roasted red peppers
- 12 Italian style hoagie rolls
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over med-high heat and add the pork. Cook the pork until a crust has formed and then turn over. Cook the pork on each side until golden brown on all sides and then transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the onion to the dutch oven and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomato paste and cook until a deep burgundy color. Add the wine and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the fennel seeds, parsley, thyme, chile flakes, rosemary and bay leaf. Turn off the heat and pour the mixture into the slow cooker with the pork. Stir in the beef broth and cover. Cook the pork for 4 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. When the pork is done, transfer to a platter and shred with two forks. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker.
- Bring two quarts of salted water to a boil in a large stock pot. Add the broccoli rabe and cook for 1-2 minutes until bright green in color. Transfer to a bowl of ice water using a slotted spoon and then drain thoroughly. Place the broccoli rabe on a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sautรฉ pan over med-high heat. Add the broccoli rabe, garlic and chile flakes to the pan and sautรฉ for 4-6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To serve, pile pork on a roll, top with cheese, broccoli rabe and peppers. Serve immediately.
- Pork can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Pork can also be made and frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
31 Comments on โPhilly Style Roast Pork Sandwichโ
Ohhh boy, I canโt wait to try this out! Had Slowcook Italian Pork and Rapini Hoagies several years back and it was like nothing I had ever tried before! I quickly got on the recipe/ingredients and tried making my own at home, but at the time there werenโt nearly as many recipes on making it CORRECTLY as there are today. Needless to say, it was all trial and error over the course of 5-6 attempts and finally got it right on number 6! I of course LOST that recipe and havenโt tried sinceโฆ.but Iโm gonna go for it again this weekend for Labor Day and yours really does sound like #6! I canโt wait, super stoked and I will for sure post pics and let you know how it went! ๐ Thanks for the recipe!
I hope you love it as much as we do!
I have never personally had one of Dinicโs glorious sandwiches but my husband has and he raved over them. I found your recipe and gathered the goodness so the magic could happen. SO EASY. He stated this was as close to the โrealโ thing in Philly and devoured the tasty sandwich. It was super easy to cut down the servings as well; there are only two of us and the adjustment was great. THANK YOU SO MUCH for this fabulous sandwich recipe.
Iโm sooooo glad you liked them! Theyโre one of our favorites and I feel like the donโt get a lot of love here because not many people are familiar with Dinicโs. I hate driving into the city just for a sandwich so this definitely does the trick. Thanks so much for your comment and Iโm glad your husband loved it, too!
I just made this recipe and loved itโฆso did my family. Iโd like to make it for a casual dinner Iโm having for twelve people but my crockpot is too small for the amount of pork Iโll need so Iโll have to cook it in the oven. Iโm thinking cooking it slow (maybe 275/300 for two or three hours. Any other suggestions?
I would do about 325 for about 2 hoursโฆ.you should be good with that time and temp. So glad you loved it! We like to freeze leftovers, too, for an easy dinner!
I donโt have a slow cooker. Can I slow cook it in the Dutch oven in the oven? Suggestions? Canโt wait to try! Thanks.
Yes, absolutely! So, I would roast it at 325 or 350 degrees for about 2-3 hours or until the fork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork. You may need to flip it once during cooking if itโs not completely submerged in liquid.
What size slow cooker did you use for this? It seems like it would have to be large for the pork cut called for! Iโm dying to make this but want to make sure itโll fit in my slow cooker first!
I used a 6 quartโฆI think thatโs the size. Itโs a pretty big slow cooker but you can buy a smaller cut of pork if you have a small slow cooker.