Make Ahead

Portable Pork Sandwich (An homage to my favorite purveyor of pork at the flea)

by:
June  4, 2011
5
1 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 4 hours
  • Serves 8-10
Author Notes

A pork shoulder roast is very inexpensive, a 7.5 lb bone in roast from my local grocer is $17.00 add on the cost of the bread and vegetables and for under $30 you have a meal that can easily feed 8 people or more and when you divide the cost of it all by the number of people you can feed it's about $5.00 per person. Economical definitely!! I am not counting some pantry items in the total, because it's just too hard to calculate and place a dollar amount on a tbs or tsp of oil or vinegar etc.....

The Brooklyn Flea is not just a flea market it has some of the best street food in Brooklyn. Every time I go I run to this food stand, there are two guys there who always have a huge pork roast, its juicy and tender, fragrant with herbs and oh so delicious. They slice it off right in front of you, lay it on a crusty ciabatta roll and you are in pork heaven. My recipe is honoring them and their tasty pork sandwiches. I have made a few changes to how they serve their sandwich. Instead of ciabatta I am serving on warm flatbread and they don't put any sauce I have made a recipe for a simple but very tasty sauce that you drizzle over the meat. I am also adding a simple slaw that is equally delicious on the sandwich. - sdebrango
sdebrango

Test Kitchen Notes

This sandwich is amazing. Each of the elements—the rosemary-infused roast pork, the garlic and herb-y sauce, and the cabbage radish slaw—are terrific on their own, and when eaten together, the result is extremely delicious. I stuck to the recipe(s), but made one substitution: I used cilantro instead of parsley in the sauce because my son won't eat parsley. I ate mine in a corn tortilla for a gluten-free variation, and I am so happy this recipe yields a lot: I can't wait to eat this sandwich again tomorrow. - WinnieAb —WinnieAb

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • The pork roast
  • 1 pork Shoulder Roast, approximately 5- 8 pounds bone in
  • 4 to 6 large Cloves garlic a larger roast use more garlic
  • 1 sprig rosemary (should yield 2 generous tbs of chopped rosemary)
  • 1/4 cup olive Oil
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper, more to taste
  • The sauce, slaw, and putting your sandwich together
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup olive Oil
  • 1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 pinch crushed hot pepper flakes
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 large head green cabbage (Or 1 whole small head of cabbage)
  • 8 radishes
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 to 4 turns of the pepper mill
  • 10 pieces flat bread or rolls
Directions
  1. The pork roast
  2. Pre-heat oven to 450° F
  3. Peel and crush garlic, remove rosemary from stem and give a rough chop, smash with some salt in mortar. Add the olive oil and smash it all together.
  4. Place your pork shoulder in roasting pan preferably one with a lid ( I use those black and white speckled ones made by graniteware) if you don't have a roasting pan with a lid just cover tightly with aluminum foil).
  5. Massage the garlic, rosemary olive oil paste into the roast. Give it a good rub down you want it to really penetrate the roast.Salt and pepper your preference how much. Refrigerate. (RECOMMENDATION: Its best to marinade 2 hours even better overnight so the pork really takes on the flavors). An hour before roasting take out of refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and place in the oven at 450° F for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350° F and bake for at least 4 hours. You want that roast to be so tender it literally falls apart when you place the fork in.
  1. The sauce, slaw, and putting your sandwich together
  2. Mince the garlic finely, fine chop the parsley, add the lemon juice, olive oil,, hot pepper flakes and salt and pepper and add all to a mixing bowl, whisk to combine. Cover and let stand so the flavors will incorporate. NOTE: You can use food processor for the parsley and garlic 2 pulses.
  3. When the pork roast is done let sit for 30-60 minutes. Warm your flat bread. I use my tongs and heat directly on my gas burner flipping it so that each side is heated. Pull some of that delicious pork (you can dip the pork in the pan juices and place in the warm flat bread and drizzle with the sauce. Either fold or wrap your sandwich and enjoy
  4. The radish and cabbage slaw: For a large cabbage Cut in half then in quarters and slice into strips and for a small cabbage cut in half (use both halves) then slice into strips place into a bowl, julienne the radishes add to bowl. Toss to combine. For the dressing in a mixing bowl add the vinegar, olive oil, sugar and celery seed and salt and pepper whisk to combine and pour over your cabbage and radishes. Put a nice handful on top of the pork sandwich. Making in advance and letting the slaw sit in the refrigerator is best all the flavors will meld together.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

I have loved to cook for as long as I can remember, am self taught learning as I go. I come from a large Italian family and food was at the center of almost every gathering. My grandfather made his own wine and I remember the barrels of wine in the cellar of my grandfathers home, I watched my mother and aunts making homemade pasta and remember how wonderful it was to sit down to a truly amazing dinner. Cooking for me is a way to express myself its my creative outlet. I enjoy making all types of food but especially enjoy baking, I live in Brooklyn, NY, and I share my home with my two dogs Izzy and Nando. I like to collect cookbooks and scour magazines and newspapers for recipes. I hope one day to organize them.

17 Reviews

tupperbear April 30, 2018
I think I may try smoking this on my Traeger.
LeBec F. March 12, 2013
yummOla! can't wait to try this!
lapadia March 5, 2013
A great sandwich for a "picnic feast!"
Cristina S. February 26, 2013
Suzanne, I am salivating as I look at this sandwich. Surely this pork delight is reason enough to have another Food52 potluck this spring, for no reason at all? I'll make the ice cream(s) of your choice!
Cristina S. February 26, 2013
Ohmygoodness yes. I have a list of flavors for people to choose from beforehand! And I'm seeing visions of homemade butterscotch, chocolate ganache, vanilla whipped cream, crushed marcona almonds.. let's do it! Sometime in March? Shall we send an email to our fellow Brooklynites?
Cristina S. February 26, 2013
Awesome :)
lapadia March 5, 2013
Party? :)
lapadia March 5, 2013
Well maybe one of these times I will be able to pull it off! :)
boulangere February 25, 2013
I remember this! I'd love one right this very minutes, as it's dinner time and I'm feeling uninspired.
Midge June 23, 2011
Oh man, How did I miss this? Looks amazing! And the Brooklyn Flea will be a priority next time I'm in NY.
Kitchen B. June 8, 2011
Love pork sarnies. Since I discovered the ease of roasting a shoulder and just how far it can be stretched, my life and its quality have improved!!!!!!!!!
EmilyC June 8, 2011
After seeing your picture, I want a pork sandwich for breakfast. Looks fantastic.
clintonhillbilly June 7, 2011
The Brooklyn Flea rocks. I live in LA now and while the street food here is outstanding, I miss the Flea.
fiveandspice June 6, 2011
This sounds wonderful! Good gracious I do love roast pork! Everything I hear about Brooklyn flea makes me want to take a road trip more and more and more!
Beautiful, M. June 4, 2011
Sounds delicious, especially with the slaw and flat bread ! I have read about the Brooklyn Flea Mkt and it sounds great; hope to visit some day.
inpatskitchen June 4, 2011
Sounds Yummy!
boulangere June 4, 2011
I love to massage my roasts.