I have been hungry for some food from back east. I grew to love it so much, and regularly can be found trying to recreate it in my kitchen for my sweetie bear and I. From cheese steaks, to cannoli, to anything else we get a craving for, we recreate it all! Tonight I was hungry for a roast pork sandwich. A crusty Amorosa roll, piled high with roasted pork, dipped in Au jus, topped with provolone, some broccoli rabe and some long hots! However, I realized I had no provolone, I can't purchase broccoli rabe out here, and no long hots. You would think I would conclude with saying I didn't make them, right? Well I did. I let a Philly roasted pork sandwich inspire me. Let me tell you how.
When I first married my husband, I would cook "farm food". Being born and raised in Nebraska and then moving to New Jersey where the food is so different, always had my husband wondering what meal was going to be next. He called anything with gravy or mashed potatoes "farm food". Roast beast, (roast beef), DEFINITELY was farm food to him. He never meant it to be negative or derogatory but when regional food is so different, it just was something he said, and we still laugh over it to this day. SO, tonight when I wanted roast pork sandwiches and we didn't have the usual suspects needed, I decided to change it up. I made it "Omaha" style, since I couldn't make "farm food" sound good in the title. So while this is inspired by one of my favorites, it is definitely NOT a traditional roast pork sandwich as I know them.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. I think this is EXCELLENT for a crowd. You COULD do this in a crock pot but why in the world would you make baby food out of a nice pork loin? Your choice, just don't tell me!
You will need:
1, 4-5 lb pork loin
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 beef bouillon cubes
3 cups of water
2 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp.. garlic powder
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. dried parsley
hoagie rolls
butter
(I started with a rock solid, frozen tenderloin so when I give you the time I cooked mine, remember it might be 30 minutes less if you remembered to take yours out, unlike myself! )
Preheat your oven to 325 F. In a bowl combine, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and parsley. Mix to combine. Lay your pork into a 9x13 pan and add 3 cups of water and bouillon cubes. Take your seasoning mixture and rub the pork loin all over. Now, TIGHTLY cover with 2 layers of foil, and make sure to seal tightly to the pan. Roast for 1.5-2hrs, or until your inside temp is about 125-130. It will NOT be done (likely) at this point. After you remove it to take the temp, you can remove the pork loin to a cutting board. Let it sit while you make your gravy.
Gravy
1 cup cold chicken stock
Wondra flour as needed or 3-4 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp dried parsley
USING WONDRA
In a medium saucepan add 1 cup chicken stock, and all of the drippings/liquid from the pork pan. Bring to a boil and sprinkle in Wondra while whisking until it reaches the thickness you want!
USING CORNSTARCH
In a medium saucepan, add in 1 cup COLD chicken stock. Add to it, 4 tbsp. cornstarch and whisk it together. Add drippings/liquid from the pork roast and whisk together on high until you achieve the thickness you want!
To either of these you may find you need a bit more or less of the thickening agent, depending on the way you like your gravy. Add in 1 tsp. of dried parsley and stir and turn off heat, let sit until ready to pour it over the meat!
Now, slice your pork as thin as possible. I mean, nobody is going to check but try to do it up thin. No "pulling or shredding" of this meat or I will personally come to your house and "freak out" !
When it is sliced place it all back into your original roasting pan. Put it in an even layer and then pour your gravy over the top.
Cover tightly with the foil again and turn your oven to 350 degrees. Roast the pork IN the gravy for 30-45 minutes. When it is done remove from the oven, leave covered and prepare the bread!
Prepare your rolls. You need some big hoagie rolls! Cut them open and butter the inside generously. Place buttered side up and put on a pan, place under the broiler until lightly toasted. Flip the rolls over and place back under broil until slightly toasted on the outside as well. Load em' up with your roasted pork, spoon over some gravy and there you have "FARM FOOD" style pork roast sandwiches! And PLEASE use butter, you can literally taste it as you eat the roll, it is amazeballs.
Feel free to add some provolone and melt, or whatever you choose. For this version, I am a plain girl, thanks. Hubby was missing the provolone though!
Enjoy and make a ton, this is even better reheated the next day on ANOTHER hoagie roll! Or over egg noodles, or rice, or quinoa (erp).
ENJOY!!
PS. If you can't find a hoagie roll or a roll marked as a "brat bun" just use hot dog buns, they will be smaller but the same excellent flavor as long as you butter and toast them! Also, if you didn't notice, I make pork gravy from a mix of beef and chicken stock and the pan drippings.
I haven't had these forever. I will try this, but without the cheese. It looks so delicious.
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