Philly Italian Pork Sandwich (DiNic’s Copycat Recipe)

If you’ve spent time in Philly, you know that cheesesteaks are great and all, but the real treasure is the beautiful Italian pork sandwich, heaped with pulled pork, smothered in drippy broccoli rabe (or spinach, depending on who you’re talkin’ to), topped with peppers, laden with a base of gooey provolone cheese, and served on a perfectly crisp yet soft Italian roll.

The Philly pork sandwich is multi-dimensional, it’s complex, and it’s layered with flavors that are far more satisfying than your average cheesesteak. (In the truest sense of the word “average,” there are many mediocre cheesesteaks that created an overall cheesesteak fatigue that set in pretty quickly. Unless you can get to Tony Luke’s OR Pat’s OR Geno’s—hey, I’m not tryna start a fight in the comments section, but there’s a lot more that Philly has to offer.)  

In case you couldn’t already tell from that very vivid trip down memory lane, my peak epicurean pleasure during my college years in Philadelphia was getting on the creaky Septa line out of west Philly and heading to 12th and Arch Street for an afternoon at Reading Terminal Market.

My roommate and I would hit up the veggie market to get our weekly produce (my ancient Spicy Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage Recipe is still a favorite of my roommate’s and was made with andouille sausage and fresh chicken from Reading Terminal Market), and stop at DiNic’s for an Italian pork sandwich.

My DiNic’s order was always the same: pulled pork because it was fattier and tastier than the roast pork IMO, broccoli rabe, provolone, and a *mix* of the sweet bell peppers and spicy long hots. For my college wallet, it was a bit of an indulgence to get the pepper mix, but a key distinction.

At the counter, you’d get a variety of characters: the no-nonsense local guys who would quietly knock back a whole sandwich with a big coke, the tourist couples who would daintily split one, the frat bros from far and wide looking to ward off the Sunday scaries, and then me—taking my time at the counter to slowly devour the whole thing, topping it with the vitally important pickled pepperoncinis they had in plastic tubs, and not really caring about my general chipmunk cheeked approach.

While you’re eating, you watch the staff assembling sandwiches, drawing big forkfuls of pork from trays of amazing dark juice and drippings, carving off rough chunks of sharp provolone, and cutting rolls with a quick and expert hand. Then we’d wash the whole thing down with either a fresh fruit smoothie from the juice and baklava guy or an ice cream cone from Bassett’s across the way. Ahhhhh, weekend, complete.

That said, that $12 sandwich was a *bargain* because there is a lot of love that goes into it. And when I say love, I mean EFFORT. In my journey to crack the code on this recipe, I thought about making the pork in an Instant Pot, but I just don’t think it would yield the same depth of flavor, and if you’re gonna go for it, GO FOR IT.

I took some painstaking steps to ensure that this recipe was as accurate as it could be, from watching videos to poring over Google images of DiNic’s sandwiches to identify the right ratio of ingredients. I break down all the timing and steps from the pulled pork and broccoli rabe to preparing the peppers and assembling the perfect sandwich, so that when you decide to grace your palate with this Italian roast pork sandwich, you can stay two steps ahead.

In summary, the roasting process is as follows (you can refer to this later!):

PORK ROASTING PROCEDURE:

• Roast 35 minutes, and then add liquid (stock, wine, tomatoes, bay leaves)
• Roast 2 hours, and then cut pork into chunks and stir into braising liquid.
• Roast 2 to 2 ½ hours until fork tender

Total Roasting Time: ~5 hours

And I think the results are pretty great, because at the end of the day that I blogged this, we each sat down and devoured a whole sandwich, and I felt like I was back at the counter—drive or train ride to Philly not required! I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I love it. It is one of my all-time favorite things to eat on this earth. And you know us, we don’t say that kind of thing lightly.

If you can’t get all the way to Philly to experience one, you might as well make some Italian pork sandwich magic in your own kitchen.

Marinate the meat the night before. If needed, trim the skin off of the pork shoulder while you’re butterflying it, but don’t trim away the fat cap on top. We used a 4-pound piece off of a larger cut, so we also had a small bone to butterfly around.

Sprinkle evenly all over with salt (to avoid oversalting, sprinkle it from a height above the meat so it spreads evenly without needing to use a ton). Combine 1½ tablespoons ground fennel seeds, 1½ tablespoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, and 1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary leaves. Generously rub the meat all over with this seasoning. Next, stir together the 3 tablespoons of minced parsley and the minced garlic. Spread the majority on the inner parts of the butterflied pork shoulder, and distribute the rest on the top.

Rebundle the pork shoulder so it is in a relatively tight roll.

Place in a roasting pan, and surround with the thinly sliced onion. Drizzle a little olive oil over the onions. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, take your pork out of the oven early (about 2 hours before you’re ready to roast) to come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and one in the upper third.

You’re going to roast the pork and the peppers simultaneously, so wash the peppers, pat them dry, and cut them all lengthwise and deseed them (If you like your long hots really hot, skip that step!) Toss in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Lay out evenly on a baking sheet.

Place the roast in the lower third of the oven, and the peppers on the rack in the upper third. Roast at 450 degrees F for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the peppers from the oven and set them aside. Later, you can reheat the peppers by stirring them into the hot pulled pork to rewarm them, or by putting them back in the oven in the final stretch of cooking.

Also take the pork out of the oven at this step.

Add the stock, wine, tomatoes, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook for another 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Continue roasting the pork for 2 hours. Then remove the pork from the oven again.

Using a sharp carving knife, cut the roast into large chunks, laying them flat in the braising liquid. Cook for another 2 to 2 ½ hours, until the pork is fork tender.

A little while before you take your pork out of the oven, it’s time to prepare your broccoli rabe. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup of olive oil and 7 cloves chopped garlic. Let the garlic brown lightly, and add the crushed red pepper flakes.

Then add the chopped broccoli rabe.

Cook until wilted, and then lower the heat if needed to cook until tender––you don’t want the stems to be crunchy!

Remove the pork from the oven. Discard the bay leaves. Pull the pork in the pan with two forks, mixing everything in the juices.

Stir in your reserved roasted peppers to rewarm them. Alternatively, you could reheat them in the oven in the last 10-15 minutes of roasting.

To build each sandwich, grab your Italian bread/rolls, and slice them lengthwise.

Lay down a healthy bed of sharp provolone slices…

And toast in the oven to melt the cheese.

Top with a generous, drippy helping of pulled pork.

Spoon over the broccoli rabe…

(Oh, and don’t forget to nestle a few pieces of long green hot pepper and bell pepper inside if you so desire.)

Finally, top off with pepperoncini slices. The tangy sourness of these peppers add great contrast to the sandwich, and they’re mandatory in my opinion!

Once your Italian Pork Sandwich is assembled, eat immediately!

This sandwich is so good, I’ve eaten it fresh and hot, at room temperature, and even a tiny bit soggy and cold out of the refrigerator (sometimes you gotta just live and savor your ugly truths), and it NEVER DISAPPOINTS.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Italian Pork Sandwiches (DiNic's Copycat Philly Pork Sandwich)

 

Print

Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

5 hours

Total time

5 hours 45 mins

 

This Italian Pork Sandwich recipe is our meticulous recreation of the classic Philly pork sandwich with broccoli rabe, provolone, and plenty of peppers.

Author: Kaitlin

Recipe type: Sandwiches

Cuisine: American

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

For the pork:

• One 4- to 5-pound skinless pork shoulder, butterflied
• Salt
• 1½ tablespoons ground fennel seeds
• 1½ tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 16 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
• Olive oil
• 4 cups pork, chicken, or beef stock
• ½ cup Italian red wine
• 1 15 oz. (425 g) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves

For the roasted peppers (optional):

• 2 green bell peppers
• 6-7 long hot green peppers
• Olive oil
• Salt

For the broccoli rabe:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 7 cloves garlic, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bunches (about 2 pounds) broccoli rabe, washed thoroughly and chopped into ½ inch pieces

To assemble the sandwiches:

• 8-10 crusty Italian rolls
• 3-4 slices sharp provolone per sandwich
• Jarred pepperoncinis

Instructions

1. Marinate the meat the night before. If needed, trim the skin off of the pork shoulder while you’re butterflying it, but don’t trim away the fat cap on top. We used a 4-pound piece off of a larger cut, so we also had a small bone to butterfly around.
2. Sprinkle evenly all over with salt (to avoid oversalting, sprinkle it from a height above the meat so it spreads evenly without needing to use a ton). Combine 1½ tablespoons ground fennel seeds, 1½ tablespoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, and 1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary leaves. Generously rub the meat all over with this seasoning. Next, stir together the 3 tablespoons of minced parsley and the minced garlic. Spread the majority on the inner parts of the butterflied pork shoulder, and distribute the rest on the top.
3. Rebundle the pork shoulder so it is in a relatively tight roll. Place in a roasting pan, and surround with the thinly sliced onion. Drizzle a little olive oil over the onions. Refrigerate overnight.
4. The next day, take your pork out of the oven early (about 2 hours before you’re ready to roast) to come up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, and position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and one in the upper third.
5. You’re going to roast the pork and the peppers simultaneously, so wash the peppers, pat them dry, and cut them all lengthwise and deseed them (If you like your long hots really hot, skip that step!) Toss in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Lay out evenly on a baking sheet.
6. Place the roast in the lower third of the oven, and the peppers on the rack in the upper third. Roast at 450 degrees F for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, remove the peppers from the oven and set them aside. Later, you can reheat the peppers by stirring them into the hot pulled pork to rewarm them, or by putting them back in the oven in the final stretch of cooking.
7. Also take the pork out of the oven at this step, and add the stock, wine, tomatoes, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Cook for another 15 minutes at 450 degrees F, and then reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
8. Continue roasting the pork for 2 hours. Then take out of the oven, and using a sharp carving knife, cut the roast into large chunks, laying them flat in the braising liquid. Cook for another 2 to 2 ½ hours, until the pork is fork tender.
9. A little while before you take your pork out of the oven, it’s time to prepare your broccoli rabe. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup of olive oil and 7 cloves chopped garlic. Let the garlic brown lightly, and add the crushed red pepper flakes, followed by the chopped broccoli rabe. Cook until wilted, and then lower the heat if needed to cook until tender––you don’t want the stems to be crunchy!
10. Remove the pork from the oven. Discard the bay leaves. Pull the pork in the pan with two forks, mixing everything in the juices.
11. Stir in your reserved roasted peppers to rewarm them. Alternatively, you could reheat them in the oven in the last 10-15 minutes of roasting.
12. To build each sandwich, grab your Italian bread/rolls, and slice them lengthwise. Lay down a healthy bed of sharp provolone slices, and toast to melt the cheese. Top with a generous, drippy helping of pulled pork. Spoon over the broccoli rabe, and nestle a few pieces of long green hot pepper and bell pepper inside. Top off with pepperoncini slices if desired, and eat immediately!

Notes

Note: prep time does not include overnight marinating time.

3.5.3251