Roast Pork Hoagie Recipe

Prep and roast pork

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pat the pork dry. Rub the pork with olive oil, minced garlic, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Place on a roasting rack in a shallow pan and roast until internal temperature reaches 145°F (about 20–30 minutes depending on thickness). Remove from oven, tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain into 1/8-inch slices and set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Trim tough ends from the broccoli rabe and blanch whole stems in the boiling water for 1.5–2 minutes until bright green and slightly tender.

Immediately transfer the broccoli rabe to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking (shock) for 1–2 minutes. Drain well and squeeze out excess moisture. Roughly chop into 1–2 inch pieces.

Heat 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the drained broccoli rabe, the garlic confit or 1 teaspoon minced/sliced garlic, and red pepper flakes if using. Sauté 2–3 minutes until fragrant and any remaining moisture evaporates. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Preheat the oven broiler or a sandwich oven to medium-high. If the hoagie roll is large, split it lengthwise leaving a hinge if preferred. Lightly brush the interior of both halves with 1 tablespoon olive oil (reserve a little if you used more for the broccoli rabe).

Layer the bottom half with half of the roast pork slices (about 4 oz), then top evenly with the sautéed broccoli rabe (use about 1 cup). Scatter sliced hot/pickled peppers over the greens if using, and spoon any garlic bits on top.

Top the broccoli rabe with the remaining roast pork slices and arrange the aged provolone slices over the meat and greens so they cover evenly.

Place the assembled sandwich on a baking sheet and slide under the broiler or into the oven just until the provolone melts and the edges of the roll are toasted, 2–4 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning.

Remove from oven, season lightly with additional black pepper or a drizzle of olive oil if desired. Close the sandwich, slice in half, and serve immediately.