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Home » Recipes » Sandwich Recipes

Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich

Published: Feb 19, 2018 · Modified: Jul 10, 2025 by Chef Dennis Littley

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How to make a Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich

One of the great joys in life is a Roast Pork Sandwich and Philadelphia is renowned for having one of the best pork sandwiches in the country! Unfortunately, that doesn’t hold true for many of the restaurants that serve them! I have had a lot of tasteless pork sandwiches where the owners just go through the motions because they feel they have it on their menu.

You know, it’s not rocket science people. Cooking a pork roast doesn’t have to be complicated! You rub it with brown mustard and hit it with an abundance of Montreal Beef Seasoning and you’ve got one of the most flavorful pieces of pork you could ever hope for. The secret really is all that great cracked black pepper in the Montreal seasoning.

side view of roast pork sandwich with provolone cheese, roasted red peppers and broccoli rabe sitting on a white plate on a white table with a steak knife on the plate

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Most of the restaurants and taverns that feature a Philly Style Pork sandwich offer it a couple of ways. You can get it straight up with just a slice or two of provolone on it, or you can get it Italian Style which to me is the true Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich.

The Italian Style comes with broccoli rabe (or spinach) that has been sauteed in olive oil with a healthy amount of garlic, roasted red peppers, and aged provolone cheese…..sigh,  its a wonderful thing. That is of course if they bother to season the pork and don’t just throw it in the oven!

overhead view of roast pork sandwich with provolone cheese, roasted red peppers and broccoli rabe sitting on a white plate on a white table with a bowl of roasted red peppers and small ramekin of au jus

And no self-respecting purveyor of roast pork would serve that glorious sandwich without a side of Italian Long Hot Peppers. Those are the peppers that let you know just how hot they are as soon as you start cooking them, these were no exception! I’m afraid my days of long hots are far behind me, but to be truly authentic you gotta have them!

Don’t forget to pick up some good kaiser rolls for this sandwich, and your choice of provolone. I used regular provolone, Lisa just isn’t a fan of the aged provolone, it’s a bit too sharp for her. Of course, I would have used them both on my sandwich, I do love cheese!

 roast pork sandwich with provolone cheese, roasted red peppers and broccoli rabe sitting on a white plate on a white table with a steak knife on the plate and a bowl of roasted red peppers and ramekin of au jus in the background

This is definitely a sandwich worth making, your friends and family will absolutely love you for making it! It’s also a great way to have some fast food in your freezer. There is just the two of us at home, so when I make this type of roast pork I freeze what we don’t eat into portions that we can reheat for dinner another night.

I also keep extra Kaiser rolls in the freezer and you know you can always find a large variety of cheese in my fridge, and provolone is usually one of them! So dinner on a hectic night just got easier!

If you’re a sandwich lover you’re going to love these recipes:

  • Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwich
  • Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich
  • Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese Sandwich
  • Sweet Sausage Grilled Cheese Sandwich 
roast pork with provolone cheese, roasted red peppers and broccoli rabe

Philly Style Roast Pork Sandwich

Chef Dennis Littley
When its time to create deliciousness for lunch think about making my Philly style roast pork sandwich.  Just make sure to make enough of these beauties, because everyone is going to be coming back for more!
4.63 from 24 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Course sandwich
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 577 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Roast Pork

  • 4 lbs pork loin roast
  • ¼ cup brown mustard
  • 4 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning*
  • 1 lb sliced Provolone aged or regular
  • 12 Kaiser rolls or the roll of your choice

Broccoli Rabe

  • 1 head broccoli rabe
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic diced

Roasted Red Peppers and Long hots

  • 2 large red peppers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • sea salt and pepper to season

Make Your Own Montreal Steak Seasoning

  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon granulated onion
  • 1 tablespoon crushed coriander
  • 1 tablespoon dill
  • 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions
 

Pork Roast

  • Coat top side of pork roast with brown or deli mustard, rub into meat.
  • Sprinkle a liberal amount of Montreal Steak Seasoning over the mustard, covering the top completely.
  • Place meat in 350 F degree oven (177 C), add a little water to the bottom of the pan and roast the pork loin for about two hours or until a meat thermometer reads 150 F (66 C) degrees. (the temp will rise 10 degrees as it sits)
  • After the Pork has cooled completely cut it into thin slices to re-heat in the au jus.
  • Add some water to all of the meat drippings and use this as your base for the pork au jus.

Broccoli Rabe

  • Wash and trim the broccoli rabe removing any bad leaves and cutting off the stems, leaving only the leaves and flowers.
  • Place the broccoli rabe into a pan with water and allow to boil until the broccoli rabe is tender. (do not use a full pot of water, use just enough to cook)
  • Drain Broccoli rabe and saute in olive oil with chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Red Peppers and Long Hots

  • Wash peppers, and cut down the center removing all the seed and membranes.
  • Slice the red peppers about ⅜ of an inch thick (1 cm)
  • Coat with olive oil and season with sea salt and black pepper
  • Roast in 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes
  • Keep the peppers separate during the process, otherwise the long hots will make everything hot!

Make Your Own Montreal Beef Seasoning

  • Combine paprika, crushed black pepper, kosher salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion, crushed coriander, dill, and crushed red pepper flakes, mix well.

Assembly

  • Reheat the sliced pork in the au jus you saved from the pan
  • place slices of roast pork on kaiser roll, add provolone, broccoli rabe and roasted red peppers.
  • serve with extra au jus and long hots!

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 51gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 1893mgPotassium: 865mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2020IUVitamin C: 36.5mgCalcium: 392mgIron: 4.5mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    4.63 from 24 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Minnie@thelady8home says

    September 18, 2012 at 7:00 am

    Gorgeous sandwich Chef! And you just gave me an idea what to do with that load of leftover pulled pork I have sitting in my fridge.

    Reply
  2. anna says

    September 17, 2012 at 11:16 pm

    i don’t know why anyone, if offered the opportunity to choose between ‘plain’ and ‘italian style’ anything, would ever opt for plain. beautiful sandwich chef!

    Reply
  3. Candace says

    September 17, 2012 at 7:54 pm

    5 stars
    That is one gorgeous sandwich, Chef! Definitely make mine Italian style. I can just imagine what all of those flavors would take like together.

    Reply
  4. Frank @ Kraemers Culinary Blog says

    September 17, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    5 stars
    This is what I need tonight. I love the Italian style Philly steak sandwich with vegetables. It just gives you a complete dish with veggies, protein and starch.

    Reply
  5. Lynn says

    September 17, 2012 at 4:38 pm

    When I first say the word Philly in your post, I thought to myself, hum. After reading about the sandwich, wow, I can’t wait to make this for the hubby! We’re both big fans of anything that resembles Mediterranean food- the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, cheese. I just harvested the last of my Fresno chilis, might just be perfect for this, will give it a real kick.

    Reply
  6. RavieNomNoms says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:24 pm

    Reading Terminal Market has one of THE best pork sandwiches I have ever had. It comes with the broccoli rabe. SO good! This looks amazing chef!

    Reply
  7. Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:03 pm

    We love Montreal Steak seasoning – and you have a recipe! Awesome! The pork sandwich looks amazing and your photos are delicious too!

    Reply
  8. The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says

    September 17, 2012 at 12:28 pm

    Did you hear my sigh of contentment? It was there just from looking at the photo. 🙂

    Reply
  9. Anne P @ Webicurean says

    September 17, 2012 at 10:52 am

    This looks beautiful–I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  10. Larry says

    September 17, 2012 at 9:03 am

    Great looking sandwich Dennis. I didn’t realize Philly was also famous for pork sandwiches. Since Montreal Steak seasoning is our go-to for beef, I appreciate the recipe and wil make up a batch.

    Reply
  11. Kimby says

    September 17, 2012 at 7:41 am

    Thank you for including the homemade Montreal Beef Seasoning recipe, too — can’t wait to try it!

    Reply
  12. Mei-I @ Gastronomic Nomad says

    September 17, 2012 at 7:32 am

    This is giving me some serious cravings for Pat’s cheesesteaks! Beautiful job!!

    Reply
  13. Laura (Tutti Dolci) says

    September 16, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    What a sandwich, I love all the toppings you added. Beautiful pictures!

    Reply
  14. Mary says

    September 16, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    I’ve never seen a Philly that looked anything close to this delicious. I am completely impressed. Your photography is gorgeous in each of these shots too!

    Reply
  15. Kath says

    September 16, 2012 at 7:20 pm

    That just looks wonderful, Dennis! And I love your idea about freezing leftovers in servings for 2. I definitely want to give this a try sometime.

    Reply
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My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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