Dynamite Pork Sandwich

When you want a simple dinner, sandwiches are a great option. I get bored of the usual turkey club though, so I'm always trying to create new recipes. Hot sandwiches are excellent, because they function well as dinner or lunch. Last week, I came up with this Pork Dynamite Sandwich (I named it "Dynamite" for no particular reason, so just enjoy it!). The sandwich has salted pork belly (cooked to a crisp), spicy chipotle cheddar cheese, fried jalapenos, and herb-garlic butter, and.... raspberry jam! This might seems like a strange combo, but the smoky spiciness of the jalapenos and cheese play well with the tart sweetness of the jam and the super saltiness of the pork.


The first step, as would be the case with any sandwich is the pick the bread. For this, I picked ciabatta style rolls. They're crusty on the outside and not too soft on the inside, and they pick up a nice toasted texture when put in the oven for a few minutes. I buttered the inside of the bread with a compound butter that I had whipped up with granulated garlic and Italian herbs.

Next I added the filling: salt pork belly that I had already cooked in the oven until crispy, shredded chipotle cheddar cheese (you can use your favorite cheese, but this one is available from Cabot of Vermont), and fried jalapenos. The jalapenos are lightly dusted in all-purpose flour and then deep fried for about 12 minutes:

Next I spread the jam on the other half of the roll, and then I toasted the sandwich in the oven at 400 for about 7 minutes until the bread was crisp and the cheese melted.

Try it out - it's delicious!