Bifanas ~ Classic Portuguese Pork Sandwiches

pork loin

🥗Healthier: chicken breast

💰Cheaper: pork shoulder

Chicken breast is leaner, while pork shoulder is more economical.

white wine

🥗Healthier: vegetable broth

💰Cheaper: water with vinegar

Vegetable broth adds flavor without alcohol, and vinegar in water mimics acidity.

Slip a slice of top round, a pork cutlet, or pork chop into a zip-top bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat tenderizer or rolling pin until it's very thin but not torn. Ideally, you want it to be the thickness of deli meat, less than 1/8 of an inch (3mm) thick. Repeat with the rest of the pork.

In a small bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups white wine, 6 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, and 2 teaspoons Diamond kosher salt.

Add the pork slices to a shallow pan and pour the marinade over top. Stir the pork in the liquid, making sure the slices are pretty much submerged. Refrigerate the pan for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring the meat several times.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot and add the 3 tablespoons lard. Fry the bifanas quickly until cooked through, about 1 minute per side. Add more lard if the pan threatens to dry out. Transfer the cooked bifanas to a plate.

Discard the bay leaves and pour the reserved marinade into the skillet and scrape up any stuck-on bits. Let the mixture boil until reduced by about 1/3, 4 to 6 minutes.

Add the bifanas back to the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer to warm them through.

Slice the Papo secos or crusty rolls in half. Spoon some of the sauce over each half, pile with the pork, and, if desired, serve with the mustard and piri-piri sauce.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens