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The Sandwich 100 · make it at home

Bifana (Portuguese pork sandwich)

25 min, plus 2 hr marinating · 4 bifanas

Thin pork steaks marinated in garlic and white wine, simmered in their own juices until soft, tucked into a soft papo-seco roll with mustard (Lisbon) or a spicy sauce (Porto). Best with a small cold beer standing at the counter.

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You need

• 500 g (1 lb) pork loin, sliced into 4 to 8 thin steaks and pounded to 3 mm (1/8 in)
• For the marinade: 4 cloves garlic, crushed, 200 ml (3/4 cup) dry white wine, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, black pepper
• 2 tbsp lard or olive oil
• Optional for Porto style: 1 tsp piri-piri sauce, 1 tbsp tomato paste, a splash of beer
• 4 soft white rolls (papo-secos)
• Yellow mustard

How to make it

1. Marinate (2 hr): Mix the marinade and turn the pork in it. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
2. Sear (4 min): Heat the lard in a wide pan over high heat. Lift the pork out (keep the marinade) and sear the steaks 1 minute a side until just colored.
3. Simmer (10 min): Pour in the marinade (and the Porto additions, if using), bring to a simmer and cook gently until the pork is tender and the sauce reduced and glossy, 8 to 10 minutes. Add a splash of water if it reduces too far.
4. Warm the rolls (2 min): Split the rolls and dip the cut sides briefly in the pan juices.
5. Build: Put 1 or 2 steaks in each roll with a spoon of the juice and a stripe of mustard. Serve with a beer.

Tips

• Pound the pork really thin; that's what keeps it tender.
• The sauce left in the pan is meant for the bread; don't waste it.

Chef Amazing's own home version, in our words; not any shop's recipe.