As a New Yorker, I did as many New Yorkers do when they need to get away—traveled to Miami a fair bit. That’s where I was introduced to this sandwich long before it became a national hit. Knife is known for beef, but we also revere the pig here, and this sandwich is one of our many homages. It uses two forms of pork: sriracha pork belly, a recipe developed by meat genius and great friend Josh Smith of Boston; and Benton’s country ham from Tennessee.
Smash the avocado with a fork to make it more pliable and easier to spread on the sandwich—but don’t make guacamole! If you have a panini machine, by all means assemble the sandwich and press it in that. If not, do it in a frying pan on the stove, and press the top of the sandwich firmly with a plate or another small frying pan. Finishing in the oven completes the crisping and binds the ingredients together. The consistency of this sandwich—of all of my sandwiches—is very important. It shouldn’t messily spill out onto the plate, and every bite should taste uniformly of ham, bread, mustard, cheese, avocado, and pickle.
Use a good country ham, like Benton’s. Deli ham is okay, but a good country ham gives the sandwich an extra layer of rich, salty flavor. You want a soft—not a crusty—roll for this. A hero roll is perfect. And if you don’t want to make the sriracha pork belly or don’t like heat, just use plain roasted pork belly (see here).
SERVES: 1
3 (½-inch thick) slices sriracha pork belly (see here)
3 ounces thin-sliced country ham, like Benton’s
1½ teaspoons unsalted butter
1 soft roll, sliced in half
½ avocado
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, or more to taste
4 thin slices, about 1 ounce, good imported Swiss cheese, like Gruyère
5–6 kosher dill pickle slices
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay the pork belly slices in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook it like you would bacon, about 3 minutes on a side until the fat renders and the slices are brown and caramelized, but not crisp. Set the pork belly aside on a plate and wipe out the pan.
Place the pan back over the heat and add the ham and cook for about 2 minutes, just until it’s warmed through and the fat starts to render out. Put the ham on the plate with the pork belly.
Turn the heat to medium low. Melt ½ teaspoon of the butter in the pan.
Spread both the inside and outside of the roll with the remaining 1 teaspoon butter, about ¼ teaspoon of butter per side. Place the roll in the pan, cut-side down, and toast until it’s a nice golden brown. If there’s extra butter in the pan, pour it out.
Scoop the flesh of the avocado into a small bowl and roughly mash it with a fork. You want some chunks and texture.
Flip the bread in the pan and spread the mustard evenly over the cut sides. If you like more, add more.
Place 2 slices of cheese on each half of the roll. On one half of the roll, layer the pork belly, pickle slices, and ham. Spread the mashed avocado on the other side and place that half on top of the other half of the sandwich.
Using a sandwich plate or your very clean hand, press down on the top of the sandwich to compress it; don’t press so hard that the ingredients come out the side. (If they do, trim them away.) Weight the sandwich with a small skillet and place the whole thing in the preheated oven. Bake for 2 minutes and then flip the sandwich, replace the small skillet, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Place the sandwich on a plate, slice on the diagonal, and serve.
I don’t keep a lot of condiments around, but for me, the two I’ve included here (along with a good Dijon mustard) are the kings of condiments—delicious and useful in multiple situations. Once you make them, you’ll find yourself reaching for them for so many things you cook. And they’ll keep really well in the kitchen.*