Full Jersey Breakfast Sandwich on Plate
(click to enlarge)

Jersey Breakfast Sandwich


USA - New Jersey

Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
1 sand
**
20 min
No
For this, perhaps the most famous Jersey Pork Roll recipe, I found descriptions but no photo (2007). This is my take on it, but I spent much of my childhood on a farm in New Jersey so I'm calling it "authentic".




ar
1
2

1
ar







Jersey Pork Roll (1)  
Kaiser Roll
Cheese Slices
    (see note)
Egg
Lard (2)


Frying
Cheese

Application Notes
  • This is not "California cuisine" - it's, umm, "substantial", so if you're not a steel worker or the like you probably won't want to try to eat more than one at a sitting.
  • Making this sandwich takes a bit of practice. Your first attempts will surely be edible but may not look as nice as you'd like.
  • A practiced Jersey fry cook would scoff at my frying the pork roll and egg separately, but I don't expect I'll ever get that much practice, so I play it safe.
  • Slices from a block of Velveeta were too small and didn't melt well but Kraft American Cheese Individual Slices worked fine.
  • The photo sandwich is cut in half for clarity, but you probably don't want to do that - it's messy.
  1. Preheat your broiler.
  2. Slice PORK ROLL to the thickness desired, around 1/8 inch is good, two or three slices per sandwich as desired. Incise them from the edges as shown (fireman's badge) or they'll bulge up in the middle and not fry well.
  3. Slice KAISER ROLL ("Hard Roll" in NJ) into top and bottom halves but put it back together so it won't dry out. Unwrap the slices of CHEESE so they are ready.
  4. Heat Lard and fry Pork Roll until lightly browned. Don't over-fry or it'll shrink a lot and dry out badly. When done, remove from pan and set aside.
  5. Fry EGG "over easy" or "over medium" as you prefer - "over hard" is too dry. While the egg is frying set your Pork Roll slices on the lower half of the Kaiser Roll.
  6. When egg is done, set it on top of the Pork Roll slices. Top with 2 slices of Cheese and slip under the broiler. Check often, the cheese should be well softened but not too runny or it'll drip right off.
  7. Pull sandwich from the broiler, place the top of the Kaiser Roll on top and you're ready to serve!
  1. Jersey Pork Roll:   This is available on-line from several sources that ship all over North America, because many Jersey expatriots crave it. For details see our Jersey Pork Roll page.
  2. Lard:   You're eating Jersey Pork Roll and you're worried about the health effects of lard? Give me a break! In seriousness though, lard has a better health profile than butter, but you can use oil if you must.
  3. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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