Bifanas ~ Portuguese Pork Sandwiches
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
25 mins
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Cook Time
1 hr 35 mins
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Total Time
2 hrs
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Servings
4 sandwiches
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Calories
541 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Portuguese
Bifanas ~ Portuguese Pork Sandwiches
Description
This recipe creates authentic Bifanas by thinly pounding pork top round (or similar cuts) until deli-meat thin, allowing quick and even marination. The pork marinates in a mixture of white wine, garlic cloves, bay leaves, white wine vinegar, sweet paprika, and kosher salt, absorbing savory, aromatic, and tangy notes for about 1 to 1.5 hours. The quick frying of pork slices in lard in a hot skillet cooks them through in roughly one minute per side, creating a lightly crisped exterior while keeping the pork tender and juicy inside.
Finished pork slices are served on crusty rolls (such as Papo secos), traditionally enjoyed with mustard or optional spicy piri-piri sauce to further enhance flavor. This sandwich is renowned for its balance of robust pork character and seasoning, making it a popular street food in Portugal.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds pork top round or cutlets, or thin-sliced boneless pork chops, trimmed of fat, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups white wine
- 6 garlic chopped, cloves
- 2 bay leaf broken in half
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon paprika sweet
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, Diamond brand
- 3 tablespoons lard
- crusty rolls to serve, or Papo secos
- piri-piri sauce for serving (optional)
- mustard
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4sandwiches
Amount Per Serving
Calories 541 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1sandwich | |
| Calories | 541kcal | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | 24g | 8% |
| Protein | 41g | 82% |
| Fat | 23g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 114mg | 38% |
| Sodium | 1470mg | 61% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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