If you are from New Jersey or have visited it more then once, you’ve probably eaten at a Diner at some point. If you have, then you’ve either eaten pork roll or at least seen it on the menu. If you answered no to the first statement, you might be saying what is pork roll? Let’s unpack both of these thoughts shall we? New Jersey is the Diner capital of the United States and trust me, that title is for good reason as it is home to approximately 525 of them. The definition of a diner is as follows: a typically small, informal, and inexpensive restaurant that has an extensive menu and that is often made from or designed to resemble a modified railroad dining car. A lot of them are silver. And a lot of them have a counter you can sit at.
More contemporary ones don’t take the traditional roads as tightly, while most of them do still have a counter at least. The menus are usually lengthy with a plethora of options featuring pancakes galore and every option of “parmesan” you can come up with. Breakfast is typically served all day and portions are generally large. My go to dinner choice is generally an open faced hot turkey sandwich and my breakfast option generally includes pork roll. If you are looking for some great ones, you can find some of the most popular ones here. My go-to locations in Cape May County are the Star Diner in North Wildwood and The Court House Diner in Cape May Court House.
Now, what is pork roll? Like I said, if you are from the area, you already know. But for those who have not been blessed, it’s a pork disc of heaven. More specifically, it’s a pork based item that looks similar to ham but has a higher fat content. It’s also goes by the name, “Taylor Ham”, which is how it’s more commonly known as in North Jersey and other areas. A man named John Taylor from Hamilton Square, created the dish back in 1856 and sold it as “Taylor’s Prepared Ham”. The name changed when other competitors entered the market and it officially became “Taylor’s Pork Roll”. Somewhere along the line, the names mashed, thus creating a great debate of whether you are a fan of Pork Roll or Taylor Ham? Hell, even Former President Barack Obama touched on this during a commencement speech at Rutgers University, and even he wouldn’t pick a side. Have you met New Jersians? We are a passionate, stubborn bunch… but it’s pork roll. 😉
My Dad was a meat cutter for over 50 years who instilled some really strong pork based beliefs on us. Of course I had to do a dish with it on there. My dream breakfast when I think of eating pork roll is a pork roll, egg and cheese sandwich on an everything bagel from Avalon Coffee. So what to do then? I didn’t want to do that because it seemed way too obvious. What’s on a diner menu that could help flip this on it’s head? Pancakes? No. Omelet? Nah. Wait… what is a sandwich that is on every single diner menu? A monte cristo. A battered ham and swiss sandwich served with a raspberry jam powdered sugar…let’s do this.
First things first, I’ve had a lot of pork roll types over my years and hands down the best one I have found was this one from Shop Rite.
Get the tangy. I don’t care if you are a more of a Mild person which is the other offering they have. It’s not spicy, it’s not “hot”, it’s flavorful and it’s pork magic. I recently brought this to a coworker who had never had it and was a pork roll fan. His response after eating it: “If I was allowed to touch you right now, I’d be on you like rust on a hubcap”. Yeah… it’s that good. It had Dad’s seal of approval and now I’m passing it on to you.
The sandwich itself is pretty straight forward. If you’ve never cooked pork roll, then here’s a tip. Cut small slits on either side of the pork slice to prevent it from curling while it cooks. This will allow for even caramelization on each piece. Make sure to cook the pork roll first and then make the sandwich from there.
The unsung hero of this recipe is the Raspberry Wine Jam that goes with it. I developed this jam a bit ago for a cookie recipe. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I’ve made this for a few folks and they’ve eaten it straight from the container with a spoon. The best part of this recipe is that no pectin is required. Just letting it cook down over time or reducing it is the natural thickener. 3 simple ingredients is all you need: fresh raspberries, a red wine of your choice and sugar. That’s it.
All you need to do is give it the time it needs to thicken and cook down. Give it a stir from time to time and that’s it. The jam is ready when the liquid is almost gone and the jam rich and thick.
This dish is a great brunch option or a perfect breakfast for dinner option. The tangy pork roll offsets the sweetness from the powdered sugar and jam as well. Enjoy!
Pork Roll Monte Cristo
Serves 4
- 8 Pork Roll Slices
- 12 Swiss Cheese Slices
- 8 Brioche Bread Slices
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Powdered Sugar for Garnish
Raspberry Wine Jam
- 1/2 cup Red Wine (I used Merlot)
- 1 3/4 cup Fresh Raspberries
- 1/2 cup white sugar
Cut a small slit on two sides of each pork roll slice to prevent curling. In a large skillet, cook the pork roll until each side is browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
Assemble sandwiches by layering sandwich as such: slice of brioche, slice of swiss, slice of pork roll, swiss, pork roll, swiss and brioche.
Once each sandwich is assembled, place in skillet over medium heat. Press sandwich down panini style using a spatula or even another pan that is clean. Repeat with each sandwich until all have been browned and pressed.
Combine egg, heavy cream and vanilla in a medium bowl and whisk until fluffy. Cut the crust off of each sandwich.
Dip each sandwich into the batter quickly, making sure each side is battered. Don’t let it sit in the batter too long or the bread will become soggy.
Place the sandwich onto the skillet and cook until the bread is golden brown like French Toast. Flip the sandwich and repeat on the other side. Remove from heat. Repeat with each sandwich.
Cut sandwich in half and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with raspberry wine jam on the side.
For the raspberry jam, place raspberries, wine and sugar into a medium sauté pan over medium high heat. Stir to combine all ingredients. Cook until raspberries have broken down and liquid is reduced down and thick. Allow to cool until warm and serve with sandwich.