Spicy Pork Po’Boys

• Recipe by Melissa Rubel

In Louisiana, a po’boy is a soft baguette filled with either fried seafood or meat. Melissa Rubel makes her po’boys with juicy grilled pork patties, topped with lettuce, tomato and a crunchy-creamy pickle-and-shallot mayonnaise.

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3. 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
4. 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5. 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
7. 1/2 cup mayonnaise
8. 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
9. 2 medium kosher dill pickles, very finely chopped
10. 1/2 small shallot, minced
11. Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
12. 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
13. 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
14. Hot sauce, for serving

Directions

1. Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground pork with the paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Form the pork into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill the pork patties over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
2. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard, pickles and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the baguettes.
3. Place 3 pork patties on the bottom of each baguette and top with the lettuce, tomato and a few splashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve.