Roast Pork and Pepper Sandwiches

Ingredients

For the pork

• Pork shoulder, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, in one piece
• Salt
• black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the glaze

• 1 cup peeled garlic
• Neutral or olive oil, as needed
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 4 drops red food coloring, optional

For the serving

• Maldon salt
• 1 cup chopped roast red peppers
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, sautéed and chopped
• 8 rolls

6 to 8 sandwiches

Preparation

For the pork

1. Season pork generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for a minute, then add pork. Lightly brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Remove and cool.
2. Enshroud in three layers of plastic wrap, creating a waterproof straitjacket.
3. Put a trivet in a roomy pot and place pork on top. Cover with water and place a weight — like a small plate — on top to submerge it. Turn heat to low and bring water to between 170 and 180 degrees — well below a simmer. If a thermometer shows the water is hotter, add ice cubes or cold water. Poach 2 hours.
4. While pork is cooking, put garlic in a small pot and cover with oil. Place over low heat and cook until soft but not colored, about one hour.

For the glaze

1. Mix vinegar, sugar, chili, cinnamon, star anise and Sichuan peppercorns in a pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Boil 10 minutes, strain and discard spices.
2. Remove garlic from oil, and purée it with the vinegar mixture in a blender until silky and loose. Add salt and coloring, if using, and blend again. Taste and add more salt, if needed, and coloring if the sauce is not stop-sign red. (This can be kept for up to 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator.)
3. Stick an instant-read thermometer in the center of the pork through the plastic. It should read 150 to 155 degrees. (If not, wrap with another layer of plastic and return to the pot.) Plunge the wrapped pork into an ice bath until chilled. (Once cold, the pork can be stored in the refrigerator overnight.)
4. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Unwrap pork, put it on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes. Remove, and generously coat the pork with the sauce. Return to oven and cook until glaze is dark and sticky sweet, 7 to 9 minutes.
5. Thinly slice pork against the grain. Sprinkle each slice with Maldon salt. Put about 1/4 pound of pork, a tablespoon or more each of roast peppers and broccoli rabe into the rolls.

3 hours