Bifana Showdown: Porto vs Lisbon BIFANA!! Portuguese Pork Sandwich

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Portuguese Pork Sandwich / Befana Recipe | Porto vs Lisbon version
Servings: 4
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Special equipment: None

THE FRIED EDITION:

400g pork cutlets
2 cups white wine
4 bay leaves
Whole garlic
Sweet paprika
White pepper
1 tbsp salt.
50 ml olive oil
Two tbsp salted butter
Two tbsp ghee or lard
4 tbsp sweet mustard
4 bread roll, preferably Papo Seco (Portuguese bread roll)

HOW IT IS COOKING:

1) Cut off the fat from your pork cutlet if it has a thick layer of fat.
2) Then cut the cutlets into thin slices of ½ a centimeter / ⅓ of an inch.
3) In a large bowl ad white wine paprika and sea salt.
4) Take a whole garlic and divide it into two. Cut it so the gloves are divided in the middle.
5) Add the pork cutlets and massage the marinade into the meat for a couple of minutes.
6) Let the meat sit in the marinade for 1 hour. If you have the time you can even marinade the pork in the morning and let it sit all day in the fridge as that makes the meat even more tender.
7) Now to the frying. Make sure to save the marinade from the pork as we need it for the sauce.
8) Bring a pan up to medium heat. Add in the butter, ghee and olive oil. Now fry the cutlets in the pan. It has to appear as if you are actually steaming or boiling the pork in the fat.
When the pork is almost done add half of the mustard (2 tbsp) and a bit of the marinade to the pan.
9) Divide the bread roll and add some of the sauce from the pan on both sides before adding the cutlets.
10) Now eat this delicious Bifana with some additional mustard to your own taste and a cold beer.

THE BOILED EDITION:

400g pork cutlets
50 ml olive oil
1 tbsp ghee or lard
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion
4 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
1l beer (Pilsner)
250 ml tomato sauce
50 ml water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tbsp sweet paprika
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp salt.
Piri piri
4 bread roll, preferably Papo Seco (Portuguese bread roll)

1) Start with making sure that your pork cutlets are very thinly sliced. The best way is to use a super sharp knife and cut the meat horizontally on a cutting board.
2) Peel onion and cut it into thin slices.
3) Peel garlic cloves and smash them.
4) In a large pot with olive oil, ghee and butter, once it's melted together add onion and fry until the onion is soft.
5) Then add garlic and tomato sauce and stir until it starts boiling up a bit and then add the beer.
6) Stir in the spices and bay leaves and bring it up to a simmer.
7) Now put the pork in the pot one slice after another and stir it around.
8) Let it simmer for 30 minutes under a lid that only covers half of the pot.
9) Taste the dish and make sure that it has the salt and peber balance.
10) Open the bread rolls and add the pork. Remember to add extra sauce and if you wish, also some spicy piri piri.
11) Enjoy with a cold beer!