When your family’s been selling roast pork sandwiches for four generations, and you’ve got a successful shop with a great location, it can be hard to make any changes.  DiNic’s roast pork sandwich is a best-seller and winner of dozens of awards and “best of” mentions.  The formula works.  But Joe Nicolosi knows that the business thrives by improving what you do; learning, and making adjustments.  And no change speaks louder than the upgraded version of the classic: DiNic’s Italian pulled pork sandwich.

A braised cousin of the roast pork, the pulled pork is marinated for a day with spices and fresh aromatics, then browned and slow cooked till the meat falls off the bone, simmered in the same natural stock as the roast pork, plus some wine and tomato sauce.  The result is a rich flavor and flaky wet texture that saturates the bread but never gets soggy.

Joe takes pride in continuing a tradition that began when his great-grandfather roasted the pork from his South Philadelphia butcher shop at the holidays, and has continued on through the years through various incarnations of DiNic’s.  (DiNic = DiClaudio + Nicolosi, the original sandwich shop partners at 10th & Oregon.)  The roast pork and roast beef recipes are generations old, but still, Joe constantly tweaks the balance between moister meat and a richer stock.

Working alongside his father Tommy since he was five years old, Joe makes the roast pork sandwiches with a focus on good basics: a PA farm fresh ham roasted to medium with garlic, onion, rosemary and oher seasoning, making a flavorful jus in the roasting pan.  Cooled and sliced thin, the roast pork is served with provolone and hot peppers, provolone and spinach, or provolone and broccoli rabe with a garlicky kick.

DiNic’s is about real cooking, where everything is from scratch, anti-commerical, in step with what Joe sees as a slow foods trend.  Much of the produce and meats come from just steps down the market at Iovine’s and from Martin’s butcher shop.  Another local vendor provides farm fresh prime hanging beef.  His bread, from longtime friend Danny DiGiampietro’s South Philadelphia bakery, is closer to what bread was like 50 years ago — crusty and crisp, not the pillowy soft hoagie rolls more commonly used today.  Joe believes it is important to educate yourself; stay fresh; and with a nod to the past, continue to push forward.

In his off-hours, Joe enjoys a good burger at places like Sketch Burger, Good Dog, and Monk’s.  He also goes for the shortrib bocadillos at Tinto.

With a strong base of local regulars, and a surge with every convention, DiNic’s is poised to continue their legacy of producing one of Philadelphia’s most loved sandwiches, and also to start a new chapter, where new sandwiches express the passion and the commitment to learning, innovating and improving what you do.

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DiNic’s
Reading Terminal Market
12th St & Arch St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107 (Google Map)