Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.

How to Make PS7's Primanti Brothers Sandwich

By Ann Limpert , Jessica Sidman Published Monday, March 02, 2009

If you’ve been to Pittsburgh, chances are you’ve heard of Primanti Brothers. The chain, which has roots as a Depression-era truck stop, is best known for sandwiches piled with knockwurst or capicola and topped with vinegary slaw and—the crowning touch—a fistful of French fries. One regular at PS 7’s in Penn Quarter craves them so much that he schlepped one back to DC for chef Peter Smith. Smith declared it the “best sandwich in the world” and came up with a sopressata-on-sourdough version topped with hand-cut fries and pepper slaw ($7.50) for his lounge and lunch menus. The customer said, “Dude, this is as close as you’re going to get.”

Check out the recipe and how-to video below.

PS7’s “Primanti Brothers" Sandwich

Makes four sandwiches.

Ingredients
8 slices sourdough bread, approximately ¾ inch thick
8 ounces thinly sliced soppresatta
4 eggs
2 russet potatoes, cut lengthwise and fried as French fries
4 ounces gouda cheese, sliced
Pepper slaw, as needed (recipe below)

Pepper Slaw
½ head green cabbage, shaved
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
¾ cup cider vinegar
¼ cup sugar
½ tablespoon ground black pepper
½ tablespoon celery seed, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon oil

Combine all ingredients. Let sit for a minimum of five minutes. The slaw can be made in advance.

Assembly
Heat the sopressata in a skillet. Separately, fry the eggs to over-medium, turning once.

Cut a large piece of heavy-duty brown paper or butcher paper to approximately 18-inches square. Place it on the counter. In the center of the paper, place one slice of sourdough bread. Top that with ¼ of the heated soppresatta, ¼ of the sliced gouda, one fried egg, and ¼ of the pepper slaw. Top with a second slice of sourdough bread. Press the sandwich down with moderate firmness. Roll it very tightly in the paper and keep pressing down. Slice the sandwich in half, exposing the center of the sandwich, but retaining the paper for holding. Repeat the process for the remaining sandwiches. Serve immediately.

Comments

primanti sandwiches are the best period.! and so is our football and hockey teams.!

Posted by: angie b, Sep 15, 2009 07:20:59 PM

They can be made close. For the slaw, omit the red peppers, don’t "lightly toast" the celery seed and let it sit for a few hours...not a few minutes.

Trade the sourdough for Italian, gouda for provie, and use capicola, pastrami, jumbo or kielbasa for the meat (never liked the steak patty).

The fries are important, and you must use peanut oil. Don’t peel them, after slicing soak in cold water for 15 min then drain. Heat fryer to 325. Cook for 5 min to blanch. Remove and drain. Cook again at 360 to brown them.

All Primanti sammiches have sliced tomato on them, and sliced onions are good too. The hot sauce they use is Red Devil.

Here’s the order: bread, meat, cheese, egg, fries, slaw, tomato, onion, bread.

Posted by: Nick, Mar 13, 2009 07:23:09 PM

They aren’t the only ones in the area trying this:
Liberty Tavern in Arlington has a --

“Primanti Brothers” Style Sandwich, housemade pastrami, provolone, coleslaw, French fries on housemade Italian bread 9$

Add fried egg for only .50!
http://www.thelibertytavern.com/food.html

As a CMU alum - I’m equally skeptical but excited to try it since it’s in my hood.

Posted by: Jess/jstrelitz, Mar 04, 2009 12:12:07 PM

As a Pitt alumni and having eaten Primanti Brothers sandwiches at the original truck stop in the Strip District back in the 70’s before it became "the Strip District," back when it really was a diner tucked on a working loading dock, I am appalled.

The article says Primanti’s uses knockwurst or capicola. Huh? The sandwiches I remember oh so well were hamburgers. They were topped with fries and cole slaw and then you doused it with Tabasco. Ah, I can taste it now. At 3 a.m., after partying all night, these sandwiches were really great. Hit the spot. The place was classic too. There was a guy named Chubby who told you where to sit and he meant it. All sorts of people showed up from truckers to guy in tuxes escorting ladies in gowns.

I am afraid, even the Primanti Brothers of today is a shell of its former self and cannot match that time and place and taste. But it will always live in my slightly fuzzy, college alcohol soaked memory.

Cheers to Primanti Bros!

Posted by: Marsha, Mar 04, 2009 11:09:53 AM

Sourdough bread and gouda? I bet they even have a wine pairing for it on the menu.

Sacrilege. That is all there is to say about this.

Posted by: Laughing, Mar 04, 2009 10:07:33 AM

Just adding fries and slaw does not a classic Primanti’s sandwich make...the truckers in the Strip District would never recognize this version.

Posted by: Catherine, Mar 04, 2009 10:00:21 AM

Not sure they should even try! The ’Burgh is the only place I would get a Primanti Borthers samich!

Posted by: Lisa B, Mar 04, 2009 08:29:44 AM

This is the white-collar version of the Primanti Brothers sammich! I think Mr. Smith gives the original version its due respect, so I am looking forward to seeing what his version tastes like. It will be nice to have something similar even though it is fancier that the original.

Posted by: Yinzer, Mar 02, 2009 07:18:00 PM

Unfortunately, Primanti’s cannot be recreated. This definitely isn’t the same.

Posted by: Jesseka, Mar 02, 2009 12:44:24 PM

This is an affront to what a Primanti’s sandwich is. You don’t use gouda, and the fries go ON THE SANDWICH. I appreciate the effort, but leave this to the professionals.

Posted by: Sir Spicious, Mar 02, 2009 12:28:04 PM

I’m sure this sandwich is delicious, but I assure you that no self-respecting Primanti’s would be caught using sourdough or gouda on one of their sandwiches. That’s far too fancy for what is essentially designed to be trucker food.

Posted by: Tiffany, Mar 02, 2009 11:37:47 AM

MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!!!!!

Posted by: slurpeeman, Mar 02, 2009 11:27:39 AM

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How to Make PS7's Primanti Brothers Sandwich

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