Everyone's heard of the TikTok Grinder Sandwich by now, but have you actually tried it?! It's delicious. Crusty bread, provolone cheese, Italian cold cuts, tomatoes and grinder salad with homemade dressing - the best part!
This grinder sandwich is better than any sub sandwich you've had. That's mostly because of the tangy dressing mixed with iceberg lettuce. That grinder salad is what makes this viral grinder salad sandwich all that it is.
Good sauces make or break a sandwich. Just like the sauces in this Meatball Banh Mi, New Orleans Muffuletta and Marinated Flank Steak Sandwich. The more sauce the better, if you ask me!
Check out the original sandwich video/recipe here!
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What is a Grinder Sandwich?
A grinder sandwich is one that is is similar to a sub, sub sandwich, hoagie or hero but with hearty, crusty bread. The bread can be difficult to chew, thus creating the name "grinder", because you grind your teeth to chew it.
Grinders are popular along the East Coast in New England, but you can also find them throughout the U.S.. They typically have cheese, meats such as cold cuts and sauce served on bread. They are served hot or cold.
Ingredients
- Crusty Italian Bread - This bread is great for a ribeye steak sandwich recipe too!
- Mayo
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Fresh Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Oregano
- Pepperoncini Peppers
- Red Onion
- Parmesan Cheese
- Provolone Cheese
- Turkey
- Honey Ham
- Soppressata
- Pepperoni
- Iceberg Lettuce
- Tomatoes
How to make TikTok Viral Grinder Salad Sandwich Recipe
- Step 1: Add all dressing ingredients to a medium sized bowl, whisk together then set aside.
- Step 2: Cut bread down the center, remove some bread to make room then smear each side with dressing. Leave some dressing in bowl to mix with lettuce.
- Step 3: Layer provolone, turkey, ham, soppressata and pepperoni on bottom of bread. Mix lettuce with leftover dressing then top the meat with the salad. Add tomato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the top of the bread then serve your TikTok Grinder Sandwich immediately.
Expert Tips
- Use good bread! You want the bread to be hearty and crusty so your TikTok Grinder Sandwich doesn't get soggy.
- Make dressing up to 5 days in advance. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Put that dressing on everything! This dressing is great on more than just the TikTok Grinder Sandwich, try using it on other salads and sandwiches.
- Make the salad right before assembling the grinder sandwiches. The lettuce can get soggy quickly.
- Heat your bread in the oven to give it a little more crust. I'd recommend 3-5 minutes on 400°F.
- I like to pull out any extra bread from the center of the sandwich.
- This Viral TikTok Grinder Salad Sandwich recipe can get soggy in a hurry. Assemble the grinders right before serving.
- This sandwich is great to cut into mini sizes and serve at a party. My Philly cheesesteak slider recipe is another small sandwich party favorite!
Variations
The TikTok Grinder Sandwich recipe can be good with a variety of variations. Here are a few you can try out:
- Cheese - Try using mozzarella, fresh mozzarella or swiss.
- Meats - You can use capicola, mortadella, salami or prosciutto on this grinder sandwich. There are also spicy versions of soppressata and capicola that are wonderful.
- Spice - If you're like me then you love all things spicy. Add some Pickled jalapenos, serrano peppers, hot honey, sport peppers or giardiniera. The giardiniera is available in hot or mild.
- Pickled Items - Add pickles, banana peppers or any other pickled veggie. The vinegar really brings out the other flavors in this grinder salad sandwich.
- Melt Cheese - A popular variation to this TikTok Grinder Sandwich, and how it's done in the original video, is to heat the bread and cheese until the cheese melts. Then add the remaining ingredients. Honestly, it's delicious either way, it depends on my mood that day. If you love a good melty cheese sandwich then Texas Toast Sloppy Joes are for you!
FAQ
You sure can! Sometimes I dice up the cold cuts and cheese then add it into the salad. I also like to add in dried cranberry and pepitas for some added sweetness and texture.
Soppressata is a dry-cured Italian salami. It can be mild or spicy and ingredients will vary depending on the region it was made.
Soppressata is a pork salami that has great flavor. It gets its oblong shaped from being pressed after it's stuffed. If you've never tried it, I highly encourage you to try.
You can find it any most local grocers as well as Italian shops. For more detailed information on soppressata, this is a great article!
Eating your TikTok Grinder Sandwich fresh when it's made is the best option. If you do have leftovers, you can store them tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
These sandwiches get soggy quickly, so they're not great to keep long.
Grinder salad is the lettuce and dressing mix that goes on top of the grinder sandwich. It contains shredded iceberg lettuce then a mixed dressing of mayo, red wine vinegar, garlic, a variety of spices, pepperoncini, red onion and parmesan cheese.
Any Italian meat will work really well on the TikTok Viral Grinder Salad Sandwich recipe. I like mixing things up and using capicola, salami, prosciutto and mortadella. Choose your favorite meats and give it a try!
I like to serve potato chips, a cookie, tomato cucumber salad, antipasto salad or fries with the TikTok Grinder Sandwich. Even a giant pickle is a great side. You really don't need much for a side since the sandwich is so huge.
TikTok Grinder Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 sharp knife
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 cup mayo
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic minced or grated
- ½ tsp kosher salt diamond crystal
- ½ teaspoon black pepper coarse ground
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ⅓ cup pepperoncini peppers small dice
- ¼ cup red onion fine dice
- ¼ cup grated parmesan I like to use freshly grated
Sandwich
- 1 loaf large crusty Italian bread about a 20" large baguette
- ½ lb provolone cheese sliced
- ½ lb deli turkey sliced
- ½ lb deli ham sliced
- ½ lb soppressata sliced, mild or spicy
- ½ lb deli pepperoni sliced
- ¾ head iceberg lettuce shredded
- 1-2 large tomatoes sliced
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
Make Dressing
- Add all dressing ingredients to a medium mixing bowl and whisk together
Making Grinders
- Slice bread down the middle then into 4 pieces. Tear some of the bread out of the top and bottom to make room
- Smear both sides with dressing, reserving a little for the lettuce
- Layer sandwiches with cheese on the bottom then turkey, ham, soppressata and pepperoni
- Toss the lettuce with the leftover dressing, add it to the sandwich, top with tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Star
Omg this is so good
admin
Thank you!!
Tammy Cruse
I did not actually make this recipe however I was fortunate enough to taste this sandwich. It was phenomenal! I will definitely be making this in the future!
admin
Glad you liked it!