ACMC History -
In 1949, small business meat processors gathered in Chicago to enter their hams in the First Annual National Ham Show. Sixty-five hams were judged in four classes. This competition started a tradition that is known today as the American Cured Meat Championships (ACMC) - the only national event of its kind in North America.

The event has expanded over the years to cover a wide variety of products including hams, bacon, jerky, and sausages.

Spicy Italian Sandwich
Includes: Freshly thin slices of carando hot capicola, Ham, Oldani Hard Salami, Provolone Cheese, Tomato, and Lettuce. Served on an Italian Sub Roll With Hot Peppers on the side.

For more information on Maria’s Bakery and to view their full menu visit them on the web - www.mariasofypsilanti.com.

Featuring:
The Oldani
Oldani salami, sweet capicola, sharp provolone and roasted peppers with oil & vinegar, Served on freshly baked rustic Italian rolls

Martino’s Italian Market established in 1968 by the Martino family offers the finest selection of foods from Italy and the Mediterranean. Martino’s is also a full service deli offering sandwiches, panini, soups and hot entrees either “to go” or enjoy dining in.

(content edited from www.martinosmarket.com)

For more information on Martino’s Market and to view their full menu, visit their web site www.martinosmarket.com

“The Godfather”
Oldani salami & imported provolone, “An offer that can’t be refused”

“T.C. - The Fireman Special”
Oldani salami, peppered ham, sopressata, fresh mozzarella, lettuce, tomato, sun-dried tomatoes & roasted peppers…”Hold on to your hose”

Mike’s Deli is located in New York City’s landmark Arthur Avenue Retail Market for over 50 years. Please visit us in the heart of New York’s Real Little Italy, Arthur Avenue (known as the Belmont Community, in the Fordham section of the good old Bronx).

(content provided by Mike’s Deli - www.arthuravenue.com)

For more information on Mike’s Deli and to view their full menu click here.

LUCKY LUCIANO
Oldani Salami, sharp provolone & roasted peppers

THE POSH
Prosciuttini, Oldani salami, sharp provolone &
Portabella mushrooms

For more information on Pranzo’s and to see a full menu visit their web site: www.pranzosalumeria.com

The competition was judged by a panel of both celebrity judges and sausage experts.

Along with winning the “Best of Show” award, Oldani Brother’s also won the following:

• Reserve Grand Champion - Traditional Sommer Sausage
• Reserve Grand Champion - Specialty Wurst
• Reserve Grand Champion - Italian Sausage
• Grand Champion - Exotic Wurst

According to Danno, who blogs about New Orleans food at nolacuisine.com, the bread should have “a good coarse texture, and a nice crust (not too hard) and sesame seeds.” Here is his version of the classic sandwich, which he says “serves 4 light eaters, 2 hungry hangovers or one bad-to-the-bone eating machine!” Ingredients

   1 10-inch round loaf Italian bread with sesame seeds
   1 recipe olive salad (see below)
  1/4 pound Genoa salami (Oldani is the best)
  1/4 pound hot capicola (this is my spin; you can use regular ham)
  1/4 pound mortadella (San Daniele)
  1/8 pound sliced mozzarella
  1/8 pound provolone

Directions
Cut the bread in half lengthwise.

Brush both sides with the oil from your one-week-old olive salad. Go a little heavier on the bottom.

Layer half of the salami on the bottom half of the bread. Then the mortadella. Then the mozzarella, then the capicola, provolone, and the remainder of the salami. Top this with the olive salad. Put the lid on and press it down without smashing the bread. Quarter it. You’ve just created pure heaven.

I don’t often go to Papa Joe’s Market in Birmingham as it’s very expensive and concentrates mostly on prepared food. (It’s the sort of market that wealthy suburbanites with $250,000 kitchens go to to buy the ready-made dinners that they actually serve). But Papa Joe’s does have some foods that are hard to find, and as I was in the neighborhood I stopped by and found this marvelous Oldani salami in the preserved meat section. I really like hand-crafted salamis, and this one turned out to be exceptionally good, sliced very thin and served on some fresh baked bread with tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil.

Photograph courtesy of Jason Perlow

I’m not exactly sure where the term “Sangweech” came from, but I know I want one. Look at that thing. The photo was posted to the Serious Eats Flickr photo group by Jason Perlow, a friend of Serious Eats and publisher of the blog Off the Broiler. Normally I leave the serious sandwich-making to professionals, but if this photo is any indication, greatness can be achieved in your own home, with an incredibly large ciabatta loaf and the desire to stuff said loaf with more cold cuts than one would consider reasonably safe.

What I’m saying is, try this at home—but you may need building permits.

I know it’s cruel to post about a sandwich that you can’t buy, so to make up for it, here are Perlow’s instructions for making a Sangweech of your own.

He starts with a whole ciabatta loaf, cuts it in half, and layers it with assorted goodies. His are from Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but you can assemble your own with whatever equivalent ingredients you have easy access to. The layers, from bottom to top:

• Mike’s Deli Sliced Provolone
• Dilusso Genoa salami (extra aged)
• Don Michele prosciutto di Parma
• capicola
• mortadella
• Oldani salami
• hot soppresatta
• marinated artichokes
• preserved Italian red peppers
• basil and arugula (from Perlow’s garden)
• Mike’s Deli fresh mozzarella
• olive oil and balsamic vinegar

After assembling it, Perlow puts the sandwich into a milk crate with barbell weights on top, to “flatten it into submission” overnight in the refrigerator.

A sandwich of this magnitude is quite an undertaking, and Perlow has some more tips for you:

• Choose your bread wisely: Whenever you’re making a sandwich this large, you need a sturdy bread to stand up to all the ingredients. Ciabatta is perfect, because it is wide, tall, and has a very thick crust. You do not want to use a soft bread for this
• Press the sandwich overnight: Use something heavy, as detailed above. It makes the Sangweech more portable and easier to eat
• Sidestep the sog: Avoid using anything with a high water content, like iceberg lettuce or ripe tomatoes. When the sandwich gets pressed, the water in those ingredients will find its way into the bread. Instead, use toppings such as basil, arugula, or a mesclun mix. If you can’t fathom the thought of a sandwich without tomatoes, used sun-dried tomatoes or serve fresh ones on the side
• Go easy on the dressing: The same liquid principle applies here. Use less dressing than you think the Sangweech needs. Everything else should be piled on in abundance