From Bon Appetit, Artisan Restaurant in Paso Robles, CA
Pork
3 quarts water
1 1/2 cups of apple juice
3/4 cup coarse kosher salt
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup sugar
4 large thyme sprigs
2 heads of garlic, halved horizontally
2 bay leaves
2 whole star anise
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1 teaspoon whole allspice
2 large oranges, halved
1 2 1/4-pound boneless pork loin
Aioli
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Sandwiches
10 ciabatta rolls, halved horizontally
2 pounds thinly sliced Black Forest ham or honey-maple ham
Zucchini Pickles (recipe below)
1 pound Emmenthal cheese, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
Pork
Place first 12 ingredients in heavy large pot. Squeeze juice from orange halves into pot, then add orange halves. Bring mixture to boil, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Reduce heat to medium and simmer brine 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Cool, then cover and refrigerate brine overnight.
Add pork to brine; marinate in refrigerator two days, occasionally turning pork.
Aioli
Whisk mayonnaise and oil in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in all remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Sandwiches
Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place rack in roasting pan. Remove pork from brine; place in prepared pan. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into pork registers 145 degrees, about 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature, about 1 hours. Slice thinly.
Preheat broiler. Spread 1 rounded tablespoon aioli on cut side of each ciabatta roll half. Heat griddle or heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry ham just until heated through and beginning to brown, turning occasionally about 1 minute. Place roll bottoms on large rimmed baking sheet. Divide among sandwiches; arrange 1/4 cup of Zucchini Pickles over pork on each sandwich. Top each sandwich with cheese, dividing equally. Broil sandwiches until cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover each with roll top and serve.