Bread: I know you usually start out talking about what goes in a sandwich, but the bread is the most important part. After all, without the bread it isn’t a sandwich. The bread for a good sandwich should be a quality roll, soft in the middle and crusty on the surface. The roll should be almost cut all the way through. You need a good long hinge to be seat that the filling sits on. So, cut the roll so you can fold it open, but so it holds together to help you build your sandwich. What you want to do is to put together a mixture of herbs, spices and either melted butter or olive oil. Brush this mixture over the cut side of the bread and place the bread on the hot grill to lightly toast the bread. This actually helps make a more manageable sandwich, but it also adds a lot of flavor. You can use this mixture to brush over vegetables also.
Meat: Either you think it’s strange or you don’t, but a hamburger is a sandwich. The hamburger has become such central part of life that many people don’t think about it as a sandwich. Try this; turn to someone nearby and ask them what the most popular sandwich in the world is. If they say hamburger not only are they right, but they’re a little odd. If you think about this then you can see that a great sandwich is going to start out with some nicely grilled meat. Whether you grill up some chicken breasts or steak or practically anything, by grilling it first you get all that great flavor. Of course, you need to work with something manageable so grill the smallest pieces you can and keep a cutting board hand to get your grilled meats down to an easily eatable size. The tougher and chewier the meat the more it needs to be chopped up to make a good sandwich.
Vegetables: If you think of the great sandwiches of time, like a good Philly Cheese Steak, there are always vegetables to go inside the sandwich. Personally I like grilled onions and peppers, but you can use whatever you like. If you want to put extra flavor in a sandwich, try grilling up onion wedges and bell peppers cut in half. Remember to brush them lightly with olive oil to add flavor and prevent sticking. Once these are heated up good you can remove them to a cutting board and chop appropriately.
Cheese: The secret of the cheese in a great grilled sandwich is to use very thin slices so it can melt easily. You want to assemble quickly so you hold in the heat of everything you’ve grilled from the bread to the meat and vegetables. This is more than enough to melt a thin slice of cheese.
Building a Sandwich: Like all of grilling, timing is everything. Have everything handy. Pulled the toasted rolls off the grill, place cheese against the bread and holding the roll in one hand load the meat and vegetables into the hinge of the roll. Fold and serve. Ideally the meat and vegetables are hot and juicy; after all eating a good sandwich isn’t a formal thing. If it doesn’t run down your arm a little it probably isn’t a good sandwich.
