The Deliciously Simple Jersey Mike's Seasoning Blend You Can Make At Home With Just 2 Ingredients

By now most of you already know about the sandwich chain Jersey Mike's, known for its hot and cold subs. If you're ordering a sub "Mike's Way," which is the restaurant's in-house version of "the works," you'll get a sub that's topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, a really healthy shower of an olive oil blend (which is a blend of olive and other oils), and red wine vinegar. You'll also be getting a sprinkle of two dry ingredients that decidedly push it in a more Italian direction. 

That would be salt and oregano. Yep, that's it. If you don't believe me, you can tinker around via the online ordering system and customize a test sub. Under the "Mike's Way" section, you'll see the two dry seasonings listed right there. If you're a fan of that Jersey Mike's flavor, you can replicate all of it at home with the key ingredients I mentioned — and don't forget the salt and oregano. In fact, if you want to save some time, you can pre-mix some together and put it in an airtight container. I'm sure you'll find plenty of creative uses for it at some point, like on fish, chicken, mushrooms, or anything savory.

There is one signature sandwich condiment that Jersey Mike's has on hand which you won't necessarily be able to replicate at home as easily, though it's one you can order if you enjoy a bit of a kick. That would be its Hot Chopped Pepper Relish which you can ask to have spread onto your sandwiches for a vinegary hit of spice. You can purchase it in a 16-ounce jar, but the ingredients are a little more vague than the salt and oregano mix. It's a blend of red and green peppers, vinegar, salt, stabilizers, and preservatives. (I suspect they're simply blitzed cherry peppers; a Facebook post from Jersey Mike's official page refers to it as "cherry pepper relish," though its official name is now "Hot Chopped Pepper Relish.")

Otherwise, if you've been making your own subs at home and feel like you've been missing that one little thing, it could be the salt and oregano mix. Salt amplifies the umami qualities in the sandwich while oregano brings that lightly bitter, peppery, "Italian-ness" sub shop vibe to it all.