Cuban sandwiches have become a favorite everywhere these days, from bodegas, to diners, to high end restaurants. The first time I had a Cuban sandwich was in Union City, NJ, where the population is over 80% hispanic.
You can find food there from almost every Latin American cuisine, and I still go to Union City’s Cuba Bakery whenever I can to get Cuban sandwiches–the kind of authentic creations that grease up the paper bag they come in.
I hadn’t really been thinking about those awesome sandwiches in a while, however, until I saw the movie Chef recently. As far as I’m concerned, the Cuban Sandwich was the real star of that movie – the main character opens up a lunch truck that serves Cubanos and fried plantains…
Check out our simple but much needed Tostones recipe to accompany this delicious Cubano. The version we decided to make in our Cubano recipe has a personal, although not original twist: the addition of pepperoni!
Yes, purists will mock me for including it in the recipe, but I love it. You can certainly leave it out, but I encourage you to give it a try.
This Cuban sandwich recipe also includes detailed instructions for making pernil, so it leaves you with some extra pork snack on, which is lucky because it’s so good on it’s own! Here’s how to make this incredible sandwich.
You’ll need:
Cuban Sandwich: Recipe Instructions
Place the pork shoulder in a large heavy duty zip top bag or bowl. Pierce the meat with a sharp knife in several places. In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper, onion, oregano, garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, bay leaves, and olive oil.
Pour the mixture over the pork and massage it into the meat, letting the liquid into the holes you’d created with the knife. Let the meat marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and place the roast along with all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes and turn down the heat to 325 degrees F.
Continue roasting for another hour or so, basting the roast every 15 minutes. Add about a quarter cup of water if the liquid in the pan dries up.
When the pork is done, set aside to rest for 30 minutes and gather the rest of your sandwich ingredients.
When you’re ready to assemble, slice up the pork. Don’t worry if it gets a little messy!
Slice the rolls in half. Spread mustard on both sides of each roll. Add some of your sliced roast pork and drizzle with some of the drippings from the roasting pan.
Add a layer each of ham…
…and pepperoni, if using.
Add a slice of cheese, and a layer of pickles.
Top with the other slice of bread.
Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat. Take each sandwich, and slather butter all over the outside of the bread on both sides. Place on the pan.
Cover with aluminum foil and something heavy (like a cast iron skillet) to act as a press.
Let cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the bottom is toasty and golden. Flip the sandwiches, cover with the foil and heavy skillet, and cook the other side for another 3-5 minutes, until the sandwich is crispy and the cheese is nice and melted.
Serve and have one of the best sandwiches you’ll ever have! If you serve this with tostones and a cold beers, one half a sandwich will probably be more than satisfying. Enjoy!
The Cuban Sandwich
Ingredients
For the Roast Pork:
- a 3 1/2 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the sandwich:
- 4 sandwich rolls
- 4 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 8 slices ham
- 12 slices pepperoni (optional)
- 4 thick slices Swiss cheese
- Sweet pickle slices (we used bread-and-butter pickles)
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
Instructions
- Place the pork shoulder in a large heavy duty zip top bag or bowl. Pierce the meat with a sharp knife in several places. In a bowl, combine the salt, pepper, onion, oregano, garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, bay leaves, and olive oil. Pour the mixture over the pork and massage it into the meat, letting the liquid into the holes you'd created with the knife. Let the meat marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and place the roast along with all of the marinade into a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes and turn down the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue roasting for another hour or so, basting the roast every 15 minutes. Add about a quarter cup of water if the liquid in the pan dries up.
- When the pork is done, set aside to rest for 30 minutes and gather the rest of your sandwich ingredients.
- When you're ready to assemble, slice the rolls in half. Spread mustard on both sides of each roll. Add some of your sliced roast pork and drizzle with some of the drippings from the roasting pan. Add a layer each of ham and pepperoni, if using. Add a slice of cheese, and a layer of pickles. Top with the other slice of bread.
- Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat. Take each sandwich, and slather butter all over the outside of the bread on both sides. Place on the pan, and cover with aluminum foil and something heavy (like a cast iron skillet) to act as a press. Let cook for about 3-5 minutes, until the bottom is toasty and golden. Flip the sandwiches, cover with the foil and heavy skillet, and cook the other side for another 3-5 minutes, until the sandwich is crispy and the cheese is nice and melted.
