Cuban Sandwich

Submitted by ratherbeswimmin

"It is generally believed that the Cuban cigar workers who migrated to the Tampa, FL area/Ybor City back in the early 1900's brought the Cuban sandwich to the US. Originally called the "mixto" or mixed sandwich, the Cuban, as it is known today, became a workingman's lunch for those employed in the cigar industry. Note--if you can't get sour oranges in your area, try equal parts of orange and grapefruit juice or 2 parts orange juice to 1 part lemon juice and 1 part lime juice."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 34mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• Cuban Roast Pork

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 cup minced onion
• 1 cup sour orange juice
• 1⁄2 cup Spanish olive oil
• 1 (2 lb) boneless center cut pork loin roast

• Cuban Sandwich

• Cuban bread
• butter, softened
• sliced dill pickle
• 1 lb thinly sliced cuban cooked pork
• 1 lb thinly sliced good-quality ham
• 1⁄2 lb thinly sliced mild swiss cheese
• yellow mustard (optional)
• mayonnaise (optional)

directions

1. To make the Cuban Roast Pork: Mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar/pestle.
2. Place the mash mixture in a small bowl; add in oregano, onion, and sour orange juice; mix thoroughly.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the mash mixture and whisk to blend.
4. Remove from heat and set marinade aside.
5. Pierce the pork roast with a sharp knife or fork.
6. Set aside a small amount of the marinade for use during the roasting period.
7. Pour remaining marinade over the pork, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 325°; remove pork from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
9. Sprinkle reserved marinade over pork.
10. Roast until completely cooked and a meat thermometer registers 160° (about 20 minutes per lb).
11. Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
12. Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes before thinly slicing the meat.
13. Bring remaining pan juices to a boil and simmer until juice is reduced by half; use this juice to sprinkle onto the meat in the sandwiches.
14. To make the sandwiches: cut the bread into 4 sections, each about 8 inches long; slice these sections in half horizontally; spread butter on the inside of both halves.
15. Generously layer sandwiches with filling ingredients in the following order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
16. Spread with the optional mustard or mayonnaise if desired.
17. Preheat a pancake griddle or large skillet.
18. Lightly coat hot griddle or skillet with cooking spray; add in the first sandwich (make sure that your griddle or skillet is not too hot or the crust will burn before the cheese melts).
19. Place a heavy iron skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it (you want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about a third of its original size).
20. Grill the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden.
21. Repeat the process for each sandwich.
22. Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
23. Note--Additions like Genoa salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion have become popular in the past forty years but are considered heresy by purists; in the old days, the sandwich was brushed on the outside with a small amount of pork drippings.

Reviews

[DianaEatingRichly]

After having a mind blowing Cuban sandwich in a little cafe in Miami, I never thought I could recreate it. But this was incredible! I pressed the sandwich as it grilled on my grill pan so the pork juices smushed out and the sandwich fried up in the juices. AMAZING!

 

[Manami]

Hi NurseDi - these are fantastic! This is the correct way in which to make a "Cuban" sandwich. The purist still scoff at others when they use other ingredients to the sandwich - and the outside was always sprinkled with a small amount of pork drippings. These are also served during Carnival of 8th Street - where they have their own Mardi Gras, where they sell them on the street like they used to long ago. These sandwiches are delicious and I think I am going acroos the street to get one now - this recipe whet my appetite! Thanks so much for posting, Diane

 

[red white kitchen]

Wonderfull the real McCoy thank you!

 

[Potluck]

First off ,I will say my Husband didnt really care for this sandwich,he said it was rich..I personal liked this sandwich and thought the dill pickles really made it.I used leftover puerto rican pork for the meat and followed the rest of instructions..This sandwich is very filling..Glad I tried it..

 

[TXOLDHAM]

I had left-over Puerto Rican Style Pork Roast #56651 so I didn't use this roast pork recipe but followed the rest of the recipe exactly. My husband had eaten Cuban Sandwiches at the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa and he thought these were just as good. They use salami also but he didn't think it was missed. We used mustard only and buttered the outside of the bread. I grilled them on my George Foreman Grill, pressing down hard to flatten and melt everything together. How can you go wrong with pork, ham, swiss cheese and dill pickles on Cuban Bread!