El Sándwich Cubano
Almuerzo y La Merienda (The Midday Fuel & The 3 PM Pick-Me-Up)
If you grew up in a Cuban-American household, the smell of garlic, citrus, and roasting pork is the smell of home. You’ve seen the Hollywood approximations, and you’ve definitely suffered through menus offering "Cuban Sandwiches" slathered in mayonnaise and stuffed with lettuce. We aren't making that. This is the canonical, Miami-style Cuban. The secret to pulling this off on a busy Tuesday night is leaning on leftover mojo pork from Sunday dinner, or letting your slow cooker do the heavy lifting while you're at work. It's all about the architecture: stack it right, press it flat, and listen for the crunch. It tastes exactly like Miami, and exactly like Havana.
Before you start
Smash the garlic, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper into a heavy paste.
Use a blender or a traditional mortero to break down the garlic completely, then whisk in the orange juice, lime juice, and olive oil to form your mojo marinade.
Slow cook the pork shoulder in the mojo for eight hours.
Place the pork in a slow cooker, pour the marinade over the top, and cook on low until the meat falls apart effortlessly.
Shred the meat and store it for your weeknight assembly.
Pull the pork apart with two forks, tossing it back into its own garlicky juices. Keep it in the fridge; you'll need about one pound of it warmed up to build these sandwiches.
Ingredients
- pork shoulder4 lb
- garlic1 large
- sweet orange juice3/4 cup
- lime juice1/4 cup
- olive oil1/2 cup
- dried oregano1 tbsp
- ground cumin1 tbsp
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- black pepper1 tsp
- soft French or Italian loaf1 large
- sweet deli ham1/2 lb
- Swiss cheese1/2 lb
- dill pickles1 cup
- yellow mustard1/4 cup
- unsalted butter4 tbsp
Method
- 01
Spread a generous layer of yellow mustard on the inside of the top half of the bread.
Keep it simple and traditional; mayonnaise is an unforgivable offense here.
- 02
Lay the sliced ham on the bottom half of the bread to act as a moisture barrier.
This prevents the bottom crust from turning into a soggy mess when it meets the wet pork.
- 03
Pile a heavy layer of the warmed mojo pork directly over the ham.
- 04
Top the hot pork with the Swiss cheese and an even layer of dill pickles.
The residual heat from the pork will start melting the cheese immediately, giving the pickles a soft bed to sink into.
- 05
Close the sandwich and generously smear the outside crusts with softened butter.
Do not skip the butter; this fat is essential for achieving a shattering, glass-like crunch on the bread when pressed.
- 06
Press the sandwich violently in a preheated cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Place the sandwich in the pan and immediately weigh it down with a second heavy skillet or a foil-wrapped brick, smashing it to one-third of its original thickness.
- 07
Cook until the crust is deeply golden and the cheese is oozing, flipping once.
Give it 3 to 5 minutes per side. Once pressed and toasted, move it to a cutting board, slice diagonally, and eat immediately.
Notes
Recreate the flavor of true sour orange with a simple mathematical substitute.
Authentic mojo relies on Naranja Agria, which is hard to find in American supermarkets. The blend of three parts sweet orange juice to one part lime juice mimics that specific acidic profile perfectly, tenderizing the pork without making it excessively tart.
From Cook Cuban in America.