Best 5 Slow Cooker Cuban Pulled Pork Panini Sandwiches Recipes

Indulge in the tantalizing flavors of Cuban pulled pork panini sandwiches. These delectable sandwiches are a harmonious blend of sweet, savory, and tangy notes, featuring tender pulled pork infused with a symphony of spices, all nestled between two slices of crispy, golden bread. The pulled pork is braised to perfection in a slow cooker, resulting in fall-apart tender meat that soaks up the irresistible marinade. Assemble the sandwiches with your favorite toppings, such as melted Swiss cheese, tangy pickles, and a vibrant cilantro-lime crema. These Cuban pulled pork panini sandwiches are not just a meal; they're an explosion of flavors that will transport your taste buds to the vibrant streets of Havana.

**Additional Information:**

* Preparation Time: 10 minutes
* Cook Time: 8 hours
* Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
* Serving Size: 8

**Recipes Included in the Article:**

* Slow Cooker Cuban Pulled Pork
* Cuban Pulled Pork Panini Sandwiches
* Cilantro-Lime Crema

Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!

CUBAN PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Cuban Pulled Pork Sandwiches image

I lived in Florida for a while and loved the pork I ate there, so I started making it for myself. The flavorful meat makes amazing Cuban sandwiches, but you can also use it in traditional pulled pork sandwiches or tacos. -Lacie Griffin, Austin, Texas

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories Dinner Lunch

Time 8h30m

Yield 16 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
12 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons spiced rum, optional
2 tablespoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons white pepper
2 teaspoons pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 to 6 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 4 pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
SANDWICHES:
2 loaves (1 pound each) French bread
Yellow mustard, optional
16 dill pickle slices
1-1/2 pounds thinly sliced deli ham
1-1/2 pounds Swiss cheese, sliced

Steps:

In a 6- or 7-qt. slow cooker, combine first 9 ingredients. Add pork; cook, covered, on low until tender, 8-10 hours. Remove roast; shred with 2 forks. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook meat in batches until lightly browned and crisp in spots. , Cut each loaf of bread in half lengthwise. If desired, spread mustard over cut sides of bread. Layer bottom halves of bread with pickles, pork, ham and cheese. Replace tops. Cut each loaf into 8 slices.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 619 calories, Fat 31g fat (13g saturated fat), Cholesterol 143mg cholesterol, Sodium 1257mg sodium, Carbohydrate 35g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 2g fiber), Protein 50g protein.

SLOW COOKER CUBAN PORK

Slow Cooker Cuban Pork image

This is from an authentic Cuban recipe site, although I couldn't tell you how "authentic" it is, considering I have never been to Cuba. Serve with black beans and rice. Authentic or not, however, this recipe is amazing, especially the second day on a Cubano sandwich!

Provided by duetfreak

Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Caribbean

Time 10h30m

Yield 12

Number Of Ingredients 10

Ingredients

1 (5 pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed and silver skin removed
1 cup orange juice (such as Simply®)
½ cup lime juice
½ cup lemon juice
14 whole black peppercorns
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 head garlic, peeled and pressed
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Steps:

Cut pork loin into 3 equal pieces.
Turn a slow cooker to Low. Add orange juice, lime juice, lemon juice, and peppercorns, then add onion.
Mix garlic, salt, and oregano into a paste and rub all over pork pieces. Place pork in the slow cooker.
Cook on Low until pork is slightly pink in the center, 9 to 10 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Pull apart meat with 2 forks and let sit for 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 298.2 calories, Carbohydrate 7.6 g, Cholesterol 89.6 mg, Fat 15.4 g, Fiber 0.9 g, Protein 31.3 g, SaturatedFat 5.8 g, Sodium 1176.1 mg, Sugar 2.8 g

CUBAN SANDWICH WITH SLOW-COOKER PULLED PORK

Cuban Sandwich with Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork image

Provided by Valerie Bertinelli

Categories main-dish

Time 6h30m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Four 6-inch-long soft sub loaves, split
About 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
About 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
4 ounces thinly sliced ham
6 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 cup dill pickle chips
About 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Steps:

Rub the pork all over with the cumin, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in a slow cooker and drizzle with the orange and lime juices. Cook on high heat until the meat is tender and falling apart, 6 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and coarsely shred.
Spread one side of each loaf with mayonnaise and the other with mustard. Build the sandwiches with the pulled pork, ham, Swiss and pickles (you will have some pulled pork left over).
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Place 2 of the sandwiches in the skillet and cover with another skillet, weighing it down with a heavy can or pot. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the sandwiches over, replace the top skillet and continue to cook until the other side is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, adding the remaining butter to the skillet.

SLOW COOKED CUBAN SANDWICH

Slow Cooked Cuban Sandwich image

Provided by Jeff Mauro, host of Sandwich King

Categories main-dish

Time 6h20m

Yield 6 to 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime (2 tablespoons)
Juice of 1 orange (2 tablespoons)
3 to 3 1/2-pound boneless pork shoulder
One 24-inch sub roll
Yellow mustard
1 pound Swiss, thick-sliced
1 pound honey ham, thinly sliced
2 cups dill pickle chips
2 red onions, thinly sliced

Steps:

Mix the oil, salt, cumin, oregano, black pepper, red pepper, garlic, lime juice and orange juice in a small bowl. Make slits in the pork with a paring knife and rub liberally all over with the oil mixture. Place the pork in a slow cooker and top with the remaining juices from the bowl. Cover and cook on low until tender, flipping once halfway through, about 6 hours.
Remove from the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Shred the pork into thick chunks with 2 forks. Set the pork aside and keep warm in the cooking liquid.
Slice the roll open and smear both sides with mustard. Layer on the Swiss, ham, pulled pork and pickles. Place the onions over half the sub and cut into portions. Or, start on opposing ends and race to the middle.

SLOW-COOKER CUBAN PULLED-PORK PANINI SANDWICHES

Slow-Cooker Cuban Pulled-Pork Panini Sandwiches image

Cuban pulled pork-or lechon asado-meets traditional Cuban ham and Swiss sandwiches in these zesty, melty paninis. The pork absorbs loads of flavor while slow cooking in a garlic- and citrus-infused mojo sauce, which ultimately makes for one amazing hot sandwich. Unless you live in south Florida, Cuban bread will probably be rather difficult to come by. So use whatever type of bread tickles your fancy, and if you can't find a loaf that measures 2 feet (61 cm) long, two smaller loaves (about 12 ounces [340 g] each) of Italian or French bread, or even individual hoagie rolls, would work beautifully instead. Just make sure to start and end your sandwich layers with Swiss, since the cheese is what ends up holding together an otherwise messy panini.

Provided by Samantha Skaggs

Categories Slow Cooker Sandwich Florida Pork Ham Swiss Cheese Pickles

Yield Serves 6-8

Number Of Ingredients 15

Ingredients

3 lb (1.6 kg) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed
10 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon (3 g) dried oregano
2 teaspoons (5 g) ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon (18 g) House Seasoning (see Cooks' Note)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (2-foot [61-cm] long) Cuban bread loaf, submarine sandwich roll, Italian bread loaf or French bread loaf
Prepared yellow mustard, as needed
2 (8-oz [227-g]) packages sliced Swiss cheese, divided
2 cups (286 g) sliced dill pickles
1 (8-oz [227-g]) package thinly sliced ham
4 tablespoons (60 ml) melted butter

Steps:

Pierce the pork roast all over with a small knife. Place the pork in the bottom of a large slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, oregano, cumin and House Seasoning. Pour the mixture over the pork and rub it into the meat, turning to evenly coat it. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 6 hours, until the pork is extremely tender.
Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Remove and discard the fat and use 2 forks to pull the pork into chunks. Use a large spoon to skim the fat from the surface of the liquids in the slow cooker. Return the pulled pork to the slow cooker and stir well. Taste the meat and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper, if desired. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 15 to 30 minutes, so that the pork can further absorb the flavors of the cooking liquids while you prepare the sandwich ingredients.
To assemble the sandwich, slice the loaf of bread in half horizontally. Spread a thin layer of mustard on the bottom half of the bread and then layer 1 package of the Swiss cheese, all of the pickle slices, all of the ham slices and a generous amount of pulled pork. Top the pork with the remaining 1 package of Swiss cheese and place the other half of the bread loaf on top of the Swiss cheese.
Use a serrated knife to cut the loaf into approximately 6-inch (15-cm) lengths. Brush both sides of each sandwich with the melted butter and cook the sandwiches in a panini press or a hot skillet until the cheese melts and the exterior gets toasty. If you are cooking the sandwich in a hot skillet, cover the top of the sandwich with aluminum foil and place a heavy pot or cast iron skillet on top of the foil. Flip the sandwich once the bottom is toasted and toast the other side. Cut the sandwich into slices and serve hot.

Tips:

When choosing pork shoulder, look for a roast that is at least 3 pounds. This will ensure that you have enough meat for the sandwiches.
If you don't have a slow cooker, you can also cook the pork shoulder in the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and cook the pork shoulder for 6-8 hours, or until it is fall-apart tender.
To make the pulled pork, use two forks to shred the meat. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to shred the meat.
If you are making the sandwiches ahead of time, you can store the pulled pork in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you are ready to serve, reheat the pulled pork in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat.
For the best flavor, use a Cuban bread roll for the sandwiches. If you can't find Cuban bread, you can also use a hoagie roll or a baguette.

Conclusion:

These Cuban pulled pork panini sandwiches are the perfect meal for a party or a weeknight dinner. They are easy to make and packed with flavor. The slow-cooked pork is tender and juicy, and the combination of flavors from the mojo marinade, the ham, and the cheese is irresistible. Serve the sandwiches with your favorite sides, such as rice and beans, black beans, or a simple green salad.