Best 6 The Ultimate Cuban Sandwich Recipes

EASY CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
• Place the pork tenderloin on the prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl whisk the olive oil, orange juice, lime juice, garlic cloves, oregano, and cumin together and pour over the pork.
• Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 145ºF. Thinly slice the meat and set aside.
• Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and then cut into 4 equal parts.
• Begin layering the ingredients by adding half of the cheese to the bottom layer of the sandwich bread. Top with the smoked ham, sliced pork, and pickles. Place the remaining cheese on top. Spread mustard on the top piece of bread and place on the sandwich.
• Melt the butter in a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add the sandwiches and set a heavy skillet, such as an iron skillet, on top of the sandwiches to press them down. Once toasted flip the sandwich and repeat.
• Slice the sandwiches in half before servings.

CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the pickles: Combine the vinegar, dill, sugar, salt, coriander and mustard in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes. Put the cucumbers in a medium bowl, pour the pickling liquid over, cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
• For the sour orange glaze: Combine the orange juice and lime juice in a small nonreactive saucepan over high heat and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Whisk in the honey and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.
• For the pork: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the pork with salt and pepper and rub with the steak rub. Let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
• Heat the oil over high heat in a cast-iron pan or oven-proof skillet until it begins to shimmer. Add the pork and cook until a crust has formed on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Brush liberally with the sour orange glaze and transfer the pan to the oven. Brush with the glaze every few minutes, and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Remove the pork to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the pork thinly.
• For the garlic mayonnaise: Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Whisk together and let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
• For the serrano ham: Heat the oil in a small saucepan until it reaches 350 degrees F. Add the ham one slice at a time and cook until crisp, about 30 seconds. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
• To serve: Spread the top and bottom of each bun with the garlic mayonnaise and top each piece with 2 slices of cheese. Put some pickles on the bottom piece of bun. Top with 4 to 5 slices of the pork and 2 slices of the fried ham. Combine the tops and bottoms to make the sandwiches.
• Brush the outsides of the buns with the butter. Heat a cast-iron pan over low heat. Put 2 sandwiches in at a time, top-sides down, and press with a brick wrapped in foil, or put foil over the top of the sandwiches and weigh them down with another heavy cast-iron pan. Cook until the bread is crispy, then flip over and continue cooking until the bottom is crispy and the cheese has melted, 6 to 8 minutes total. Slice in half and eat.

THE ULTIMATE CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• You can do this in a regular Dutch oven, but for convenience and time use a pressure cooker as follows:
• Begin by braising the pork shoulder. Tie the shoulder in 4 places with kitchen twine so it will hold its shape while being cooked or ask your butcher to do this for you. Season the pork with salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. Set the base of a pressure cooker over low-medium heat and add a 2 count of olive oil.
• Add garlic and chili flakes and as the oil heats up it will become fragrant and infuse the oil. Add the pork. Add onions around the pork and brown slightly before adding orange juice, lime juice, stock and bay leaves.
• Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your pressure cooker. The pork should be tender when done. When done allow to cool in juices before removing twine and slicing.
• To prepare Cuban sandwiches, split bread in half then layer the sandwich with mustard, cheese, pickles, ham, pork then cheese again (the cheese glues everything together). Season with salt and pepper in between the ham and pork layers. (Optional: drizzle a little of the pork braising liquid over the meat as well).
• To cook, heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat and lightly coat with olive oil. Place the sandwiches on the skillet and top with another heavy skillet and a couple of heavy weights (bricks, or cans of tomatoes work well). Press down firmly and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side until the sandwich has compressed to about a third of its original size and the bread is super-crispy. Serve with beans, rice and plantain chips.

ORIGINAL CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Cut Cuban bread to desired size, common size is 7 inches. Next, slice open the bread down the middle. On the topside of the bread spread 1-ounce of mustard, evenly across. Then place 4 pickles on top of the mustard. You then place 1 slice of Swiss cheese on top of the pickles. Slice ham to desired thickness, recommended size is 1 1/2 ounces per slice, the thinner the better. Now fold each slice of ham in half and place evenly on bottom of bread. On top of the ham, place slices of roast pork, 1 1/2 ounces per slice. You then join both halves of the sandwich. You are now ready to grill your Cuban sandwich.
• Use a sandwich grill if you have one, a waffle iron if not. Spread butter on top of the bread evenly. Close the grill, smashing the sandwich. Leave sandwich in the grill until top of bread turns to a golden brown, and top is crisp. Approximate time is 4 to 6 minutes. After the sandwich is crispy and the cheese has melted, remove the sandwich carefully and slice it diagonally, from corner to corner. DO NOT USE A MICROWAVE OVEN!

ULTIMATE GRILLED CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Light your grill and set it up for direct medium-high heat.
• Combine all rub ingredients and whisk together.
• Combine mayonnaise and yellow mustard with 2 tablespoons of the Cuban rub, mix thoroughly.
• While grill preheats and the spread melds together, rinse off pork tenderloins with cold water. Trim off any visible silver skin and pat dry .
• Rub pork with very thin coat of oil and season entire surface with a light dusting of the rub.
• Place pork over direct medium heat on the grill, cooking for 12-15 minutes, turning every 1.5-2 minutes.
• Remove pork when internal temperature reaches 140° F. Close grill lid but don't turn it off.
• Baste pork with a light coat of oregano olive oil and let rest 5-10 minutes.
• Slice pork thinly.
• Apply a generous portion of the mayonnaise and seasoning mixture to the top bun and bottom of each sandwich roll and set aside.
• Assemble your sandwiches by layering slices of pork, ham, and cheese on the bottom bun. Place the assembled sandwiches in grill over indirect heat for about 4 minutes, or until the cheese melts.
• Remove from grill, top with pickle slices and your top bun, then slice and serve.

CUBAN SANDWICH RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C, and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together all the pork marinade ingredients (olive oil, orange juice, lime, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper).
• Place the pork tenderloin on the baking sheet, and pour the marinade over the pork so it's well coated.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F/63°C.
• Remove from the oven, let it rest for 5 minutes then transfer to a cutting board and slice into ¼ inch thin slices.
• Slice the bread in half lengthwise. If using a large loaf, then cut in halves to make a total of 4 sandwiches.
• Layer half of the cheese over the bottom piece of the bread, followed by ham, pork, pickles, and the remaining cheese.
• Over the top pieces of bread, spread mustard, and cover the sandwiches.
• In a skillet/pan, melt the butter, place one or two sandwiches in the pan, and press down with something heavy (cast iron pan). Cook for 2-3 minutes per side or until the cheese has melted and the bread is lightly golden. Repeat the same process with the rest of the sandwiches.
• Cut the sandwiches in half, and serve with potato chips.