Cuban Sandwiches
If there's one thing I can claim to know; it's sandwiches. I've worked in 3 delis and hail from a town called Sandwich. I was born for greatness here. I had my first Cuban sandwich in my second deli. While it was good, it wasn't really a legit Cuban. It was made with ham and corned beef. Now that I've experienced a true Cubans though - man, you gotta have that roasted pork.
So when I make Cuban sandwiches at home, they honestly end up a bit different every time. Sometimes I cook the pork in the crock pot, or the pressure cooker if it's a weeknight and I don't have time to roast it. Sometimes I broil the cheese over the bread first, sometimes I use the press, sometimes (like tonight) I stick em in a pan and press them with a plate 😅 I also personally hate yellow mustard, but Walmart sells this nifty southwest mustard that I love!
Needless to say, you can do these basically however you want and they still turn out tasty. Here's what I do for mine:
Tasty sub rolls
Ham (I use thicker cut)
Cooked pork (cooked and seasoned however you like it)
Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise (optional)
Mustard
Pickles (Claussen dill, ftw!)
True Cubans have roasted pork on them and let's be honest... Not all of us have that kind of time. Tonight, I put mine in the pressure cooker. I used 2 small tenderloins (probably about 3 pounds total), seasoned generously, and cooked it on high pressure for 30 minutes.
On a side note, I seasoned my pork with:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Ground mustard
Paprika
Cayenne
Salt
Black pepper
White pepper
Once that was done, I shredded it and set it aside to prepare the bread. I cut the roll and put mayo on one side and southwest mustard on the other and top with the Swiss cheese. (This is where I broil them when I'm feeling fancy, tonight however, I was not.) Then I start with the ham on the bottom half, top with pork, then put pickle on the top half and flip it over.
Next, I press it. Tonight I chose the pan method; melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan, put in your sandwiches, then use a plate or something flat to press them. Flip once don't to your liking, and press some more. A sandwich press is ideal lol however, I can fit more at a time in my big skillet.
Once they're done to your liking, cut at a sharp diagonal (think top left corner to bottom right corner) and enjoy!
So what do you think of the mighty Cuban sandwich? Do you remember the first time you had one? I'd love to hear all about it! If you've never had one and you'd like to follow my recipe (if you could call it a recipe) I would truly love to know how it turned out for you! Leave me your comments! After all; we're all in this to learn together 💜