Cuban Sandwich
Cuban Sandwich Say it: KYOO-bun SAND-wich
The Cuban sandwich is Florida's gift to the sandwich world: a soft roll packed with mojo-roasted pork, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, dill pickles and yellow mustard, then pressed until the crust crackles and the cheese melts into the meat. It comes from the Cuban communities of Tampa, Key West and Miami, where it is eaten at any hour. Savory, tangy, salty and rich, it is the benchmark of a good plancha.
Cuban Sandwich
Cuban Sandwich
Pronounced KYOO-bun SAND-wich
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Total
- 2 hr 55 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, mustard. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Mojo roast pork
To assemble
Method
Stir the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and olive oil together to make a mojo. Put the pork in a bowl or bag, pour the mojo over it and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, turning once.
Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Put the pork with its marinade in a small roasting pan, cover tightly with foil and roast for about 2 hours, until a fork slides in with almost no resistance.
Uncover, raise the heat to 425°F (220°C) and roast 15–20 minutes more, until the top is burnished and the edges are crisp. Rest 15 minutes, then cut across the grain into thin slices; moisten them with the pan juices.
Split the rolls lengthwise and spread mustard on both cut sides. Layer the bottom half with ham, then pork, then cheese, then pickle planks, and close the sandwich.
Heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat and butter the surface. Lay the sandwiches down, set a sheet of foil and a second heavy pan or a brick on top, and press for 3–4 minutes, until the bottom is deep golden and crisp.
Butter the griddle again, flip the sandwiches, weight them once more and press 3–4 minutes on the second side, until the cheese has melted and the crust crackles when you tap it.
Cut each sandwich on the diagonal and serve immediately, while the crust is still crisp and the cheese is stretching.
Regional variant: Tampa Cuban (Cuban Sandwich, Tampa style)
Add 4 thin slices of Genoa salami (about 2 oz / 60 g) and, if you like, a smear of deviled ham, layering the salami between the ham and the pork. Tampa sandwiches are traditionally baked on Cuban bread with a palmetto leaf laid along the top, which leaves a pale stripe on the crust; the pressing and filling order stay the same.
Cook's notes
- No Cuban bread? Use a soft hoagie roll or a piece of supermarket French bread — you want a thin, slightly sweet crust that presses flat rather than a hard baguette.
- Slice the pork no thicker than a coin; thick slabs push the bread apart and stop the cheese from meeting the meat.
- If you have no press, two heavy skillets stacked on the sandwich do the job; keep the heat medium so the bread browns before the cheese leaks out.
Serve with
Cut in halves with a cold beer, a strong café con leche, or alongside black bean soup and mariquitas (plantain chips).
Make ahead and storage
Roast and slice the pork up to 3 days ahead and store it with its juices; assemble the sandwiches just before pressing, and reheat any pressed leftover in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 6–8 minutes.
