The Cuban Sandwich

Last week I wrote about being inspired by the movie Chef and the amazing Cuban sandwiches they make, so this is my Cuban Sandwich, take 1. I got a nice fatty piece of pork shoulder from Whole Foods Market, and sourced out some good cheese, ham and used my favorite garlic pickle which is not Cuban, or even close. I invited some friends over to eat it and took even more photos than I usually do, because it was fun!

Though I’ve been meaning to do it for months, this is my first post about sandwiches.  There are many components to a great sandwich. For today we’re going to limit this to making a great Cuban sandwich. One of the things I love to explore about regional and ethnic food is the thread that connects food across the globe. A Cuban sandwich is like a Reuben, or croque monsieur, or any number of meals stuffed between two pieces of ‘bread’ like aprepas.  Griddling a sandwich with meat, a sour or spicy vegetable, then soldering it with some gooey cheese for me is the best of the sandwich world. I grew up on tuna salad sandwiches on rye bread, and those got me though my childhood and adolescence, but those types of sandwiches no longer interest me. When I get one of those, usually when lunches are served at events, I almost always end up removing the bread and just eating the filling. There are many components that must work together to make a great sandwich, and today we’re exploring what makes the Cubano so good:

• Of course you need the right kind of bread to start with. And though a baguette is a great loaf of bread, its crust is not right for a griddled sandwich. You need a bread that is a bit softer, and crush-able. There is such a thing as Cuban bread, but if you can’t find it, look for hoagie or sub rolls, which will be a good substitute.
• If you’re going to be making tons of sandwiches you can cook a whole pork leg, but you can just get a smaller piece and have the butcher roll and tie it. It may be hard for you to do this, but my advice is that you ask for a nice fatty piece of pork. If you go to a butcher you will make him happy, because he’ll know that you know what makes a great roast pork.
• I looked up a number of recipe for Cubanos, and some people brine their pork and some don’t. I did mine with a salt and sugar rub, then rinsed that off to slather it with another concoction.
• In my zeal, I completely forgot to take ‘before’ pictures… my staff photographer has left for camp… I have plenty starting with the pork leaving the oven and sandwich assembly, which are much more interesting anyway.  (Is my rationalizing working on you?)
• I am very particular about pickles, and I may have mentioned this before, but my absolutely favorite pickles, are Ba-Tampte garlic dills, and so far I have not found a pickle that rivals these. This is the pickle I used on my sandwich, and though it might not be authentic, it provided the very sour, very sharp garlic taste that was perfect with the unctuous pork, and melty cheese.
• I don’t have a panini press, and for one sandwich is usually use this:

but you can see in the photo at the top, that for three I opted for the foil wrapped brick which was perfect for three sandwiches, but for more you’ll need an extra brick.

So, let’s get on to the meat of this post, the recipe!

Cuban Sandwich

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Serves	4
Prep time	1 hour
Cook time	1 hour
Total time	2 hours

Ingredients

• 2lb pork shoulder (rolled and tied)
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard (plus more to spread on bread)
• 4 Cuban or Hoagie rolls
• 4 medium slices good quality deli ham
• 4 medium slices Swiss or Jarlesberg cheese
• 1 Large dill pickle (sliced lengthwise)
• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Note

I don't have a panini press, so I wrapped a brick with a double layer of foil and used that to weight down the sandwich.

 

Directions

Cure Pork

Step 1

Make dry rub for pork. Combine 2 TBL salt, brown sugar, dry mustard. Lay two large pieces of plastic wrap on the counter like a cross Put 1/3 of the dry rub in the center of the cross, and lay the pork on top of that, rub the remaining rub on the pork. Wrap the pork and let cure 6-8 hours

Roast Pork

Step 2

Preheat oven to 350F Remove pork from refrigerator, and bring to room temperature (about 1 hour) Unwrap pork and rinse in cool water Pat dry with paper towels

Step 3

Make a paste with the mustard, paprika, ginger, nutmeg, and remaining salt, and slather it over the pork

Step 4

Put pork into a roasting pan and wrap tightly with foil Cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 165F, about one hour Let meat rest covered for 15-20 minutes before slicing

Sandwich Assembly

Step 5

Heat sandwich press, or griddle, while melting butter in a small saucepan Split all rolls, and lay out in a row

Step 6

Spread mustard on each roll Starting on the top half of the roll, lay the cheese, cutting in half lengthwise to cover all of roll

Step 7

Lay pickle on cheese, making sure to cover entire length (you want pickle in every bite!)

sandwich Assembly

Step 8

On the bottom half of the roll layer a good amount of sliced pork

Sandwich Assembly

Step 9

Top pork with a slice of ham, fold togther

Grilling

Step 10

Brush entire outside of rill with melted butter, and place on griddle, let cook until sandwich is hot and cheese is melted