The Ultimate Cuban Sandwich Food

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.

CHEF JOHN'S CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne together in a bowl to make the sauce.
• Trim off ends of bread. Cut loaf in half and evenly split bread to make tops and bottoms of 2 sandwiches. Spread each half on both sides generously with the mayo/mustard sauce.
• Divide sandwich ingredients between the two bottom halves in this order: 2 slices Swiss cheese, 3 slices ham, hot cooked pork, pickle slices, and 2 more slices of Swiss cheese. Place tops on sandwiches.
• Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and press down with a heavy weight (such as another skillet or foil-wrapped bricks). Toast sandwiches until bread is crisp and filling is heated through, 3 or 4 minutes per side.

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.

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!