Cuban Sandwiches

With the Superbowl being in Miami this year, we thought it would be fun to make Cuban sandwiches. I’m not sure I had ever had one before seeing the movie “Chef” with John Favreau. That movie totally romanticized the cuban sandwich for me. I had never been a huge fan of mustard, but for some reason this movie made we want it all. First, I started by making a cuban pork shoulder with mojo sauce. Instead of marinating overnight, I decided to slow cook the roast in the marinade. That was a terrible idea. All of the marinade burnt off into a dark, black mess. Like, I almost ruined my pot. I’m an idiot. Instead, I’d recommend marinating the pork for at least 6 hours to overnight and then cooking the pork shoulder on its own for 3 hours.

Beyond that minor set back, this pork shoulder is SO GOOD. It’s tangy, soft and spicy. I love it and it is perfect for a Cuban sandwich. To toast the sandwiches, I used a panini press but you could also use a good old fashioned cast iron skillet with another skillet pushing down on the top of the sandwich. Enjoy!

Cuban Pork Shoulder

Ingredients:

  • 6.5 pound bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt

  • Mojo sauce

    • 10 cloves of garlic, minced

    • 2 teaspoons cumin

    • 1 tablespoon black pepper

    • Handful chopped oregano leaves

    • Juice from 2 oranges

    • Juice from 4 limes

    • 1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

  1. Combine all mojo ingredients in a large glass bowl. Add in the pork shoulder, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 6 hours up to overnight.

  2. Remove the pork from the bowl and add into a large dutch oven. Cook on 275 degrees for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and shred.

Sandwich Ingredients:

  • 1 cup pulled pork shoulder

  • 2 slices honey baked ham

  • 2 slices swiss cheese

  • 6-8 dill pickles

  • 2 slices cuban bread (or french loaf)

  • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Directions:

  1. Take two pieces of bread and line one side of each piece with yellow mustard.

  2. Add a cup of the shredded pork shoulder followed by two pieces of sliced ham, swiss cheese and pickles. When the sandwich is complete, butter the top and bottom of the sandwich bread so that it will toast nicely in the panini press or in a cast iron skillet. Be sure to press down on the sandwich so that it shrinks in height and flattens the bread.

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