Earls Grocerys Castro Sandwich The Cuban Recipes

CASTRO SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the ham: Combine salt, sugar, curing salt, bay leaves, lemon slices and 1/2 gallon water in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Once all ingredients have dissolved, remove from heat and add ice. Stir to combine.
• Place ham in a container and pour brine over top. Let brine, refrigerated, for 1 week.
• For the pulled pork: Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• Combine chili powder, granulated garlic, oregano, paprika, pepper, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Rub pork shoulder on all sides with the dry rub.
• Place in a medium rondo or stockpot and add 1/2 gallon water. Cover with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Bake until fork tender, 10 to 12 hours. Pull pork, removing any fat or skin.
• For the ham glaze: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Combine molasses, mustard and garlic in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Place ham on a roasting rack. Top ham with half the glaze and roast, adding 2 cups of water to the pan if it looks like the drippings might burn, for 45 minutes. Re-glaze ham and continue to roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 15 to 45 minutes more.
• For the Castro sandwich: Place 3 ounces ham and 3 ounces pulled pork in a griddle or nonstick saute pan on medium heat. Cut roll in half and place on griddle to toast. Once the meats are hot all the way through, top with pickles and cheese. Cook until cheese is melted, 1 more minute. Spread dijonnaise on both sides of the roll. Top with meat mixture and close sandwich. Cut in half and serve.

THE ULTIMATE CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Begin by braising the pork shoulder. Tie the shoulder in 4 places with kitchen twine so it will hold its shape while being cooked or ask your butcher to do this for you. Season the pork with salt, pepper, cumin and oregano. Set the base of a pressure cooker over low-medium heat and add a 2 count of olive oil.
• Add garlic and chili flakes and as the oil heats up it will become fragrant and infuse the oil. Add the pork. Add onions around the pork and brown slightly before adding orange juice, lime juice, stock and bay leaves.
• Secure the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 20 to 25 minutes depending on the size of your pressure cooker. The pork should be tender when done. When done allow to cool in juices before removing twine and slicing.
• To prepare Cuban sandwiches, split bread in half then layer the sandwich with mustard, cheese, pickles, ham, pork then cheese again (the cheese glues everything together). Season with salt and pepper in between the ham and pork layers. (Optional: drizzle a little of the pork braising liquid over the meat as well).
• To cook, heat a large cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat and lightly coat with olive oil. Place the sandwiches on the skillet and top with another heavy skillet and a couple of heavy weights (bricks, or cans of tomatoes work well). Press down firmly and cook for 5 to 7 minutes per side until the sandwich has compressed to about a third of its original size and the bread is super-crispy. Serve with beans, rice and plantain chips.

CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Slice the bread horizontally in half, leaving 1 edge intact. Lay the bread open and spread each side with the mustard. Divide the ingredients evenly among the slices of roll. Start with the ham followed by the pork, cheese, and dill pickles. Bring the tops and bottoms together.
• Heat your panini maker or sandwich press. Butter each side of the press. Place the sandwiches inside, press down and grill until the cheese is melted and the bread is flat and browned, approximately 10 minutes. If you don't have a sandwich press, you can heat 6 fireplace bricks wrapped in foil, in a 500 degrees F oven for 1 hour and then press the sandwich between them for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

GRILLED CUBAN SANDWICH (SANDWICH CUBANO)

Steps:

• Assemble the sandwich
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the butter on one half of the bread loaf and a thin layer of mustard on the other. Place 1 to 2 layers of ham, pork, cheese, and, finally, pickles on the buttered bread and top with the mustard-spread bread.
• Wrap the sandwich in foil
• Smear the remaining butter all over the outside of the sandwich and wrap it completely in aluminum foil.
• Press and grill the sandwich
• Heat your grill to high (550°F) and close the lid. Wait at least 15 minutes before lowering the heat to medium-high (450°F) and continuing.
• Before grilling the sandwich, press down on it with your hands to flatten it. Place the wrapped, flattened sandwich on the grill and top with a brick, grill press, or any other heavy, heat-resistant object. Close the lid and grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side.
• Remove the wrapped sandwich from the grill and take off the foil. Return the sandwich to the grill and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until both pieces of bread are crispy and golden brown.
• Slice and serve
• Remove the sandwich from the grill and cut at an angle into small sandwich wedges (triangles). Place on a large platter and serve while still hot.

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 (CUBANO)

Steps:

• Heat your skillet or griddle: I like to use two cast iron skillets nested on top of one another, pressing the sandwich in between. To use this method, place both skillets (one on top of the other) over medium heat and let them heat through. If using a panini press set it to medium heat. The skillet or griddle shouldn't be screaming hot, but it should radiate enough heat to toast the bread slowly. If you aren't using the double pan method or a panini press, just use anything you have to weigh the sandwich down - a foil wrapped brick, your spatula, whatever you have will do.
• Serve: Remove your sandwich from the skillet or griddle. Slice your sandwich according to the number of guests you need to serve and serve the sandwich with a handful of chips and a pickle or two. LEFTOVERS! Leftovers should be wrapped in foil and stored in the refrigerator. They may be reheated by cooking the same as above.

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!

ELENA RUZ SANDWICH

Steps:

• Slice or split the bread roll in half to fill as a sandwich. Spread a 1/3-inch-thick layer of cream cheese on the bottom half. Lay turkey neatly on top of the cream cheese. Do not overfill the sandwich. Evenly spread jam on the top half of the bread and sandwich with the bottom.
• In a pan over medium-low heat, melt butter, swirling to evenly coat the pan. Place the sandwich bottom side down in the pan and press it with a spatula or a cast-iron skillet. Heat to warm the sandwich, until the bottom is lightly toasted but not burned, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip the sandwich and repeat with the other side. Remove from the heat, cut the sandwich in half at an angle and serve immediately.