Laurels Cuban Sandwich Recipes

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.

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 BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Mix yellow and Dijon mustards together and spread evenly over baguette slices. Top 1/2 of the bread slices with 1/2 of the Swiss cheese and place on the rack on the baking sheet. Top each with pickle slices, ham, pork loin, and remaining cheese. Top sandwiches with remaining baguette slices.
• Spread mayonnaise over the tops of the sandwiches and sprinkle with garlic powder. Spray the bottom of a second baking pan with cooking spray and place upside-down on top of the sandwiches. Weigh down the top pan with a heavy, oven-safe item such as a cast iron skillet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove top pan and bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes more.

CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• To make the Cuban Roast Pork: Mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar/pestle.
• Place the mash mixture in a small bowl; add in oregano, onion, and sour orange juice; mix thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the mash mixture and whisk to blend.
• Remove from heat and set marinade aside.
• Pierce the pork roast with a sharp knife or fork.
• Set aside a small amount of the marinade for use during the roasting period.
• Pour remaining marinade over the pork, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°; remove pork from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Sprinkle reserved marinade over pork.
• Roast until completely cooked and a meat thermometer registers 160° (about 20 minutes per lb).
• Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
• Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes before thinly slicing the meat.
• Bring remaining pan juices to a boil and simmer until juice is reduced by half; use this juice to sprinkle onto the meat in the sandwiches.
• To make the sandwiches: cut the bread into 4 sections, each about 8 inches long; slice these sections in half horizontally; spread butter on the inside of both halves.
• Generously layer sandwiches with filling ingredients in the following order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
• Spread with the optional mustard or mayonnaise if desired.
• Preheat a pancake griddle or large skillet.
• Lightly coat hot griddle or skillet with cooking spray; add in the first sandwich (make sure that your griddle or skillet is not too hot or the crust will burn before the cheese melts).
• Place a heavy iron skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it (you want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about a third of its original size).
• Grill the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden.
• Repeat the process for each sandwich.
• Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
• Note--Additions like Genoa salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion have become popular in the past forty years but are considered heresy by purists; in the old days, the sandwich was brushed on the outside with a small amount of pork drippings.

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.

LAUREL'S CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• Slice French loaf in half lengthwise to make a sandwich. (If loaf is very fat, slice off narrow pieces from the inner part of each slice to make a thinner sandwich.).
• Mix together mayonnaise, sofrito sauce, and honey to make a sauce. Spread this sauce on both sides of sandwich. Then spread on mustard.
• Place ham, roast pork, dill pickles, sweet onion, green olives, and Swiss cheese on bottom layer of sandwich. Put sandwich together, brush both sides with melted butter, and wrap smoothly and tightly in foil.
• Place wrapped sandwich, bottom side down, in preheated (medium heat) skillet, and press down with something heavy, such as a foil-wrapped brick.) I use a cast iron skillet with large tomato juice cans inside.
• When you hear the butter sizzling, leave sandwich 3-4 minutes, then flip it onto it's top and press again, leaving it for 3-4 minutes more. Remove sandwich from heat and let rest for 3 minutes. Unwrap, slice, and enjoy!

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!

CUBAN SANDWICH - A TAMPA CLASSIC!

Steps:

• Cut Cuban bread into 6 8-inch pieces.
• Split bread lengthwise.
• Spread mustard on six halves of the bread.
• Spread mayonnaise on the other six halves of the bread.
• Layer ham, pork, Swiss cheese, and salami on the mustard halves of the bread.
• Layer pickles on top of salami; top with mayo halves of bread.
• Can be eaten cold, but tastes better "hot pressed".
• To press: Heat a counter top grill (like a George Foreman grill) and place sandwich between the plates.
• Press down hard on the sandwich, squeezing the halves together tightly.
• Grill until the bread is toasted to a light brown on the outside and the cheese is melted.
• Alternate method: Heat a heavy pan on top of the stove on medium heat.
• Place sandwich in pan and press down with another heavy object (a brick wrapped in foil is good).
• Toast sandwich until light brown on one side, then turn over.
• Replace brick on toasted side.
• Serve with potato chips and a cold soda.

AWARD-WINNING CUBAN SANDWICH BY EL COCHINITO RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• Make the pulled pork: In a medium bowl, mix together the pepper, cumin, oregano, garlic, and lime juice. Set aside.
• Make a few incisions, 1-2 inches (2-5 cm) deep, on both sides of the pork butt, cutting against the grain. Sprinkle generously with salt all over, make sure to season inside the incisions.
• Transfer the pork butt to a roasting dish, and pour the marinade all over. Make sure the pork is well coated, including inside the incisions. Cover and marinate for 8-10 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 250˚F (120˚C).
• Roast the pork, covered, for 8-10 hours, or until the pork is tender and easily falls apart when prodded with a fork or tongs.
• Let cool enough to handle, then remove any bones, and shred the pork with tongs. Keep in the fridge up to 5 days.
• Make the Cuban sandwich: Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Set the bread open face on the prepared baking sheet and spread the mustard over one side. Top with the Swiss cheese. Brush the garlic oil on the other side of the bread. Top with the ham. Arrange the pulled pork over the cheese.
• Toast in the oven for 2 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Add the pickles and press the sandwich.
• Enjoy!