The best Cuban sandwich

A classic Cuban sandwich with slow-roasted pork shoulder, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and lots of pickles – perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Sandwiches are (or at least can be) amazingly delicious. Sadly, most sandwiches are boring, boring, boring. It’s not rocket science: good bread, tasty fillings, some sort of sauce, and if you really want to jazz it up: pickles! Put a pickle on a sandwich and I’m in. OK, maybe not a PBJ, but any savory sandwich. In these amazing Cuban sandwiches, the more pickles the better. Pile them on with tender pork shoulder, gooey Swiss cheese, ham and mustard. Yum!!!!

Now let’s talk pickles. In this case, use dill pickles, sliced thin. But pickles come in lots of forms. Pile banh mi sandwiches with pickled carrots and daikon. Or keep a stash of pickled red onions or dill-pickled onions in the fridge for burgers, grilled cheese and other sandwich favorites. They all add crunch and acidity. Whole new level sandwiches!

For these, you can make the pork ahead. Just let it cool and refrigerate until ready to use. I dry-brined it one night, cooked it the next morning and then had 2 dinners from it with leftovers. And by the way, this pork smells AMAZING as it cooks. I was hungry the entire day and my babysitter commented on the smell as soon as she arrived. Forget the candles: slow-roasted pork shoulder is not an available scent at Bath and  Body Works (though it should be!)

5.0 from 1 reviews

The best Cuban sandwich

 

Save Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

2 hours 30 mins

Total time

2 hours 50 mins

 

A classic Cuban sandwich with slow-roasted pork shoulder, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and lots of pickles - perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Author: Erin Berdan

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Cuban

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

Slow-roasted pork

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus 2 teaspoons (divided)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 3-1/2 pound piece boneless pork shoulder
• ¼ cup coarse Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup smooth Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground mace
• 2 tablespoons ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon smoked Spanish paprika

For the sandwiches

• 4 hoagie rolls
• Brown mustard
• Mayonnaise
• 8 slices domestic ham, thinly sliced
• 8 slices Swiss cheese
• 24 dill pickle chips, more if you want!
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

1. To make the pork, combine 2 tablespoons of the salt in a small dish with the sugar and dry mustard. Rub all over the outside of the pork and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next day, rinse the pork and pat dry.
3. Preheat oven to 325F. In a bowl, combine the 2 teaspoons of salt with the coarse and smooth mustards, mace, black pepper and paprika. Rub the mixture all over the pork and place pork in a Dutch oven. Cover and roast for 2 hours or until internal temperature reached 175F. Turn oven off and leave pork in the oven covered for an hour.
4. Remove pork from the oven and shred, discarding any large pieces of fat.
5. To make the sandwiches, heat a griddle or panini press over medium heat.
6. Slice the rolls down the middle. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on one side. Top with 2 slices of ham, then some of the pork, 6 pickles, 2 slices of Swiss cheese and a little mustard. Put the top of the roll on the sandwich and rub a little butter all over the outside of the sandwich.
7. Grill until toasted and heated through, pressing the sandwich together.
8. Serve immediately (preferably with more pickles!)

3.5.3251