Cuban Sandwiches
By Cecelia JenkinsPublished on December 4, 2019
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We strongly prefer to use our Cuban Bread for this recipe. But if you don't have the time to make it, you can use four 7- to 8-inch soft white Italian-style sub rolls or two 15-inch loaves of soft supermarket Italian or French bread. You can also buy Cuban bread at well-stocked supermarkets. Do not use a thick-crusted rustic or artisan-style loaf or a baguette. To make slicing the Cuban Roast Pork easier, be sure to chill it thoroughly beforehand. Mojo and mayonnaise aren't typical ingredients in Tampa-style Cuban sandwiches, but they make nice additions.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Cut 2 loaves of Cuban Bread in half crosswise, then cut each piece in half horizontally.
- Brush bread bottoms with ¼ cup mojo, if using, and spread with ¼ cup mayonnaise, if using. Layer on 12 ounces thinly sliced deli ham, followed by 10 ounces thinly sliced Cuban roast pork, 3 ounces thinly sliced deli Genoa salami with peppercorns, 6 ounces thinly sliced deli Swiss cheese, and 16 dill pickle chips, overlapping and/or folding meats as needed to keep them from overhanging sides of bread. Spread ¼ cup yellow mustard on bread tops. Cap sandwiches with bread tops.
- Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place 2 sandwiches in skillet, right side up, in alternating directions, and spread far apart. Place heavy Dutch oven on top and cook until bottoms of sandwiches are uniformly golden brown and feel firm when tapped, 5 to 7 minutes, rotating sandwiches in skillet as needed. (You will need to flip sandwiches to tap them.)
- Transfer sandwiches to cutting board. Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in now-empty skillet. Return sandwiches to skillet toasted side up. Place Dutch oven on top and continue to cook until second side is uniformly golden brown and feels firm when tapped, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer toasted sandwiches to prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and remaining 2 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches in half on steep diagonal and serve.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
To make Tampa-Style Cuban Sandwiches at home that rival the prizewinners at the International Cuban Sandwich Festival, we found it essential to make the traditional Cuban bread ourselves. Our recipe for Cuban bread yielded golden loaves so cottony on the inside and crisp on the outside you'd think you were in the Sunshine State. For the filling, we built the sandwich in the traditional order: deli ham, Cuban roast pork, Genoa salami (a signature Tampa-only addition), Swiss cheese, and finally pickles. Our recipe for Cuban Roast Pork with Mojo yielded deeply seasoned pork that was silky and moist with a mojo-inspired citrus punch. We chilled the roast to make it easier to slice paper-thin, an important step in getting a clean, evenly pressed sandwich. Taking a cue from some creative cooks at the Tampa festival, we included a swipe of flavorful mojo sauce (from our Cuban Roast Pork recipe) on the bottom slice of bread for extra complexity and brightness. Adding the less traditional swipe of mayonnaise kept the sandwich moist. We put yellow mustard on only the top piece of bread so as not to overwhelm the sandwich. For perfect pressing, we used a heavy Dutch oven to weigh down the sandwiches and yield a faint crispy edge that gives this sandwich a real wow factor.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
We strongly prefer to use our Cuban Bread for this recipe. But if you don't have the time to make it, you can use four 7- to 8-inch soft white Italian-style sub rolls or two 15-inch loaves of soft supermarket Italian or French bread. You can also buy Cuban bread at well-stocked supermarkets. Do not use a thick-crusted rustic or artisan-style loaf or a baguette. To make slicing the Cuban Roast Pork easier, be sure to chill it thoroughly beforehand. Mojo and mayonnaise aren't typical ingredients in Tampa-style Cuban sandwiches, but they make nice additions.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet. Cut 2 loaves of Cuban Bread in half crosswise, then cut each piece in half horizontally.
- Brush bread bottoms with ¼ cup mojo, if using, and spread with ¼ cup mayonnaise, if using. Layer on 12 ounces thinly sliced deli ham, followed by 10 ounces thinly sliced Cuban roast pork, 3 ounces thinly sliced deli Genoa salami with peppercorns, 6 ounces thinly sliced deli Swiss cheese, and 16 dill pickle chips, overlapping and/or folding meats as needed to keep them from overhanging sides of bread. Spread ¼ cup yellow mustard on bread tops. Cap sandwiches with bread tops.
- Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Place 2 sandwiches in skillet, right side up, in alternating directions, and spread far apart. Place heavy Dutch oven on top and cook until bottoms of sandwiches are uniformly golden brown and feel firm when tapped, 5 to 7 minutes, rotating sandwiches in skillet as needed. (You will need to flip sandwiches to tap them.)
- Transfer sandwiches to cutting board. Melt 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in now-empty skillet. Return sandwiches to skillet toasted side up. Place Dutch oven on top and continue to cook until second side is uniformly golden brown and feels firm when tapped, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Transfer toasted sandwiches to prepared wire rack and place in oven to keep warm. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and remaining 2 sandwiches. Cut sandwiches in half on steep diagonal and serve.
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