Original Cuban Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

1 loaf Cuban bread
1-ounce regular mustard
4 dill pickles
5 slices boiled ham or Virginia ham
2 slices roast pork
1 slice imported Swiss cheese
1-ounce butter

Preparation

Step 1

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!
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REVIEWS:

This recipe is as close to the real thing as I've seen. As far as heating the sandwich is concerned, I preheat two cast iron skillets and place the sandwich in one and place the second (hot skillet on top. The resulting (flattened toasted sandwich is virtually identical to one that comes out of a commercial sandwich press.

So good, I can hardly put it into words! The perfect sandwich for a cold winter night. Instead of normal mustard, we used Cajun Mayo from Boar's Head, which added a nice, spicy-sweet kick. It was perfect against the sweetness of the pickles and sharpness of the cheese.

This recipe is perfect! Don't listen to the guy below that said to use "King's Hawaiian" bread. That doesn't taste anything like Cuban bread! Now if you are making Media Noche which is almost exactly like a Cuban then yes the "King's Hawaiian" sweet bread might be a good substitute since that sandwich requires a sweeter egg bread. For the Cuban though, if you don't have access to the real thing, substitute with French or Italian. Oh and for the love of God DON"T put jalapenos or sweet hot mustard on it. I'm half Cuban and been eating these my whole life. This recipe is perfect the way it is! 5 stars!

I changed it up just a bit....I added some salsa to the sandwich as well as the mustard. Since I did not have a sandwich press or a waffle maker I brushed the top of the bread with some EVO and put them into the George Forman Grill...served with black beans and rice and plantain chips......wonderful!!!!

I pretty much know how to make a real Cubana, but I hadn't made one in a while, so I checked this site out to review. All good, but I did subtract one star for the lack of info on what constitutes "Cuban bread" - it is actually a slightly sweet bread, so a fantastic substitute for those wanting the true taste of a Cubana (but don't have access to a real panaderia nearby is the King's Hawaiian sandwich bun. It is the perfect size, albeit round instead of hoagie-style, and the added flavor is fantastico. I made them tonight and added fresh jalapeno slices for my wife's and mine - my wife noted that she is not even a fan of pork, but these sandwiches were great, the mixture of sweet and spicy just perfect! One thing: try to use REAL Swiss cheese (from the deli section rather than the "Swiss-style" so often sold in supermarkets. There is a WORLD of flavor difference... Oh, and the mustard should be of the hot-and-sweet variety rather than the bland yellow stuff. Buena comida!

This is the closest to the way my Tampa born husband makes these great sandwiches. He uses a baked ham AND boiled ham. He also adds hard salami, and although I have never seen that in a Cuban sandwich recipe, it adds another great layer of flavor.

As far as I can tell, (as I've never been to Cuba, or had a Cuban in south Florida... this is the traditional way to prepare a Cuban. I've had so called "Cuban Sandwiches" at local eateries. And they always fall short of the real thing. So do yourself a favor and make the real deal for yourself.

There is a restaurant around here that serves a great Cuban sandwich with fried plantains, which my husband just adores. I tried this recipe to satisfy his craving and this did not disappoint. I used my Foreman grill as a sandwich press, using my iron skillet on top for weight. Next time I need to make sure they cut my pork a bit thicker at the deli, but that's an easy adjustment. On the table was Iguana Gold Habenero Sauce, on the side were some fried plantains. Delicioso!

Have made this a couple of times now. Cuban bread is best, but a fresh hoagie roll is nearly as good. I usually smoke a whole pork roast then freeze small 1 pound containers of it so whenever I want them I just defrost a container. Has gotten to be a football game favorite!

I made this for my future daughter-in-law and her parents. Her Father is from Cuba, they said it reminded them of sandwiches growing up. Easy recipe, I made my own bread, but Italian bread will work to.

This sandwiches is one of the best Cuban sandwiches ever, it is very easy and fun to do with the kids! Thanks foodnetwork!

This was an easy recipe. I didn't have the Cuban bread, so I substituted a french loaf - cut in half. My family loved it.

the sandwich was absolutely perfect, it was so delicious and tasty. It's got the authentic taste of a real Cuban

Just a suggestion I live in Westchester a suburb of NY and is hard to find Cuban bread so I use potato bread and the same ingredients that would make the sandwich a "Media Noche" or if you want to stick with the white bread try to find a bread made of water " Pan de Agua" the recipe will come out the same or even Better.

My husband is from Tampa and misses his Cuban sandwiches. I had some leftover pork from a smoked pork butt and made this for the family. Everyone had seconds and raved about it! My husband loved it, his only complaint was that you can't get Cuban bread in Delaware. The waffle iron idea is ingenious! It opens up so many possibilities for other fillings.