Cuban Sandwich with Zucchini Pickles

By garciamoss

Ingredients

• Zucchini pickles:
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/8”-thick rounds, preferably on a mandoline
• 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• Shredded pork and assembly:
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 sprig oregano
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 3-lb. skinless, boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 8 brioche buns, split
• 8 ounces soppressata, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces pepper Jack, thinly slice

Details

Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Zucchini pickles:
Bring vinegar, sugar, turmeric, mustard powder, and mustard seeds to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Let cool.
Toss zucchini, onion, and salt in a large bowl and let stand until zucchini releases moisture, 30–35 minutes. Pat zucchini and onion dry and transfer to a large jar. Pour pickling liquid over vegetables to submerge. Cover and chill at least 12 hours.
DO AHEAD: Zucchini can be pickled 
4 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Shredded pork and assembly:
Preheat oven to 300°. Combine onion, carrot, celery, oregano, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and broth in a Dutch oven or other large pot. Place pork on top of vegetables and drizzle with oil; season pork with salt and pepper. Cover and braise, turning pork occasionally, until pork is just falling apart, 3½–4 hours. Let cool.
Transfer pork to a large bowl, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and shred with a fork. Add cooking liquid as needed to moisten pork (you may not use all of it).
Meanwhile, increase oven temperature to 400°. Mix mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl and set aside.
Place both halves of buns, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Layer soppressata, pork, and cheese on bottom halves of buns and bake until cheese is melted, about 
5 minutes. Top bottom halves of buns with pickles; spread top halves of buns with reserved mayonnaise mixture and form sandwiches.
DO AHEAD: Pork can be braised and shredded 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.