Cuban Sandwich Recipe

By drinkfairy

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Cuban bread
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound ham
• 1 pound Cuban pork (lechón asado)
• 1/2 pound Swiss cheese
• 15 slices dill pickles

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

To make four generous sandwiches:
Preheat a pancake griddle or large fry pan to medium hot.

Cut the bread into sections about 8 inches long. Cut these in half and generously spread butter on both halves (inside.)

Make each sandwich with the ingredients in this order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese. Be generous!

NOTE: Most people use a sweet cured ham (jamón dulce) or bolo ham for Cuban sandwiches. If you can find these hams in your area, great. Otherwise, look for a slightly sweet, soft textured ham with a mild taste. You don't want the flavor of the ham to overpower the rest of the ingredients! Also, never use shaved ham or pork in a Cuban sandwich!

Spread a little butter on the hot griddle or fry pan and place the sandwich on the pan. Use a heavy skillet, bacon press, or foil-wrapped brick to flatten the sandwich. (You really want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about 1/3 its original size!)

Grill the sandwiches for two to three minutes then flip them over to toast the other side. Once the cheese is melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, the sandwiches are done.

Make sure your griddle or fry pan is not TOO HOT! Otherwise, the crust will burn before the cheese melts.

Slice the sandwich in half diagonally and serve.

NOTES:

Tip: Let your meats and cheese come to room temperature. This way you avoid over toasting the bread and the cheese melts perfectly! This is especially helpful when you have a lot of meat in your sandwich.

Most people use a sweet cured ham (jamón dulce) or bolo ham for Cuban sandwiches. If you can find these hams in your area, great. Otherwise, look for a slightly sweet, soft textured ham with a mild taste. You don't want the flavor of the ham to overpower the rest of the ingredients! Also, never use shaved ham or pork in a Cuban sandwich!

You may substitute French bread if you must, but NOT a baguette! Additional bread options: hoagie roll, Mexican bolillo, or Jimmy John's loaf.

Use a mild Swiss cheese. We like Baby Swiss, it has only a few holes.

For extra flavor, sprinkle a little mojo (or meat juices if you make the recipe below) on the meat before adding the cheese.

Although one might encounter numerous variations across the country, a traditional Cuban sandwich does not include mustard, mayonnaise, lettuce, or tomato. (Some people just do not know when to leave a classic alone!)

Even using mustard is a personal choice. We find that the best Cuban sandwiches don't need it. The butter, natural meat juices and yes – even the pickle juice give it all of the moistness and flavor it needs.

Howevere, at lunch counters, we've seen many people dipping their sandwich into a little mustard. So it is perfectly acceptable to serve these condiments "on the side."

Anyone who makes a Cuban sandwich with garlic aioli (as we see so often in restaurants in the rest of the country) either has delusions of grandeur or just doesn't get the concept!

And yes, people from Tampa, we know you claim to have invented the Cuban sandwich (we're not even going to go there!) and it isn't a Cuban sandwich without Genoa salami – but that is an addition that is unique to Tampa. You won't find salami on a Cuban sandwich in just about any city that we know about!

So Tampa Cubans, take pride in the fact that your Cuban sandwich is truly unique. As for the argument that a "true Cuban sandwich" is never pressed, if you really like it that way in Tampa, more power to you!