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    Home » Recipes » Cast Iron

    Published: Aug 14, 2020 · Modified: Feb 17, 2023 by Jeremy Klae · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    Cuban Sandwich

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    This Cuban Sandwich Recipe is authentic, flavorful, and impressive. It has been one of my most highly requested foods to make from all of my friends and family. From the freshly made Cuban bread to the mojo-marinated smoked pork, combined with the ham, mustard, and pickles, you truly can't go wrong!

    Cuban sandwich served on red butcher paper.
    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Step-by-Step Instructions
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Recipes You'll Love
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    Sometimes, it's hard to find a place that has a great Cuban Sandwich unless you live in an area like Florida. Now it won't be hard at all! This Cuban Sandwich Recipe has all of the qualities of an authentic sandwich shop in Miami. Plus, you will have plenty of meat left over to vacuum seal and freeze for later.

    Ingredients

    Meat: Pork (Butt) Shoulder and Sliced Smoked Ham

    Cheese: Sliced baby Swiss cheese.

    Liquids: Water, Fresh Orange Juice, Fresh Lime Juice, and Olive Oil.

    Vegetables: Sweet Onions and Serrano Peppers.

    Herbs and Spices: Sugar, Kosher Salt, Oregano, Mint Leaves, Minced Garlic, and Ground Cumin.

    Extras: Instant Yeast, Bread Flour, Lard, Yellow Prepared Mustard, Butter, and Dill Pickle Slices.

    See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    Step-by-Step Instructions

    Day 1

    Bread starter being whisked in a glass mixing bowl.

    Step 1: we need to make the Cuban bread, which will start with a starter. This is a simple mixture of 2-¼ teaspoon Instant Yeast, ½ cup Warm Water, and ½ cup of Flour. Mix them all together and, with a whisk, put it in the fridge overnight, and you're good to go.

    Freshly squeezed citrus juice being added to a blender.

    Step 2: In a blender, mix 2 tablespoon minced Garlic, two sweet onions, Zest and Juice of 2 oranges and three limes, 2 tablespoon Oregano, 4 Bunches of Fresh Mint Leaves, 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin, two whole Serrano Chiles, 1 cup Olive Oil, 1-½ tablespoon Kosher Salt.

    Mix it all up and pour about a cup and a half in a squeeze bottle for serving, then dump the rest over an 8 to 10 lb Bone-in Pork Butt shoulder.

    Allow the Pork Butt to marinate overnight in the fridge to soak up all that flavor.

    Day 2

    A pork butt shoulder on the grate of a big green egg with mojo sauce poured over the top.

    Mojo Pork

    Step 1: for the Pork butt, I am cooking on the Big Green Egg, but this can be done on any smoker, grill, slow cooker, or even in the oven. If you can cook over charcoal, though, I highly recommend doing so.

    First, get your cooker preheated to about 275-300°f. While the temp is getting steady, set the pork butt out to come closer to room temperature. Pop that bad boy in there once you have gotten the cooker up to temp.

    The Pork butt will be cooked to an internal temp of 195°f, so this cook will take a while, just like if you were smoking a pork butt. However, in this cook, we are not using any wood chunks, pellets, or otherwise. The natural smoke from the lump charcoal will give it all the outdoor flavor we need.

    A perfectly mild smokiness.

    About three hours in, take a look at the pork. It should be starting to get a nice color on the outside; some fat has already started rendering down, and this is when you want to start monitoring the internal temperature. Place your meat thermometer probe in the center of the butt, being certain you don't hit bone.

    We will monitor the internal temperature until it hits 160°f, and then it's time to wrap that butt!

    For this recipe, I recommend wrapping in Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil because we aren't concerned with preserving the bark like if we were smoking a Pork Butt, since there won't really be any.

    Once the pork is wrapped, probe the meat in the same spot and cook until the internal temp hits 195°f. You can remove it from the cooker and stick it in a cooler to rest until ready to shred.

    Cuban bread being poured out of the bowl of a stand mixer and into a larger bowl to rise.

    Recipe for Cuban Bread

    Step 2: Grab your stand mixer or whatever you have.

    I use the Kitchen-aide Professional 5 Plus and literally make bread for a whole community. So, if you want to hand mix and knead the bread, I'm sure you could! But if not, get a kitchen aide!

    In your main mixing bowl, pour 2-¼ teaspoon instant yeast. In a separate bowl with a thermometer, pour warm water in 1-¼ Cups and allow it to cool to between 109-105°f. Once the water has hit the correct temperature, pour it over the yeast in your mixing bowl. Allow your yeast to bloom in the water for about 8-10 minutes. You will start to see it rise and flourish in the water.

    While the yeast is activating, whisk 3-½ cups Bread Flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoon Salt together with a fork in a separate bowl.

    Next, pour the dry mixture over your Yeast and Water mixture; add your starter from the night before and 3 Tbsp. of Lard. Mix well using a Stand mixer or by hand, whichever you prefer.

    Once mixed, place your dough ball in a well-oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for about an hour until doubled in size.

    Then, punch it down and allow it to rise for one more hour.

    Three loaves of Cuban bread on a baking sheet being scored with a knife.

    Step 3: Preheat the oven to 400°f and place a pan of water on the bottom rack to create steam.

    Lastly, on a well-floured surface, roll the dough out, cut that roll into thirds, and roll each of those into a loaf shape, ensuring you tuck the ends under and have an even loaf throughout.

    Once you have the loaves rolled out, score the loaves using a sanitized razor blade or extremely sharp knife. Don't score the loaves too deep. You're looking for a small, shallow, and even slice across the top of each loaf.

    Now, you can either wet your hands and the loaves or use a spray bottle to spray them down. Either way is fine. I didn't have a spray bottle, so I wet the loaves myself.

    Bake the loaves in the oven for 20 minutes, then place on a cooling rack until you're ready to start assembling the sandwiches.

    A sandwich with mustard, ham, cheese, pulled pork, and mojo sauce.

    Assembling a Cuban Sandwich

    Step 4: Place a Cast Iron Griddle and a Cast Iron Skillet on the stove. Be sure both are at medium heat but fully heated all through.

    If you haven't already, shred the pork. I promise this won't be hard. I have personally used meat claws, gloves, and when I didn't have those, I just used two forks. Whatever works!

    Now, evenly slice a loaf of your Cuban Bread. Spread Mustard on the bottom piece of bread, place your Swiss cheese, pickle slices, ham, and shredded Mojo pork, then top with two strips of Mojo Sauce.

    Butter being brushed onto the outside of a cuban sandwich.

    Step 5: Place the top piece of bread on the sandwich and brush with melted butter.

    A sandwich cooked on a cast iron griddle and being pressed with a hot cast iron skillet.

    Step 6: Transfer the Sandwich to a preheated Cast Iron Griddle and flip it over so it is top-down. Brush butter on the top side of the sandwich.

    Using your grilling gloves, grab the preheated Cast Iron Skillet and start smushing the sandwich down evenly.

    Once the sandwich has been smushed to your liking and the cheese is melting, flip the sandwich over using a large or griddle spatula.

    Allow this to cook for just a minute.

    Remove, slice in half, then slice those halves diagonally.

    Expert Tips

    • If you can find freshly baked Cuban bread in your area, you can save time and skip the bread making.
    • Wrapping the pork butt in foil protects the meat from getting too smokey but also ensures it stays nice and tender.
    • In addition to marinating the pork butt, you may also want to consider injecting it with the mojo sauce. This will give it a lot more flavor and make it even more tender on the sandwich.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is a Cuban Sandwich made of?

    A Cuban sandwich is made of Cuban bread layered with mojo pork, sliced ham, swiss cheese, mustard, and dill pickles, then pressed on a flattop grill, cast iron skillet, or sandwich press.

    What are the two types of Cuban sandwiches?

    The two types of Cuban sandwiches come from a rivalry between Miami and Tampa as to who created the first and who has the traditional Cuban. The only difference between the two is that Tampa adds Genoa salami to the sandwich, whereas Miami does not.

    What's the difference between a Cuban Sandwich and a Cubano?

    There is no difference between between a Cuban sandwich and a Cubano sandwich. It is the same thing with an interchangeable name.

    Do Cuban sandwiches contain cheese?

    Yes. Cuban sandwiches contain Swiss cheese. I recommend using baby Swiss so the cheese doesn't overpower the marinated mojo pork and smokey ham.

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    If you made this Homemade Cuban Sandwich recipe or any other of my recipes, please leave a Star Rating and let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

    Don't forget to tag @chickenfriedkitchen on Instagram, Subscribe on YouTube, and Follow on Pinterest and Facebook! I'll see you there!

    📖 Recipe

    Cuban Sandwich on butcher paper sliced and served with pickles.

    What is on a Cuban Sandwich

    What is on a Cuban Sandwich? Cuban Bread, Mustard, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Mojo Pork, and Mojo Sauce, all squished down into a crispy delicious sandwich that will leave you wanting more!
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine: American, Cuban
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 13 hours hours
    Total Time: 13 hours hours 10 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 1392kcal
    Author: Jeremy Klae

    Ingredients

    Cuban Bread (Starter)

    • 2 ¼ tsp. Instant Yeast
    • ½ Cup Warm Water
    • ½ Cup Bread Flour

    Cuban Bread (Loaves)

    • Starter
    • 1 ¼ Cups Warm Water
    • 2 ¼ tsp. Instant Yeast
    • 3 ½ Cups Bread Flour
    • 1 Tbsp. Sugar
    • 2 tsp. Salt
    • 3 Tbsp. Lard

    Mojo Sauce and Mojo Pork

    • 10 lb Bone in Pork Shoulder
    • 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
    • 2 Sweet Onions
    • Zest and Juice of 2 Oranges
    • Zest and Juice of 3 Limes
    • 2 Tbsp. Oregano
    • 2 Bunches of Mint Leaves
    • 1 Tbsp. Ground Cumin
    • 2 Serrano Chiles
    • 1 Cup Olive Oil
    • 1 ½ tablespoon Kosher Salt

    The Cuban Sandwich

    • Mustard
    • Butter
    • Sliced Dill Pickles
    • Sliced Baby Swiss Cheese

    Instructions

    Cuban Bread (Starter)

    • Whisk together yeast, water, and flour then cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

    Mojo Sauce and Pork

    • In a blender, mix minced Garlic, Sweet Onions, Zest and Juice of Oranges and Limes, Oregano, Fresh Mint leaves, Ground Cumin, Serrano Chiles, Olive Oil, Kosher Salt.
    • Pour about a cup and a half in a squeeze bottle for serving,
    • Dump the rest over an 8 to 10 lb Bone-in Pork Butt shoulder.
    • Allow the Pork Butt to marinate overnight.
    • Preheat Smoker/Grill/Oven to about 275-300°f. Once you've reached your temp. place the pork butt on the smoker.
    • Cook to an internal Temperature of 160°f, wrap in foil, and return to the smoker.
    • Cook until its reached an internal temperature of 195°f, remove and allow to rest, still wrapped, in a cooler.

    Cuban Bread Loaves

    • In the bowl of a stand mixer, pour instant yeast. In a separate bowl with a thermometer, pour in warm water and allow it to cool to between 109-105°f.
    • Once the water has hit the correct temperature pour it over the yeast in your mixing bowl. Allow your yeast to bloom in the water for about 8-10 minutes.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk 3-½ cups Bread Flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 teaspoon Salt together with a fork.
    • Pour the dry mixture over your Yeast and Water, add your starter from the night before and 3 Tbsp. of Lard. Mix well using a Stand mixer.
    • Place your dough in well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for about an hour until doubled in size.
    • Punch the dough down and allow to rise for another hour.
    • Preheat the oven to 400°f and place a pan of water on the very bottom rack to create steam.
    • On a well floured surface, roll the dough out, cut that roll into thirds, and roll each one of those into a loaf shape.
    • Score the loaves using a razor blade or extremely sharp knife.
    • Wet the loaves with a spray bottle or rubbing water onto them by hand.
    • Bake the loaves on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes.
    • Once loaves are golden brown, remove from the oven and cool on your cooling racks.

    Assembling the Cuban Sandwich

    • Place a Cast Iron Griddle and a Cast Iron Skillet on the stove. Be sure that both are fully heated.
    • Shred the pork using claws, gloves, or two forks. Whatever works!
    • Evenly slice a loaf of your Cuban Bread.
    • Spread Mustard on the bottom piece of bread, place your Swiss cheese, pickle slices, ham, shredded Mojo pork, then top with two strips of Mojo Sauce.
    • Place the top piece of bread on the sandwich and brush with melted butter.
    • Transfer the Sandwich to the preheated Cast Iron Griddle and flip it over so the is top down. Brush butter on the now top side of the sandwich.
    • Using your grilling gloves, grab the preheated Cast Iron Skillet and start pressing the sandwich down evenly.
    • Once the sandwich has been pressed to your liking and the cheese is melting, flip the sandwich over using a large spatula or a griddle spatula.
    • Allow this to cook for just a minute.
    • Remove, slice in half, then slice those halves diagonally.
    • SERVE AND ENJOY!

    Video

    YouTube video

    Notes

    • If you have a Panini Press or Outdoor Griddle, I recommend using those instead of the two cast iron pans.
    • If you can find freshly baked Cuban bread in your area, you can save time and skip the bread making.
    • Wrapping the pork butt in foil protects the meat from getting too smokey and ensures it stays nice and tender.
    • In addition to marinating the pork butt, you may also want to consider injecting it with the mojo sauce. This will give it a lot more flavor and make it even more tender on the sandwich.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 1392kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 105g | Fat: 72g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 42g | Cholesterol: 311mg | Sodium: 2234mg | Potassium: 1986mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 538IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 230mg | Iron: 11mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @ChickenFriedKitchen or tag #chickenfriedkitchen!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Neil Sanchez says

      November 12, 2020 at 11:28 pm

      You got one thing right, the bread was first made at the Ferlita bakery in Ybor. If you want more information on how the sandwich came about, contact y.

      Reply
      • Jeremy says

        November 17, 2020 at 5:12 pm

        Thank you so much for the comment and feedback. I would love more of the history on this sandwich.

        Reply
    5 from 13 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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