The Cubano Sandwich

We love the movie “The Chef”. The first time we watched it, my son was very curious about the Cubano. He had never heard of it before and he started pestering me to make one so he could taste it. I had to start my investigating and figuring out how to make the best Cubano so he could understand what it was and enjoy the experience. Here is what I came up with.

The Ingredients for The Cubano Sandwich

The Cubano has quite a few ingredients, but that’s what makes it so delicious. The Cubano sandwich comprises two types of pork. One is slices of deli ham (which I will not take credit for – I just walk over to the local deli and pick it up), and the second is a homemade roast pork shoulder.

The Ingredients List for The Cubano Sandwich

• Roasted pork
• 2 1/2 lb pork shoulder
• 2 large red onions
• 3 tablespoons of ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons of paprika
• 3 tablespoons of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 sprig or fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 cup of water
• Cubano Sandwich
• 4 sandwich buns
• 4 tablespoons room temperature butter
• 4 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 200 grams of sliced deli ham
• 8 slices jalapeno Havarti cheese
• 8 large pickle slices

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The Roasted Pork

The roasted pork is the best part of this sandwich in my opinion. To make the pork, we coat it with delicious spices. The spice mix comprises 3 tablespoons of ground cumin, 3 tablespoons of paprika, 3 tablespoons of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of salt (or to taste).

Mix all the dry spices in a bowl and rub them all over a 2 1/2 pound pork shoulder. Make sure to rub both the top and bottom and all sides too.

Slice 2 red onions and place them at the bottom of a baking dish. Place your pork shoulder on top of the onions and place 1 sprig of fresh rosemary and 2 sprigs of fresh thyme on top of the shoulder. Add one cup of water to the baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil. The liquid helps keep the pork moist as it cooks.

Baking the Pork

Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for up to 1 1/2 hrs covered. Remove from the oven and take the foil off. By now the pork should have rendered all its fat and liquid and there should be liquid at the bottom of the baking dish. Fret not, it will all dry up when you place the shoulder back into the oven for another hour or so. I like my roast more on the well done side, but if you prefer your a rare roast, only cook it for 45 mins uncovered. When ready, the inside of the roasted pork should read approximately 155 degrees F.

Let the roasted pork sit and rest in the baking dish for about 5 mins after it comes out of the oven. Remove the pork from the pan and using a sharp knife slice it into 1/4 inch slices. We like thicker slices, but you can always make them thinner if you prefer.

As the shoulder cooks, so do the onions, but they absorb all of the delicious flavours of the spice rub as well as the pork renderings. We are going to use these delicious onions in the Cubano.

Assembling the Cubano Sandwich

To assemble the Cubano, the first step is to toast the bread. I use a skillet that has grids on it that give it beautiful lines. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of room temperature butter onto each face of the sandwich buns and toast them on the skillet -buttered side down. You could use just a regular skillet or toast the buns first and then butter them.

Once the buns are done, spread a liberal layer of dijon mustard on the bottom half of the bun. I use up to 1 tablespoon of it, but you can use as much or as little as you like. Remember the onions we had saved from the roasting pan, this is where they come in. Place a liberal amount of the onions onto the bun. Now you can assemble the sandwich in any way you like.

I go with the roasted pork on top of the onions, then the deli ham, then the cheese, and then the pickles. Place the top half of the bun to make a sandwich. Generally, you would place the sandwich back on the skillet and cook it some more, but my son prefers it just the way it is – perhaps because he doesn’t have the patience to wait any longer.

Serving Suggestions:

We enjoy our Cubano sandwich with:

• a side of my Crunchy Vegetable Salad.
• or a side of my Taco Salad.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

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