Cuban Sandwich takes the typical ham and cheese sandwich and takes it up a few notches with Cuban flare and flavor. Layers of boiled ham and roasted pork sandwiched between crispy grilled bread and some melted gooey Swiss cheese with a bit of zing from dilled pickles. Perfect for that lunchtime meal or a fun family night. Let's make tonight Cuban night!
Song of the day: "Havana" by Camila Cabello (Audio) ft Young Thug.
Cuban Sandwich brings a classic Cuban poor man's food and brings it to the streets of Florida and Miami. Succulent ham and roasted pork all bundled with Swiss cheese, mustard, and dill pickles and all toasted in a sandwich grill melding these wonderful flavors in a handheld delicious meal.
Let's Eat the World
Cuba, when I think of this I imagine a hot, colorful, place with passionate music, dancing, and plenty of celebrations with delicious street foods with a little Latin spice. I have never gone to Cuba but have heard many wonderful stories of plentiful beaches, the abundance of sun, and incredible nightlife with amazing dancing and great food. Well, can't go to Cuba at this moment, but we can sure bring a little Cuba to our home and yours.
We have joined in with Eat the World Recipe Challenge and yes, our first stop is CUBA! Vamos!
A virtual travel
I feel quite privileged to be a part of this group. It has always been a passion of mine to learn about culture, people, and of course food. I have always dreamed of having a job traveling the world, being invited into the homes of the people of the world and sharing in the experience of memory, history, and ultimately sharing food. That dream would be even better having Nicoletta with me sharing the vision. That would be a dream come true. However, this experience is the next best thing, we virtually go to destinations around the world and choose what food we want to experience and we share our experience with you. I would have to say, Canada is not short of cultural experiences. I have had plenty of hands-on cultural food experiences from peeling hot boiled potatoes in a Hindu temple, to learning the techniques in Chinese vegetarian cuisine in a Buddhist temple I go to once in a while. I cherish those times and look forward to many more to come.
The Cuban Sandwich
Believe it or not, the Cuban Sandwich has been around since the 1800's and was given to the hungry cigar and sugar mill factory workers. From the late 1800's to the early 1900's non-problematic travel between Cuba and Florida brought thousands of Cubans to the U.S. and with that the cigar industry and hungry factory workers. They first set up in Key West then later moved to Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa. Cafes starting serving those workers Cuban sandwiches and also became popular in other areas such as Miami. Enough history, I am getting hungry!
Easy
This Cuban Sandwich is really easy and would be a great way to use up some leftover ham and roasted pork. Yes, that's right, this sandwich is not shy in the meat department and no wonder it was popular with the factory workers, it is quite substantial. So what you will need is some boiled ham, roasted pork tenderloin, Swiss cheese, mustard, some good pickles, and nice crusty torpedo buns. I added a little sriracha sauce just to bring the heat factor in a touch!
Assembly
The ham, a nice piece with bone-in and into some boiling water to cook. The roasted pork a nice loin dry rubbed then brushed with some mayo and into a hot pan for searing ending in the oven to finish cooking. With that out of the way now it is time to assemble. A nice slathering of mustard and sriracha sauce, then a couple of layers of sliced boiled ham, some more mustard. A layer of pickles, some Swiss cheese, a couple of layers of that succulent pork loin, and a slathering of mustard and sriracha and it is time to cap this Cuban bad boy! To get that cheese melted, we are going to wrap the whole thing in foil wrap and get the panino grill nice and hot, oh wait, I almost forgot, we have to spread butter on the outside of the bread before we wrap it up. This is going to help roast that crust oh so just right! In it goes for a few minutes to get all gooey and crispy, and we are just about ready to eat, yesssssssss!
What a joy to unwrap this sandwich, the bread is perfect, crispy and crunchy. That Swiss cheese is oh so melted and gooey helping hold this bad boy together. There is this wonderful acidic aroma coming from the dill pickle and mustard, and the combination of pork candy wafts in the air with that sweet and savory profile.
Diving in
I can't stand it anymore I am going in for a bite. Oh, if you only could hear that crunch of that crust of bread, it's amazing. The boiled ham has that sweetness and it's so succulent, moist, and tender. The Swiss cheese is like a rich velvety cream just oozing everywhere, and that mustard sriracha combination is dancing a salsa beat on my tongue. The roasted pork loin just melts in your mouth and all those spices and that crispy outer surface just exudes incredible flavor and texture.
In the end, I just love the totality of this sandwich. It is a perfect lunchtime meal or even better to get the family together for a cultural Cuban night and this amazing Cuban Sandwich!
Tener un Buen Tiempo! (Have a fun time)!
PrintCuban Sandwich
Cuban Sandwich takes the typical ham and cheese sandwich and takes it up a few notches with Cuban flare and flavor. Layers of boiled ham and roasted pork sandwiched between crispy grilled bread and some melted gooey swiss cheese with a bit of zing from dilled pickles. Perfect for that lunch time meal or a fun family night. Let's make tonight Cuban night!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 23 minutes
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 2-8 inch sandwiches 1x
- Category: Sandwiches
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Cuban
Ingredients
- 2 8-inch Torpedo sub buns
- 2 tablespoons of yellow prepared mustard
- 1 Tablespoon sriracha mayo
- 250 g boiled ham
- 300 g roasted pork loin
- 2 large dill pickles halved
- 6 thin slices of Swiss cheese
- 2 Tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Slice boiled ham and roasted pork loin into thick slices approx. ¼ inch thick.
- Slice torpedo sub buns in half lengthwise.
- Butter inside of bread and spread mustard and sriracha mayo on both top and bottom buns.
- Layer a couple layers of the roasted pork loin
- Spread some more mustard and place two pickle halves on to.
- Cover this layer with Swiss cheese.
- Add a couple layers of boiled ham and top with bun.
- Spread butter on outside of bun top and bottom, cover with tin foil and set aside. Do the same for the second Cuban sandwich.
- Heat up sandwich grill and place foil wraped sandwiches in to grill, close grill. Cook for 2-3 minutes and take off grill, take off foil, cut and serve.
Enjoy!
Notes
- You can purchase cooked ham for one of the layers or buy a ham bone in and cook it in boiling water.
- For the pork loin just mix some salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika, crushed coriander and rub it all over the pork loin.
- Brush with mayo and place in a med to high skillet to brown. When all sides are browned and seared, place loin in an oven safe dish and into a 375° F oven for 15 -20 minutes.
- When done, take out of oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
- If you have some leftover ham and pork then use that.
Check out all the wonderful Cuban dishes my fellow Eat the World blogger friends have prepared #eattheworld:
Wendy: Ropa Vieja in Slow Cooker
Camilla: Baked Picadillo Empanadas
Sarah: Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork
Karen: Cuban Bread {Pan Cubano de Manteca}
Evelyne: Cuban Mojo Pork Chops and Yuca
Amy: Slow Cooker Cuban Ropa Vieja
Bernice: Huevos Habaneros - A Cuban Breakfast
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Karen says
This sandwich sounds incredible! I happen to have some cuban bread that needs some ham, pork, and pickles!
I am so glad you like this one. I have not really had much experience in Cuban food but when I found this sandwich I was hooked. The combination or pork and having mustard, pickles and swiss cheese all grilled up and melded won me over totally. I was surprised at the fact of buttering the bread all around, but after doing it and seeing how it just crisped up that crust made my mouth water. If you have the bread I would definately get that pork and ham sliced up and get this sandwich together. Have fun and happy cooking Karen.
With much gratitude for the comment!
Loreto out!
Diane says
I have never heard of this, but I want it right now! Amazing technique - delivers crunch - my fav thing in a sandwich! Hugs, :)iane
Hi Diane, you absolutely have to try this sandwich, it is definately substantial, full of sweet and savory flavors and that mustard and pickle just give the pork and ham due dilegence! Thanks so much for commenting Diane.
Have a wonderful start to the new week!
Ciao!
l;oreto
Wendy says
Our daughter used to live in a suburb of Miami and we always made sure we stopped for Cuban Sandwiches when we were down there. Thanks for the memories.
Hi Wendy, I love hearing peoples stories of their cultural adventures and how recipes stimulate so many memories that we can share and cherish. This Cuban sandwich was amazing, I loved all the flavors and textures and that crispy bun was perfect to house all that succulence! Thanks a million for sharing and commenting, totally appreciated by Nicoletta and I!
Have a great week till we converse again!
Cheers!
loreto
Evelyne CulturEatz says
It's almost 3 and no lunch yet, you guys are KILLING ME here lol. The sandwich looks so amazing and I love the very Cuban dish outside of Cuba history. I am so very happy to have you part of the group!
Hey Evelyne sorry to make you so hungry but its our job and we love it which makes it all the more infectious. It is my first time experiencing Cuban food and I have to say I am going to do some other recipes too after seeing what everyone in the group created making me so hungry also. Such a great start to an amazing adventure! Thanks a bunch for checking this out and commenting!
Cheers and have a grand day!
Loreto
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Ohhhh, my husband will love this! The 'delicious' is pouring off the page!
Lol, Thank you Annie I had the visual of that delicious coming off the page. Wouldn't that be an amazing thing if that could really happen! All I can say is you really gotta try this, the buttering of the bun all around and the way it toasts in the foil is amazing and I love that crunch at first break into the sandwich and all those flavors just pour out. It is a bit of a messy affair so napkins, napkins!
Have a great Monday!
Ciao for now!
Loreto out.
Sarah | Curious Cuisiniere says
Such a classic sandwich! Yours looks so tasty!
Thank you Sara, it tasted as good as it looked. I loved the acidity of the mustard and pickles combined with that sweetness you get from ham and roasted pork a perfect balance!
Have a wonderful day!
Cheers!
loreto
dishnthekitchen says
You guys I am dying!! I just drooled on my keyboard. My favourite sandwich in the world (next to a Rueben) is a Cuban. I could eat them every day. They are exactly as you described 🙂
Thank you, It was my first time making these I was a bit nervous being out of my comfort zone, but the end result was wonderfully delicious and coming from someone who is familiar with the Cuban I feel relieved that I did it justice.
Have a wonderful week Bernice!
Cheers!
loreto
chef mimi says
This sandwich is so enticing! And thank you for not making it in an Insta Pot!!!!!
Jenni says
I love a good Cuban sandwich. The layers of flavor look fantastic!
Hi Jenni, I fell in love with this sandwich, at first I was thinking wow ham and roasted pork, but when you put it all together and get that acidity playing and a crunchy pickle to awaken the tastebuds it is truly a fantastic sandwich experience!
Thanks for the comment and Happy Sunday to you!
Ciao! Loreto
Leslie Haasch says
A really good Cuban sandwich is so hard to come by - homemade is totally the way to go!
I agree leslie, there is nothing like homemade unless you are in the streets of Miami or in Cuba and happen upon one of those gems in the raw for the total experience. It was a pleasure learning about this sandwich and creating it! Thank you!
Have a wonderful day!
Loreto
Amy CookingAdventures says
I LOVE Cuban sandwiches! Yours looks delightful! Love the addition of sriracha!
Thank you Amy. I love that subtle heat that sriracha gives after all it a Latin dish. It marries so well with the sweetness of the ham and the savoriness of the roasted pork!
Happy Cooking!
Ciao for now!
Loreto
Nancy Bryant says
This sandwich looks so delicious and filling! Loved the use of sriracha as it adds more flavor and crunch on these buns looks perfect.
Thank you Nancy, it was quite filling but for a teenager one would suffice very well. The crunch on the bun was achieved by spreading butter on the outside of the bread, covering it in tin foil, then into a panino grill, and oh it was just right, not to toasted that it was hard to bite into and not too soft that you felt it was sogy, it had a nice surface crispiness and married with that mustardy, succulent pork and ham filled inside took it to a wonderful level!
Have a great day!
Loreto