Cuban Sandwich Recipe
What is a Cuban Sandwich?
The classic Cuban sandwich, or Cubano, is a flavorful pressed sandwich with a debated history. While some believe it originated in Cuba and was later brought to Florida, others argue it was invented by Cuban immigrants in cities like Tampa and Miami.
Regardless of its origin, the sandwich is a beloved classic. It features Cuban bread, buttered and pressed until crunchy on the outside yet soft inside. Layers of yellow mustard, roasted pork, sweet ham, Swiss cheese, and tangy pickles are combined to create a harmonious blend of savory, slightly sweet, and tangy flavors, all served hot and perfectly melted.
Ingredient Must Haves (Notes Before Shopping)
Cuban sandwich is pretty much a precise combination of ingredients, and that’s what people love about it:
- Cuban Bread – For this classic sandwich, this really shouldn’t be substituted with any other kind of bread.
- Yellow Mustard – Some people like Dijon mustard in their Cubano, but plain yellow mustard is the traditional condiment.
- Roast Pork – it can be pulled or sliced. It’s so easy to make your own roast pork and save it in the refrigerator or freezer. If you have any roast pork or pork loin leftover from dinner, this is the best way to use it up!
- More Non-Negotiables In Cuban Sandwich: Swiss cheese, dill pickles, ham – you can use maple or black forest ham.
How to Make a Cuban Sandwich: Step-by-Step
Assemble the sandwich: Cut the bread in half width-wise. Butter the outer part of each slice. Spread mustard on the inside of each half of bread. Layer the ham, then the pork, then pickles, then cheese on the bottom half of the bread. Close the sandwich with the top half.
Press and cook the sandwich: Cook the Cuban sandwich in a panini press until toasty, heated through, and cheese is melted.
No Panini Press? No Problem!
Personally, I don’t bother buying a panini press because I believe you can achieve close to the same results without having yet another appliance in the kitchen cabinet. I use my ridged cast iron skillet and another smaller cast iron skillet on top.
Once you place the sandwiches onto the cast iron skillet, place another smaller skillet on top of it to weigh them down. If you don’t have another skillet, use another cooking pan. If you need to weigh down the other cooking pan, you can use pie weights.
Salami or NO Salami?
That is a source of yet another debate surrounding this sandwich. People in Miami will claim that the classic Cuban sandwich does not have salami, but the residents of Tampa would strongly disagree. So it comes down to which version of this sandwich you’d like to make, it’s going to be the Miami or Tampa version. The Tampa version calls for an addition of genoa salami for an extra layer of salty flavor.
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Cuban Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 8-10-inch Cuban bread loaves
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened or melted
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 8 oz sliced Swiss cheese
- 8-10 sandwich sliced dill pickles more if suing round slices
- 8-10 slices maple or black forest ham about 1/2 lb.
- 1 lb roast pork shredded
Instructions
Prepare the sandwich:
- Cut each Cuban bread in half, width-wise. Brush or rub the outer part of each bead half with melted butter.
- On the inside, spread mustard of each bead half.
- Layer ham, then shredded pork, then pickles, and then Swiss cheese on two of the bottom bread halves. Close the sandwiches with the top half.
Cooking Cuban Sandwich:
- You can use a panini press to cook the sandwich until completely heated through and cheese is melted or use the below method.
Cooking Without a Panini Press:
- Preheat a ridged (or a regular) skillet over medium heat.
- Place the sandwiches onto it and place another smaller skillet (or a heavier cooking pan) on top of the sandwiches to press them down. Let them cook a few minutes and then flip them. Place the skillet on top again and let them cook until completely heated through and cheese is melted.
- Cut each sandwich in half and serve with some pickles, chips, side salad, or any other side you wish.
Nutrition
More Sandwiches You Should Try
Italian Sub Sandwich – Amazing Italian sub sandwich with capicola ham, smoked ham, salami, pepperoni, Fontina cheese, marinated roasted peppers, and pepperoncini peppers.
Meatball Sub – hot delicious sandwich packed with tender Italian meatballs, marinara sauce, and gooey, melted Mozzarella Cheese.
Philly Cheesesteak – an American classic sandwich that combines flavorful thinly shaved steak, seared green bell peppers and onions, and melted provolone cheese on a deli fresh hoagie.
White BBQ Chicken Sub – delicious hot sub sandwich packed with chicken, cheese, and homemade white BBQ sauce.
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All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This was a great sandwich thanks for sharing!