Original Cuban Sandwich Recipes

Steps:

• To make the Cuban Roast Pork: Mash the garlic and salt together using a mortar/pestle.
• Place the mash mixture in a small bowl; add in oregano, onion, and sour orange juice; mix thoroughly.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; add in the mash mixture and whisk to blend.
• Remove from heat and set marinade aside.
• Pierce the pork roast with a sharp knife or fork.
• Set aside a small amount of the marinade for use during the roasting period.
• Pour remaining marinade over the pork, cover, and refrigerate 2-3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 325°; remove pork from marinade and place on a rack in a roasting pan.
• Sprinkle reserved marinade over pork.
• Roast until completely cooked and a meat thermometer registers 160° (about 20 minutes per lb).
• Baste occasionally with the pan juices.
• Remove pork from oven and let rest for at least 20 minutes before thinly slicing the meat.
• Bring remaining pan juices to a boil and simmer until juice is reduced by half; use this juice to sprinkle onto the meat in the sandwiches.
• To make the sandwiches: cut the bread into 4 sections, each about 8 inches long; slice these sections in half horizontally; spread butter on the inside of both halves.
• Generously layer sandwiches with filling ingredients in the following order: pickles, roasted pork, ham, and cheese.
• Spread with the optional mustard or mayonnaise if desired.
• Preheat a pancake griddle or large skillet.
• Lightly coat hot griddle or skillet with cooking spray; add in the first sandwich (make sure that your griddle or skillet is not too hot or the crust will burn before the cheese melts).
• Place a heavy iron skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it (you want to smash the sandwich, compressing the bread to about a third of its original size).
• Grill the sandwich for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden.
• Repeat the process for each sandwich.
• Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.
• Note--Additions like Genoa salami, mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and onion have become popular in the past forty years but are considered heresy by purists; in the old days, the sandwich was brushed on the outside with a small amount of pork drippings.

Steps:

• Cut off the ends of the Cuban bread, then slice in half.
• Add mustard, then ham, then pork, then cheese, then pickles, then place the bun on top.
• Place the sandwich on pan or griddle over low heat. Brush top with melted butter.
• Press the sandwich with a panini press, or if you don't have a press use a heavy pot or pie dish and push down.
• Cook 5-10 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cheese is melted.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• ROASTING THE PORK: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (all of the ingredients except the pork), and rub this mixture over all surfaces of the pork. Cover well, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.
• Place the pork in a roasting pan or ovenproof dish, and roast it in a preheated 425°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until cooked through. Remove the pork from the oven, and cool it completely before slicing thinly.
• ASSEMBLING THE SANDWICH: Slice the Cuban loaves in half horizontally. Brush the cut surfaces of the rolls with olive oil or melted butter. Layer the sandwiches as follows: Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, ham, sliced roast pork, then additional cheese.
• Now comes the somewhat challenging part. You want to grill these sandwiches, top and bottom, while at the same time flattening them slightly. This helps meld all of the filling ingredients. Heat two large skillets, or a griddle, to medium, about 325°F Lightly grease the griddle and/or skillets. Brush the bottoms of the sandwiches lightly with olive oil or melted butter. Place them in the greased pan(s). Brush the tops with oil or butter. Top them with a piece of parchment paper or foil, then a flat sheet pan, or other flat, non-meltable object-the point is to provide a flat surface for a weight. Place something heavy atop the pan-a teakettle filled with water makes a good weight, as does a clean brick wrapped in aluminum foil.
• Grill the sandwiches for 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat, checking often to make sure the bottoms aren't burning. Adjust the heat downward if the bottoms are becoming brown after only a couple of minutes. Turn the sandwiches over and grill for several more minutes, until they're slightly crisp on both sides, and the cheese is melting. Remove from the heat, cut the sandwiches in 2, and serve warm.

Steps:

• Cut Cuban bread into 6 8-inch pieces.
• Split bread lengthwise.
• Spread mustard on six halves of the bread.
• Spread mayonnaise on the other six halves of the bread.
• Layer ham, pork, Swiss cheese, and salami on the mustard halves of the bread.
• Layer pickles on top of salami; top with mayo halves of bread.
• Can be eaten cold, but tastes better "hot pressed".
• To press: Heat a counter top grill (like a George Foreman grill) and place sandwich between the plates.
• Press down hard on the sandwich, squeezing the halves together tightly.
• Grill until the bread is toasted to a light brown on the outside and the cheese is melted.
• Alternate method: Heat a heavy pan on top of the stove on medium heat.
• Place sandwich in pan and press down with another heavy object (a brick wrapped in foil is good).
• Toast sandwich until light brown on one side, then turn over.
• Replace brick on toasted side.
• Serve with potato chips and a cold soda.