Cuban
Cuban Pork Sandwiches
Roast pork, ham, Swiss, pickles, and mustard are pressed in a skillet until the bread is flat and the cheese melts.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Photo: Edsel L (CC BY-SA). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Press it. An unpressed Cuban is just a ham sandwich.
- Mustard, not mayo.
- Pickles are required.
- Medium heat so the bread toasts before the pork dries.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Split the rolls and spread mustard on both sides. Layer pork, ham, Swiss, and pickles.
- 2
Butter the outside of the rolls.
- 3
Grill in a skillet over medium, pressing with a heavy pan, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the bread is gold and the cheese melts.
- 4
Cut on the diagonal.
Pro tips
- A sandwich press is convenient. A skillet and a cast-iron lid work.
- If you do not have roast pork, leftover carnitas are the closest thing in this kitchen.
- Do not add lettuce. It does not belong in the press.
Easy substitutions
- Roast pork
- Slow cooker pork carnitas from this site
- Swiss
- Provolone
Storage and reheating
Storage
Best the hour they are pressed. Refrigerate fillings up to 3 days.
Reheating
Press again in a skillet until hot. Do not microwave.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 540
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
Moderate · Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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