| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 2 days 17 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 1 hr |
| Inactive: | 2 days 30 min |
| Cook: | 16 hr 25 min |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 sandwiches |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 to 4 pounds pork butt (shoulder)
- 2 bunches fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup garlic cloves
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 bottles beer (Belgian white is best, but German wheat or lager work)
- Zest and juice of 2 limes
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 rings fresh cut pineapple, pureed (or two 6-ounce cans pineapple juice)
- The smallest bone-in ham available
- 2 bottles beer (Belgian white is best, but German wheat or lager work)
- 1 loaf ciabatta
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Swiss cheese slices
- Pickles, recipe follows
- Chayote Slaw, for serving, recipe follows
- Plantain Chips, for serving, recipe follows
- 12 kirby cucumbers
- 4 cups white vinegar
- 3/4 cup fine salt
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole coriander
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 bunch fresh dill, chopped
- 1 pint radishes
- 2 chayote squash
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- Salt
- 2 green plantains
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch sugar
Instructions
- For the pork: Combine the kosher salt, brown sugar, cumin, coriander, allspice, mustard, pepper, cloves, fennel and bay leaves. Then rub over the pork butt and set aside.
- For the marinade: Add the cilantro, garlic and salt to a food processor with 1/4 cup beer. Puree until the mixture becomes pesto-like. Then add the remaining beer, lime zest and juice and orange zest and juice. Cover the pork butt and marinate in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Cook the pork until the meat pulls effortlessly off the bone, about 6 hours. Pull the meat and leave in its juices.
- For the ham: Preheat the oven to 240 degrees F. Whisk the honey, mustard, brown sugar and pineapple puree. Smother over the outside of the ham. Put the ham in a roasting pan and surround with beer. Cover with tin foil. Cook until the meat pulls effortlessly off the bone, 8 to 10 hours. Pull the meat and leave in its juices.
- For the sandwich: Slice the ciabatta in half, drizzle the bread with olive oil and toast for 8 to 10 minutes. Then let it sit out for 30 minutes; the staleness of the bread will allow it to hold the juices from the pork and ham.
- To assemble: Preheat the broiler. Layer the bottom half of the bread with the pulled pork and ham. Slice the Pickles lengthwise about 1/8-inch on a mandoline and place on top of the meat. Place the Swiss cheese over the pickles and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden, about 2 minutes. Top with other half of bread and slice the sandwich in half diagonally on a long bias. Cut into smaller sandwiches and serve with Chayote Slaw and Fried Plantains.
- Put the cucumbers in an ice bath.
- Add 12 cups water, the vinegar, fine salt, mustard seeds, peppercorns, coriander, bay leaves, garlic and dill to a large pot and bring to boil.
- Pull the cucumbers from the ice bath and add to mason jars. Carefully pour the boiling brine over the cucumbers and secure the lids, making sure the cucumbers are fully submerged. Do not refrigerate for 24 hours. Always store the pickles in the brine.
- Slice the radishes and chayote 1/4-inch thick on a mandoline. Combine with the cilantro, lime zest and lime juice in a mixing bowl and add salt to taste, adjusting the amount of lime juice as necessary.
- Score the plantains on 2 sides and peel the skin. Thinly slice small circles using a mandoline.
- Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 325 degrees F. Add the plantains and fry for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Remove to a mixing bowl lined with a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Add the salt and sugar and toss.
Reviews
I didn’t follow the recipe because I didn’t have all the ingredients. However I used it as the basis for using leftover pork loin and spiral ham, and was very pleased with the results.
I followed the rub and marinade recipes for the pork pretty closely. After rubbing the pork and adding the marinade I warmed it in the oven. For the ham glaze I used everything but the brown sugar.
In total I used only one bottle of beer, but I only prepared enough for six small sandwiches. I used small hamburger buns brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with Cuban seasoning, and toasted.
Since I did not have pickles, I used roasted red peppers and banana peppers. In place of the Swiss cheese I used a four-cheese Mexican blend.
The sandwiches were delicious! As sides I served grilled fresh pineapple and spicy boiled cabbage.
I added the spicy cabbage to one sandwich to add a bit of kick. It was great! Maybe I’ll submit a recipe for a “Cuban Reuben”!
very, very, VERY expensive to make. the beers were $3.25 apiece. Times that by 4 and your at $12.00. The spices were averaging around $3.00 apiece and times that by 12 then your at around $30.00. Now were up to $42.00. Now we look at buying limes which are about a dollar each. honey runs around $3.00 for the cheap honey. now we have to buy the dijon, radishes, ham, pork, cheese, bread etc. Very easily is over a hundred dollars and that doesn’t even include the ingredients for the slaw or pickles. If you want to make this get with about 12 of your friends to chip in for the groceries. I would rather go out to eat and buy this for $9.00 instead of spending close to $150.00 for the ingredients.
The Cubano is always one of my favorites. It is mostly for the taste and the combination of meats and cheeses. Something like a ciabatta or sub roll always helps.
We have a Cuban restaurant nearby and love the flavors of Cuban cooking. This sounded so wonderful!! I cut short the marinate time by a bit and roasted the meat for 5.5 hours, covered. It was NOT fall off the bone tender. Directions were not clear about how to cook: with marinate, w/o marinate, covered, uncovered?? I assumed without marinate, which is usually the case. Not sure why it didn’t get really tender. Any ideas? Anyhow, the flavors were yummy and, though less than “fall of the bone” tender, it still made wonderful cubanos.
My Boyfriend made this sandwich this week. Instead of putting the shoulder and ham in the oven, he smoked them. Oh my goodness! He even made pickles from scratch. Over all, if the real deal is as good as the recipe, this is a flipping awesome sandwich. Well worth all the time put into making it.
I shredded this for burritos and it turned out real nice. I did not care for the allspice but everything else was on point. Will use again minus the allspice.
I followed this recipe exactly and it was the most flavorful, tender & delicious ham I’ve ever eaten. When the 8 hours was over, I took the foil off and the meat had pulled away from the bone. I pulled the bone out and the meat just fell apart and was incredibly moist. It will remind you of pulled pork, but it is the wonderful smoky flavor of the ham. Such a simple recipe with a huge payoff. I will make this again and again!