| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, cut into 4 slices
- 1 Cubanelle pepper, halved, seeded and cored
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 long Italian loaf, sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup Mojo Mustard, recipe follows
- 12 thin slices deli ham (about 12 ounces)
- 2 cups homemade or store-bought carnitas, recipe follows (see Cook’s Note)
- 6 dill gherkins, sliced in thirds lengthwise
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 cup yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons chili paste
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Zest of 1 orange plus 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes, with fat cap scored
- 1 tablespoon chipotle powder
- Kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 yellow onion, quartered
- 1/2 cup orange soda
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- Zest and juice from 1 large orange
Instructions
- Preheat a sandwich press to medium heat.
- Drizzle the onion and pepper with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the onion and pepper on the sandwich press, close and cook until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Slice into strips.
- Brush the outside of the bottom half of the bread with some of the melted butter. Brush the inside of both halves with a generous amount of the Mojo Mustard. On the bottom half of the bread, layer the sliced deli ham and top with the carnitas. Top with the gherkins, grilled onion and peppers and finally the cheese. Top with the top half of the bread and brush with more butter. Slice in half widthwise.
- Place both halves in the sandwich press, close, press down and cook until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes. Cut in half to make 4 sandwiches.
- Mix together the mustard, honey, chili paste, oregano, cumin, orange zest and juice, lime zest and juice, garlic and some salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Set the slow cooker to high. Put the pork cubes in the slow cooker and season all over with the chipotle powder and some salt. Turn any pieces with the fat cap upright. Nestle in the garlic, cinnamon sticks and yellow onion. Pour the orange soda, vegetable oil and orange juice and zest over the pork. Cover and cook on high until super tender, about 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to broil.
- Transfer the pork chunks to a baking sheet fat-side up. Let the liquid in the slow cooker settle so the fat is on the surface. Scoop off about 1/4 cup of the fat and drizzle over the pork chunks. Broil until the meat is crispy and the fat is bubbly, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reviews
Had some left over pork tenderloin. Heated up pita bread with a little olive oil and zahtar. Spread the mojo sauce on the pita topped with shredded pork. The sauce was delicious. I’ll make the sandwich soon I’m sure.
For your infomation: cuban sandwiches are not from Tampa, nor from Miami, they were originated in Cuba. During the Cuban Independence war a very big amount of people immigrated to Tampa and they brought with them the cuban bread, the cuban sandwiches, the cuban tobacco and more. The same happened with the last big immigration to Miami
Made it on a long loaf of French bread we weighed down on the grill. And it was a winner!!!! I bought pre made carnitas meat, and just doctored that up a little. Since the sandwich picnic, I’ve made the mustard sauce for friends, and myself. So far the recipes I’ve tried have all been big winner!!! Thank you!
I have made many GZ recipes I love and tried this Cuban because of the mustard sauce but I just am not a fan of yellow mustard even with all of the additions to hopefully enhance the mustard it still was too prevalent.
What makes a sandwich a Cuban is the bread. The ingredients must be on Cuban bread in order to be called a Cuban sandwich – not Italian Bread, French, Ciabatta…
The sandwich originated in Tampa, and we Tampa natives are very proud of that fact, and of our hometown sandwich. If it’s not on Cuban bread, it’s not a Cuban sandwich.
The sandwich originated in Tampa, and we Tampa natives are very proud of that fact, and of our hometown sandwich. If it’s not on Cuban bread, it’s not a Cuban sandwich.
For the carnitas, I did a bone in as that’s all the store had, left it whole and let it cook on low over night. It had so much fat on it, I didn’t use the extra veg oil and used fresh squeezed orange juice as opposed to the orange soda. Once I removed all the fat, I seared the shredded pork in a hot skillet to get those yummy crunchy parts… SO GOOD! The Mojo mustard is a must! I used dill pickles and doubled the cheese, because well… CHEESE! Seriously delic sammie. Must try.
GZ does it again. My favorite cubano sandwich made simply. My grandkids will love it.
Really delicious “cheffy” gourmet taste, didn’t have gherkins so substituted very thin sliced kosher dill pickle. Didn’t have Cuban bread so used potato buns…. exceptionally good! The Mojo Mustard was a big hit and surprisingly delicate flavors. Thank you, Food Network for another easy winner!
I would trim almost all the fat off! I will try w no orange soda! Rest looks good