Cuban Pork Sandwiches

[Tab]

I want to make a good Cuban pork sandwich.

I have seen all kinds of recipes, from swearing that the secret is in the seasoning of the pork, to swearing that the secret is in the grilling (on a sandwich grill) of the whole thing.

Presumably the best do both, but I was wondering if anyone here had any tips/tricks/experience making a good Cuban Pork Sandwich.

I don't know if it'll replace my yen for the perfect souvlaki, but I'm willing to give it a try.

[NMDemDist2]

1. do a search on that Tab

we had a couple very good threads on that last year

[Tab]

3. Thanks, I did that

Best seemed to be http://icuban.com/food/cuban_sandwich.html

[NMDemDist2]

5. no, sorry, I meant the cooking and baking group--here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=236&topic_id=11787

[Tab]

6. Missed that thread, due to its title

of shredded mexican beef recipe

However, when you said search, I did understand you meant this forum. In the threads that seemed to be about cuban pork sandwiches, there wasn't much of substance other than pointing out where they got the recipes and basically saying how they were drooling just thinking about it. I found three links, of which the best seemed to be that one I identified upthread.

However I see in the thread you ref'd that there is a Cuban Pork Recipe buried in there.

I have to say that the one nice thing about Cuban Pork Sandwiches, as opposed to, say, lasagna, is that everyone seems to agree that there is basically one way, and one way only, to make a proper sandwich. Best type of meat (pork shoulder), certain ingredients (e.g.: bitter orange juice) and one and ONLY one way to assemble them.

So it seems clear-cut enough to try without having to worry about picking the "right" recipe.

Thanks!

[NMDemDist2]

7. you're welcome! n/t

[woofless]

2. Browse around this site.

https://www.cubanfoodmarket.com/index.htm

I buy Badia spices from them and have been very satisfied with quality and service. Somewhere in there is a discussion about authentic Cuban sandwiches. Have fun.

Woof

[Tab]

4. I looked at that site originally and didn't find anything

but I went back and was able to dig up what I need. I may try their recipe first. I'll scale it back a bit, though - they call for 8 to 10 pounds of pork shoulder, although you "save the rest for cuban sandwiches". I'm not going to cook 10 pounds of pork for this, but I'll see if I can get a smaller amount to make sandwiches on.

I guess everyone takes the order of ingredients very seriously. All recipes I've found all say "put the stuff on in EXACTLY this order and DON'T CHANGE IT". I guess when you've got perfection, you don't screw with it. :)

[LiberalinNC]

8. From my Cuban Cookbook:

2 - 6 inch sections of a loaf of cuban bread, cut in half lengthwise
6 table Mojo Criollo (See below)
16 thin slices Pierna de Puerco Asada (roast leg of pork)
sale and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 table salted butter melted

preheat oven to 350. Spread the cut sides of the bread w/ Mojo, then cover w/ the pork slices, season to taste and cover w/ the other bread slices, forming 2 sandwiches.

Place te sandwiches on a baking sheet and brush the tops w/ butter. Place a heavy cast-iron skillet over both sandwiches to weigh them down and back until crisp and hot, about 20 minutes.

Mojo Criollo
6 to 8 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 med. size onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour OJ or 1/4 cup fresh lime and 1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup pure Spanish olive oil

Crush garlic cloves into a paste.
In mixing bowl combine garlic paste, onion and juice, and let the mixture sit at room temp. for 30 minutes or longer.
Heat oil over med-high heat in a med. sized pan, until it is very hot, add the garlic mixture (do this quickly, as it will splatter) stir, and serve immediately.
makes 1 cup.

If you try it, let me know if it's good.

[Tab]

9. Trying it tonight

Decided to pass on the pork shoulder the first time around and am just using a boneless center cut pork roast.

Went looking for sour/bitter OJ (someone suggest Goya makes it), couldn't find it, but when I was in the Goya section I found a bottle of Mojo Criollo itself, and it was only $2.79 or so, so I grabbed that - now I have an idea of what the marinade should taste like if I make it from scratch (assuming the Goya Mojo Criollo is representative of Mojo Criollo's).

I also got ham & swiss, and some pickle slices. I couldn't quite get the bread I wanted - a medium crust wide French bread - but found the equivalent Italian bread (if the taste is off, I'll blame it on that), but it seemed more important to get the right texture bread.

Pork is marinating now - will report back later!

[Stepup2]

10. How were the sammies?

Did you use the purchased Mojo Criollo? I am looking for any tasty shortcuts I can find right now..

[Tab]

11. The flavor of the pork was okay

The pork itself needed work - maybe I need to go to an actual pork shoulder. The cut I had wasn't quite juicy enough.

I had too thick of a swiss cheese - will have to get it cut thinner.

I bought a cheap ($19) George Foreman grille as I don't have anything to really grill sandwiches on. It's cheap, but it serves its purpose. There are nicer sandwich grilles out there (like with removable plates), but for the moment, and the money, I'll go with this.

I don't have the cuban thing down quite yet, but I still enjoyed the sandwich, even if it wasn't to die for.

I'll take a souvlaki from Villa Souvlaki over my cuban sandwich any day, but maybe I can get the cuban to where it needs to be. It's easier to experiment with, that's for sure....