Sometimes it seems every industry has its own signature food associated with their workers. This happens around the world through history. Take the Cornish Pasty for example. Tin miners in Cornwall wrapped up these portable meat pies and carried them to work down in the mines. The thick edge of the pastry allowed the miners to eat their lunches without contaminating their food with the toxic tin dust. Remember Pebre Sauce? The Catalan engineers in Santiago Chile missed their Romesco sauce from their homeland and made do with the ingredients they had on hand, hence Pebre was born.
Today I share with you the preferred lunch time cuisine of the late 1800’s-early 1900’2 Cuban cigar and sugar factory workers of Southern Florida. The sandwich has a few variations including a salami addition by the Italians which co-habitated the neighborhoods in Florida and tomato and lettuce additions which are frowned upon by Cuban purists. Add some roasted pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles and mustard and you have the Sandwich Cubano.
I smoked my pork shoulder in an offset smoker over 3 hours and it turned out splendid. I share with you a roasted pork recipe done in the oven since most people don’t have a smoker, but if you do have a smoker, use it.
If you don’t have a sandwich press, just place a heavy skillet on top of your sandwich and all will be fine, plus you don’t have to take up space storing a sandwich press. Easy.
This sandwich reminds me of my Italian Chicken & Prosciutto Panini with rosemary infused olive oil, yum!
Ingredients
- 2 lb pork shoulder roast
- salt & pepper
- 8 oz. sliced ham from the deli case
- 8 oz. swiss cheese, sliced
- pickles, your choice, I used handmade pickles
- yellow mustard
- baguettes or ciabatta bread for 6 sandwiches, if you have Cuban bread perfect!
- 4 Tbs butter, softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Place pork roast on roasting pan or baking sheet with rack. Generously salt & pepper roast, rubbing it into the meat. Rest in refrigerator, covered for 30 minutes.
- Bake in oven on middle rack for 3-4 hours or until thermometer inserted into roast reads 145-160F.
- Rest roast for 10 minutes, then shred and set aside.
- To assemble sandwiches, cut bread lengthwise to make two halves. Butter the outside of both halves. Layer roast, ham, swiss cheese and pickles on bottom half. Slather a generous heaping of mustard on the top half. Close sandwich and cook on a large skillet or griddle, weighing the sandwich down with a heavy skillet. Cook until golden brown and cheese is melted.
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