Photo credit: http://farm3.static.flickr.com...34859_7b5e64b835.jpg

Here is some background on this delicious and unique sandwich, which sprang up in the Miami, Florida area among the Cuban and Puerto-Rican populations:

quote:

History of Cuban sandwich- “Sandwiche Cubano”

(The way to pronounce “Cubano” just like the Cubans do is to say “Cooh-Wano” as the hard sound of the letter B is swallowed and slurred into the remainder of the word.)

The Cuban sandwich, also known as the “cubano”, is a popular meal in south Florida where many Cubans have settled since the early 20th century. These tasty, toasted Cuban sandwiches are definitely Tampa and Miami, Florida's favorite snack. These treats can be found in most restaurants in these cities, but the best places to buy them are from the street corner-snack bars, called loncherias.

Every Cuban sandwich aficionado believes in their own version of this sandwich. In fact, they're usually passionate about this and will readily debate among themselves the finer point of how to make a Cuban sandwich. No visit to Tampa or Miami would be complete without sampling the cities claim to fame - the Cuban sandwich. (To note : even the writer admits that there are different variants of the “true cubano”)

The sandwiches have a submarine-style layering of ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickle between a sliced length of Cuban bread. The key to a great, versus a good, Cuban sandwich lies in the grilling. A great Cuban sandwich is grilled in a sandwich press (called a plancha) until the ham, pork, and pickles have warmed in their own steam (the steady application of heat and weight fuse the meat, cheese, and bread into a delectable and compact treat). One of the greatest sins in Cuban sandwich preparation is too light a press. A heavy hand on the press pushes all the juices and flavors together while still achieving the desired crunch crust. These sandwiches use no mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, bell peppers, or tomatoes; however, butter and mustard are optional. Cuban sandwiches are sold hot (pressed) or cold (room temperature).

The most important part of a Cuban sandwich is the bread. It is not ordinary bread, but Cuban bread. Believers say that true Cuban bread cannot be found outside of Tampa or Miami. Italian bread or French bread are acceptable substitutions in other parts of the country, but they are not the same. Cuban bread is noted for its split or bloom down the middle of its crust. This long, crusty loaf features a tender, but not chewy, interior. Cuban bread is best when it is eaten on the same day that it is made, as Cuban bread contains lard. After a day or so, the lard hardens, and the bread gets dry.

copyright 2004 by Linda Stradley
http://whatscookingamerica.net...es/CubanSandwich.htm

In order to make these, you will need to go in three steps: first, you need to marinate a pork roast in adobo mojado, then you will need to roast or barbecue it until it is wonderfully moist and tender; finally, you will need to assemble the sandwiches.

Here are the recipes for all three steps, from Daisy Martinez. If you are interested in giving this a try, please also follow the links preceding the adobo mojado and pernil recipes for some notes and discussion that may be helpful.

First, the adobo mojado marinade for the pork roast:

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...mojado_topic684.html

quote:

Adobo Mojado

You’ll hear me say over and over how a simple thing like sofrito will change your life. This is another one of those little life-changing secrets. Adobo...either wet or dry..., will change the way you make pork, chicken, beef, and even fish. I run the risk of repeating myself, but this is not shy or subtle. It is very much “in your face” food, and I mean that, of course, in a good way.

Yield : Makes about ½ cup

Ingredients

12 cloves garlic, peeled
1½ tablespoons fine sea or kosher salt (see Notes)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Directions

Pound the garlic cloves and salt to a paste using a mortar and pestle. Add the peppercorns and oregano, pounding well after each one to incorporate them into the paste. Stir in the oil and vinegar.

Notes

The salt keeps the garlic from flying all over the place as you pound them together.

This wet rub will keep for 5 to 6 days in the refrigerator, which gives you a chance to try it on anything you like, from fish fillets and pork chops to turkey cutlets and steaks.

© 2005 Daisy Martinez

Next, the preparation of the pernil (roast pork):

http://foodsoftheworld.activeb...oulder_topic683.html

quote:

Pernil

If you were to ask me, “What does Christmas smell like?” I wouldn’t say “pine” or “fresh snow,” I would say, “Pernil.” By the time my kids finish their cereal on Christmas Eve morning, the house is filled with the wonderful aroma of roast pork.

You want the shoulder, not the butt, for this, and you definitely want the skin on. If you have the opportunity to marinate the roast for three days, two days, or even overnight, you’ll be rewarded with a roast that has juicy, fragrant, tender meat and crispy, salty, mahogany-colored skin. It’s so good, I’m almost afraid I have to bring it up in confession!

Yield : Makes 8 large servings plus leftovers

Ingredients

One 4½-pound skin-on pork shoulder roast
Adobo Mojado (wet rub for meat)

Directions

1. Up to 3 days before you serve the roast, set it in a bowl, skin side up. With a paring or boning knife, make several slits about ½ inches apart through the skin of the roast and into the meat. Make the slits as deep as you can. Wiggle a finger in the slits to open them up a bit and then fill each one with wet rub using a teaspoon. (A pair of latex gloves comes in handy when it comes time to rub the wet rub into the pork.) Do the same on all sides. If you have rub left over, smear it all over the outside of the roast. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 day or up to 3 days.

2. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

3. Set the roast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour, turn the heat down to 400°F, and roast until the skin is a deep golden brown and crackly and with no trace of pink near the bone, about ½ hours or until an instant reading thermometer inserted near the bone registers 160°F. Let the roast rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

4. To serve, remove the crispy skin. It will pull right off in big pieces. Cut them into smaller pieces—kitchen shears work well for this—and pile them in the center of the platter. Carve the meat parallel to the bones all the way down to the bone. (It will get trickier to carve neat slices as you get near the bone; don’t let that bother you.)

Notes

A good rule of thumb for roasting pork is to cook the roast half an hour for every pound.

© 2005 Daisy Martinez

And finally, the assembly and cooking of the sandwiches themselves:

quote:

Cubanos

If you have a panini maker or grilled sandwich maker, this is a good place to use it. Be generous with the meat—make it as if it’s for someone you really love.

Yield : Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 loaf Italian bread (about 24 inches long) or 4 hero rolls
Mayonnaise
Sliced leftover pernil (Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder)
3 fairly thick slices boiled ham
Sliced bread and butter pickles or any other type of pickle you like
½ pound fairly thickly sliced Swiss cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Split the bread lengthwise and spread the bottom of the loaf with mayo. Make an even layer of the pork, then add the ham, pickles, and cheese. Top with the other piece of bread and press lightly but firmly.

2. Wrap the sandwich(es) securely in foil and lay between 2 baking sheets. Set on the oven rack and weight the top sheet with a heavy ovenproof skillet. Bake until warmed through and the cheese has softened, about 30 minutes. Serve warm, cut into manageable pieces.

© 2005 Daisy Martinez

Now, armed with this information, you're ready to give this a try! I'm thinking that Superbowl Sunday might be a good day to have these for lunch. I'll prepare the adobo mojado tonight and roast the pork on Saturday, then slice the pork and assemble the sandwiches on Sunday.

Ok, let's have a look at how to do this "by the numbers...."

The first step in preparing Cubanos is making the pernil, and the first step in making pernil is making the adobo mojado - here's how it's done.

Here are the goods - as easy as it gets:



The garlic cloves I used were very large, so I didn't quite use a dozen of them. Also, I didn't have any white wine vinegar on hand, but no matter - red wine vinegar is just fne.

After crushing and peeling the garlic cloves, I placed them in the food processr with (clockwise from top) oregano, kosher salt and pepper:



Next, I added the olive oil and the red wine vinegar:



I actually added a teaspoon or so extra of olive oil, since the bottle was nearly empty - but that's no problem.

I pulsed the food processor a few times:



Not quite done enough for my preference, so I pulsed it some more, using longer pulses:



That's just about right! It can be pulverized even more, if one wishes, but this is whzat I wanted, so this is what I got.

How easy is that?

Once the adobo mojado was ready, I turned my attention to the pork:



Since I'm going to be slicing this for Cubanos, a boneless shoulder cut is perfect; however, if this were going to be for a roast pork supper, then a bone-in shoulder would be fine as well.

This roast is just under 4 pounds - the amount of adobo mojado that I made works well for this:



And I could probably go another half-pound more before I needed to make a second batch of adobo mojado.

Ideally, I would marinate the pork in a ziplock bag or possibly even a vacuum sealer, but today, I did it in a large "popcorn bowl." I began by putting a little of the adobo mojado in the bottom of the bowl:



Then I pressed the pork, fat-cap-down, into the bottom and proceeded to spread the remaining adobo mojado on top of the shoulder roast:



I then covered the roast and bowl well, and put them in the refrigerator to marinate until Saturday (3 days). I will turn the roast over a couple of times a day and keep it covered with the adobo mojado.

More to come!

Nice post! Also good are Mexican tortas de puerco.

Super Post!! You always do a great job.
ONLY in Tampa does one find the real Cuban bread.

hey, guys - thanks for the interest ~ i'll ahve a bil post coming up on this pretty soon, but for now ~

Please note, people ~ I did make ONE mistake in my procedure up there! I coated the outside of the roast with adobo mojado, which is fine, but I should have also cut a few fairly-deep slits into the roast in various places and worked some of the rub into the interior of the roast, as well.

I did just that the first time I made pernil, and it did absolutely wonderful thigns for the pork. Considering the nature of the rub ingredients, which tend to carmelise and nearly burn on the outside while cooking, it actually seems better to me that most of the rubu should be on the inside of the roast, rather than on the outside, where it just sloughs off and turns black.

In any case, the cutting and inserting of the adobo mojado INTO slits in the roast is definitely recommended, but I neglected to do that above. For best results, make sure you give this procedure a try.

On another note, the pernil and the sandwiches Cubanos turned out very well, actually better than I expected! Will post on results, including step-by-step pictures, as soon as I can.

OK, Sorry for taking so long to get this up, but it's been a little busy around the hacienda ~

I ended up letting the pork roast marinate in the pernil for two days, rather than three, and then roasted it in my enameled cast iron Dutch oven to cook it. Had the weather been even halfway decent, I would have done this over charcoal, or even on the gas grill at low setting, but for the project I was doing, the oven worked just fine, since I was making Cubanos.

Here's how the pernil looked coming out of the oven, ready to be sliced for the sandwiches:



The roast was fork-tender and sliced very easily, almost TOO easily, if I would have been serving it for supper on its own ~ but considering my sandwich application, it was perfect. This picture shows just how good and tender this wonderful stuff is:



Whether you are making pernil for sandwiches, or on its own - in the oven, or over some fire and smoke - slicing, pulling, shredding or chunking the end result, I know you will be very, very happy with the explosion of Caribbean flavours that you can find here. Give it a try!

Alright, onto the actual sandwiches themselves. As you can see from Daisy's recipe, and from the picture above, it's pretty easy stuff ~ there's nothing complicated about the ingredients or the method; it's easy as 1-2-3...

There are a lot of different options for the bread. I know that real, "authentic" Cubanos use "Cuban" bread, which has a good lard content and must be eaten fresh. The first time I made Cubanos, I used Italian ciabatta bread, which worked well, and of course French or Italian loaves are perfectly fine. I found these types of rolls to be absolutely perfect:



They are made in Montana, and while I first picked them just because they were the right size and shape, I found out that they also have a great flavour and another quality that made them perfect for this - right in line with what I feel is the heart of the Cuban sandwich - more on that later....

There are probably a dozen or two "right" ways to do the Cubano - with peppers rather than pickles, with mustard rather than mayonnaise - who knows all the variations?

I'll tell you one thing: some country dude up in the middle of Montana doesn't know all the ins and outs, and so I followed Daisy's description exactly, since it seemed like she knows what she's talking about. I can tell you here and now: if you do as she says, you will be rewarded with some very fine Cubanos!

So, keeping that in mind, here we go ~ first, split the roll, if it isn't already, and lay down a layer of mayonnaise:



Then, add your chopped, shredded pernil:



The ones shown above are a bit chunky, which made the sandwich a little awkward, but boy, it sure tasted great! For the subsequent sandwiches, I chopped up the meat a little more, and it seemed to help with assembly.

Anyway, after the pernil, you simply lay down your ham:



This is street food, so go ahead and use any thick-sliced, deli-style ham that you want to use, or use some carvings off a whole ham. Or use thin-sliced - use whatever you want, but keep it simple, because you're making street food here!

Next comes the pickle:



I find these long, sandwich-type kosher dills to be perfect for this, but the round disks or "chips" work just fine, as well. Some people prefer sweet pickles, but that just ain't going to happen in the TasunkaWitko Cubano ~

Next, throw down some sliced Swiss cheese:



And then top that sandwich:



Are you hungry for it yet? I sure was by this point. If you want, you can enjoy your sandwich now, and it's going to be great! But, if you REALLY want to experience the Cubano, and want to see this thing fly out of the park and into immortality, then we're only halfway there ~ believe me, the wait is going to be worth it!

Wrap the sandwich up in foil:



And then repeat the above steps for all of your sandwiches, laying them out on a cookie sheet:



Once this is done, lay another cookie sheet down over the sandwiches, and put some weight on it to press them down just a little:



Trust me on this: a large cast-iron pan works perfectly for this, because it heats up while they are in the oven, and applies some wonderful toasting, crisping action from the top down.

Then set the whole thing into a pre-heated 350-degree oven and set your timer for 30 minutes.

Beware, Dear Reader - the aroma of the pernil and other ingredients, including the hot bread, will fill the whole house as the baking takes place. You may start wondering why you need to wait for them to heat up all the way through, while you have to sit there and smell that; you may even be tempted to remove them from the oven ~ Ignore those thoughts! Believe me, you will be rewarded for your patience!

Once the time is up, serve your sandwiches to your famished, salivating guests:



And then enjoy one yourself, savouring the compliments and the "Oh, WOW!"s, as everyone around you suddenly finds them selves on a street corner in Miami, soaking up the sun and listening to some salsa music ~



The cheese will be all melty, the ham and pernil will be moist, tender and flavourful, with meaty flavour spreading out all over the sandwich ~ the pickles will be tangy, and, best of all, that wonderful bread will be toasty-crispy outside with just a slight crunch, and soft, tender and wonderful inside, just like it is advertised in the description above, without being chewy. The best of all possible worlds, and all you have to do is enjoy it.

I hope that this pictorial has covered all the angles, but if anyone has any questions at all, please feel free to ask for clarification. I can promise that this is something that will be enjoyed by everyone, so go ahead and give it a shot ~ let me know how it goes, and post a picture!

Made them for dinner, but added bacon, just to modify it a bit.
Didn't really need the bacon, wife liked it.
Overcooked a bit and bottom crust was way crunchy, but they were still very good.

hey, rockrat ~ glad you like them - did you go full-on with the pernil, also? if you did, i'd be itnerested in what you thought of the flavours there. i really like the stuff and can't wait to try it over some hickory when the weather gets better.

bacon sounds great ~ i hadn't thought of it, but in my mind, everything is better with bacon. might have to give it a try, jsut to see how it is. maybe use bacon isntead of ham?

sorry about the over-cooking. mine turned out just right, but ovens can be different. possible solution if you make these again: maybe flip them upside down when you put them on the cookie sheet, so that the top (which is usually thicker than the bottom) of the roll gets the msot heat? i figure that the tops can stand a little extra baking, and it might balance out...

either way, kudos for trying soemthing new, and glad you liked them!

This one sounds great. Made the Adobo Mojado
tonight and put it in and on the pork roast. It is now marinating in the refrigerator. Will make the sandwiches tomorrow night and let you know how it goes.

i'm willing to bet it's going to be pretty darn good!

Absolutely deliscious!

Next time however, I will make the pork roast as a dinner and use the balance for left over sandwiches. This is a great recipe!!!

good morning, SBT, and i am very glad that you enjoyed this! the flavours of the mojo adobo are really well-suited for pork and i believe that the folks down there really found a treasure when they found this combination.

i also agree with making the pork roast as a dinner, then using the left for leftovers - the best of both worlds!

great job on such a fantastic meal. i am sure the family enjoyed it!

Tasunkawito


I have been watching what you do on this forum

and all I can say is I wish I lived near you to try some of it.


You are an awsome cook.


Cal30

hi, cal -

say, i appreciate the kind words ~ i figure since i can't be EVERYWHERE, i had better document the stuff i do really well, so that it is easy for anyone to give the good stuff a try!

HAVE MERCY!!

Now to call my butcher and see if I can get a pork shoulder with the skin still on ...

That should be easy enough to achieve, Bill - good luck with this one, and enjoy!

We made this again last weekend, using a slightly modified adobo mojado, and the results were nothing short of spectacular.

For the most part, we followed the directions exactly, including pulverising the garlic first before adding other ingredients to the adobo mojado; either method can be used with good results, but doing it this way resulted in a much smoother, less-chunky adobo mojado, which might be important depending on your application. We also made sure that we cut slits into the pork roast in order to get the adobo mojado inside, where it really did some good.

One important difference is that, rather than wine vinegar, we chose instead to use citrus juice as an acid, squeezing a fresh orange and grapefruit, for a very good combination that is highly recommended.

The bread/buns on this most recent attempt were different, and not quite as good; they didn't get that same crisp/crunchy outside and soft interior that we got the first time - however, results were still very good, and the pernil itself was the best yet in the 4 or 5 times that I have attempted this.

My friends, if you have not yet tried this, then you really must. It is truly wonderful!

Tasunka:
I'll be calling my butcher shop today. They're very good about getting me weird stuff (like cow's cheeks!), so hope they can find a shoulder with skin on.
By the way, the mojo specified by Three Guys From Miami for Cuban roast pig called for bitter orange, which I could not find locally. But I would guess it would be awesome in your mojado.

quote:

By the way, the mojo specified by Three Guys From Miami for Cuban roast pig called for bitter orange, which I could not find locally. But I would guess it would be awesome in your mojado

great minds must think alike, my friend - i ordered some bitter orange juice last ngiht from amazon.com, since there is absolutely none available to me. i am going to use it this year on several projects, and will of course document the process!

as for your butcher, there should be no torubles - simply tell him you want a picnic shoulder with the skin on - if it's more than 4 pounds, make a double batch of the adobo mojado. you CAN use the wine vinegar (or any vinegar) if you want, but i think the bitter orange gives it a really nice touch. if no bitter orange avaialble locally (called naranja agria), then you can use a combination of orange and grapefruit juice, with a squirt or two of lime juice, maybe. say the juice from 1 orange, 1 grapefrut and 1 lime - (then measure out the amount you need from the mixture) should be a good approximation, but i can't swear to it.

Tasunka:
My butcher is very resourceful, but they have had trouble finding shoulder with skin on, so they are going to tie some on a 7-pound boneless shoulder for me. I think I can live with it! I may never get past the pernil, however. I believe I will do at least part of the cooking on my Traeger pellet smoker/grill.
I'm dying of hunger just thinking about it ...

quote:

I believe I will do at least part of the cooking on my Traeger pellet smoker/grill.

should be absolutely delicious on the smoker ~ i would suggest several hours, with hickory or oak smoke, until the internal temperature is in the neighbourhood of 185, give or take 5 degrees. you want the fats and connective tissues to break down, but not quite as much as in pulled pork. although, if it does get to that point, it will be fine ~

Tasunka: Off to the butcher today to pick up my shoulder roast. I'll be very curious to hear what you think of the bitter orange you ordered. Is it a sauce or juice?
Man, I'm going nuts thinking about these Cubanos!

good luck with this and let me know how it goes! i should be receiving the naranja agria soon (i ordered two brands). i'll report when they arrive!

Well, my shoulder ended up at 11 pounds with the pork rind tied on in butcher's netting. I whipped up a double batch of the mojado, cut holes and poked it in. It's going to marinate for a couple of days in the fridge, then I'll smoke it for an hour or two and then into the 400-degree oven until the temp at which pork tissues break down is reached and the skin is crackling brown.
Oh baby! The only way this gets better is if I luck out and find a pound or two of morel mushrooms -- not Cuban, but definite proof that God loves us!

sounds to me like you have a plan - keep in mind an 11-pound roast will take a while to cook right, so that the inside is all tender and flavourful! i'd recommend starting with 325 for a while, then working your way up if necessary after a few hours - shoot for an internal temperature of maybe 185, 190 tops!

Well, cooking is a learning experience, they say. I gave the roast an hour in the Traeger on smoke, then put it in at 450 for the first hour, per Daisy's instruction, turning it down to 390 for another four hours or so. It got pretty dark on top, but that was the chunk of pork skin the butcher tied on. Cut up, it was crunchy and delicious. The shoulder got up to 190 internal temp, but it was a little dry. Roasting it on a rack on a large baking sheet, it lost at least two cups of juice. Flavor was very good though. I have made up the Cubano sandwiches and we will have those for lunch. Will report.
By the way, served this with the pineapple and avocado salad and the black beans and rice from the Three Guys site and it was a very good Cuban meal!

now that sounds REALLY good! sorrhy to hear that it was dry, but the flavour sure is all there, isn't it? great stuff!