Cuban Sandwich

The Best Cuban Sandwiches

I’m excited McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli is sponsoring today’s post so I can share this super tasty Cuban Sandwich Recipe with all of you! All opinions are 100% my own.

About three times a year I decide that need to make a Cuban Sandwich, and I blame Jon Favreau.

I have a handful of what I call background noise movies and Chef is one of them. It hits a lot of buttons for me on a Saturday morning, it spends a lot of camera time focusing on melting cheese and cooking meat, and it has an underlying theme that makes me feel like it would be ok if my career went belly up in my forties.

Invetiably though I get to point in this movie where this sandwich gets made and I think “I could do that” and from there, my Saturday is shot. This is a no joke sandwich if you’re going get serious about it.

But after a couple of years of trying this, I’ve come up with a way that gets you 90% of the way there without causing you to buy enough ham to feed an army, bake loaves of bread from scratch, or invest a couple grand in industrial kitchen equipment.

Cuban Sandwich Ingredients

Ciabatta Bread
McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli Naturally Smoked Uncured Ham
Mojo Pork
Salted Butter
McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli Swiss Cheese
Sandwich Pickles
Mustard

Whenever I decide that a Cuban Sandwich is a must for the weekend menu, I head straight to Shaw’s for my ingredients. The first stop of which is to the deli where I can pick up my favorite McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli Naturally Smoke Uncured Ham and Swiss Cheese.

McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli is based out of Vermont and their meats are only made with high-quality whole muscle meat and never contain hormones or antibiotics. It’s hands-down the best deli meat around!

How to Make Cuban Sandwiches at Home

1. Preheat two cast iron skillets or a panini maker.
2. Cut the bread in half and layer the ingredients on the bottom half in this order: McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli Naturally Smoked Uncured Ham, mojo pork, pickle, and McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli Swiss Cheese. Spread a layer of mustard on the top layer of bread and place it on top the rest of the sandwich.
3. Butter the outside of both pieces of bread and place the sandwich in the skillet. Place the smaller skillet on top of the Cuban sandwich and allow the weight to compress it. Use oven mitts to prevent burning yourself!
4. Cook the Cuban Sandwich until its golden brown.

What kind of bread do you use for a Cuban sandwich?

So if you’re going to be a purist there is actually a Cuban bread that is perfect for these sandwiches.

The only problem is it can be tough to find if you’re not in a metropolitan area, and I’m not about to start baking bread that just adds a couple more hours between the me that exists now and the future me that has eaten this Cuban sandwich.

So in this quick and dirty version, a soft ciabatta will do or even a hoagie roll, many will also use sliced of French bread. The punchline is that you’re looking for a bread that is about 3 inches wide, soft on the inside and crusty on the outside or one that can be toasted up nicely for a crunchy outer layer

More Sandwich Recipes

• Chopped Italian Sandwiches – Loaded with all the same classic Italian sub ingredients!
• French Dip Sandwiches – Filled with tender, slow-cooked roast beef!
• Monte Cristo Sandwich – Ready to enjoy in just 20 minutes!
• Club Sandwich – Made with hickory smoked turkey breast, Swiss cheese, thick bacon, and more!
• Taco Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Can be customized just like a taco!