Reina's Cuban Sandwich

A special tradition that’s become part of my family’s holiday festivities is making Cuban sandwiches with our leftover shredded pernil meat from dinner. Typically, we have the sandwiches as a brunch item once we’re all rolled out of bed and serve them with good coffee and some other leftovers, like potato salad. A true “we got food in the house” moment. No point in making all of that roasted pork if you can’t enjoy it a day or two later, right?

This isn’t going to be a super traditional Cuban, since I’m a huge fan of making things how you like and with what you have in the house, do it how you like! Personally, I don’t like Swiss cheese, so I typically stick with mozzarella or provolone, which melt beautifully on the sandwich. Want to go traditional and not add mayo? Not a problem. You want spicy mustard instead of yellow? Go for it! Want to do sliced chicken instead of smoked ham or turkey? Sure! It’s going to be delicious either way you slice it.

For this recipe, I used half of a large loaf of bread since I was only cooking for two, but if you’re making it for more people, just adjust the recipe based on how many you’re serving and get as much bread as you need. If you don't have a plancha or sandwich press (which I don’t), you’re going to have to enlist the help of your cast iron skillet. Growing up, we’d use some aluminum foil-covered bricks to weigh down the sandwiches when we were making a lot for the family. Get clever, but remember, the super crusty and crunchy bread is crucial for a good Cuban. You want to hear that crunch when you take that first bite. Let’s get to assembling!

Reina’s Cuban Sandwich

Serves: 2 

Cook time: 25 minutes

1/2 large French loaf or Cuban bread, halved 

Duke’s mayonnaise, as needed*

Yellow mustard, as needed

Sliced hickory smoked ham or turkey, as needed

Shredded mozzarella cheese, as needed

1 1/2 cups shredded leftover pernil, reheated

Dill pickle slices, as needed

6 pats unsalted butter, kept cold 

Note: I prefer Duke’s mayonnaise because I like nice things, and living in the South, I have full access to this amazing condiment. If you ever get a chance to try it, please do! I implore you. It’ll change your mind about how you feel about mayo. If you can’t find Duke’s, you can definitely use Hellmann’s or any other high-quality mayonnaise of your choice.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Go ahead and place a heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat as well.

Line sheet pan with parchment paper or Silpat. Place the bread halves on the sheet pan. Spread each side of bread with mayonnaise and yellow mustard to your liking. I like a good amount so it soaks into the bread as it cooks. Next, add the sliced ham or turkey to the bottom half of the loaf.

Then, add the shredded (and heated up) pernil meat on top of the ham or turkey. Evenly spread the meat across the sandwich. Next up, pickles. Top with as many pickles as you like. I love having pickle in every bite, so I line them up side-by-side all the way down the bread. Finally, sprinkle the shredded cheese over and cover the assembled sandwich with the top of the bread loaf. 

Add two pats of butter to the bottom of the bread on each side. And then add two pats of butter to the top half of the loaf, one on each end. Then, carefully remove the hot cast iron skillet from the oven and press down on the sandwich, making sure to evenly distribute the weight. We’re using cold butter to avoid excess burning in the oven; by the time it melts and gets happy, you’ll have a beautiful, golden crust without burnt milk solids.

Place the cast iron-covered sandwich in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then, crank the oven up to 400°F. Remove the skillet from the top, rotate the pan and finish roasting to brown and toast the top of the sandwich for the last 5-7 minutes.

Remove, cut on a bias, and serve immediately with your favorite side.

¡Buen provecho!