A delicious Cuban sandwich made with ham, roasted pork, pickles, and a melty cheese. All sandwiched between a soft Cuban bread.
While you are here, be sure to check out this Blackened Salmon BLT and these Creamy Turkey or Chicken Salad sandwiches!
These cuban sandwiches are the perfect way to use up leftover ham. The flavor profile is delicious, with the soft bread, pork, and pickles!
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Why we love this recipe
The Cuban Sandwich is very popular in South Florida. It is inexpensive to make, and undeniably yummy! In fact, our local Wal-Marts and grocery stores here in S. Florida, sale the Cuban bread by the loafs for only $1.00.
You cannot go wrong with $1.00 for a whole loaf of bread. There's not a significant difference in the taste of Cuban bread versus others, so if you don't find Cuban bread, use any other loaf instead.
What is on a Cuban Sandwich?
This sandwich is loaded with ham, pernil (a slow roasted cut of pork), cheese, and pickles.
The pickles are the star of the sandwich, so load em' on there. Feel free to use any variation of cheese. Swiss cheese is the cheese preferred by most for this sandwich.
Another delicious cheese to use is Provolone cheese. For me, it melts perfectly and tastes great with the ham and pork. Mustard gives it a signature flavor, with just the right amount of tanginess.
How to make the cuban sandwiches
There is no specific rhyme or reason to how the sandwich is assembled. The most important part is ensuring you capture every layer of flavor.
One method I swear by, is slather the bread with mustard, then roasted pork and ham, then pickles, then the cheese. This helps secure the pickles in place with the melted cheese!
What do I need to make a Cuban Sandwich?
Well, simply put, you really only need a good loaf of bread, ham, pork loin (if desired), mustard and pickles! The pork loin can be omitted, but it is what makes a traditional Cuban sandwich.
A sandwich or panini press is perfect to get the sandwich crispy, and melt the cheese. If you don't have a sandwich press, no need to worry!
Use a skillet like you would if you were making a grill cheese sandwich. Use a heavy cast iron skillet to weight it down by setting it on top of the sandwich.
The point is to flatten it out as much as possible, get the bread nice and toasty, and to make sure the cheese is melted.
Here is a perfect sandwich press, and it's not too pricey. 
Do Cuban sandwiches have mayo?
Traditional Cuban sandwiches do not have mayo. They are typically made with just mustard. Since these sandwiches are all about the layer component, adding mayo is okay!
If may is your thing, add the mayo and the mustard. Or simply omit one or the other.
What if I do not have an Instant Pot?
No worries! If you do not own an Instant Pot or pressure cooker, you can roast the pork in the oven.
Use an oven proof dish, add your seasoned pork, and cover with foil (or a lid if you have one). Cook it in the oven on 350 degrees for about 1 ½ to 2 hours. Or until it is fork tender.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pack Ham lunchmeat your favorite brand
- 1 Pork loin cooked and shredded
- 1 cup Sliced pickles
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 1 loaf Cuban bread see notes
- ½ cup Mustard
Seasoning (for pork loin)
- 2 tablespoon Garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon Onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Seasoning salt
- 2 teaspoon Black pepper
Instructions
- Season pork loin. Sauté in the instant-pot until all sides are brown. Cook on the meat setting for recommended time, (usually one hour).
- Slice the loaf of bread down the middle horizontally so that you have two pieces. Then cut the bread into the desired individual sandwich size pieces.
- Once the pork loin is done, shred it using two forks, or using a knife, roughly chop the meat. NOTE: Half of the pork loin can be reserved for another recipe if desired.
- Slather the mustard on one side of the loaf to evenly cover it. Begin layering with the ham, pork loin, cheese, and pickles.
- Grill the sandwich using a sandwich press, or grill it in a skillet and weigh it down with another skillet or something moderately heavy on top of it. Grill 5 minutes per side if using a skillet.
- Sandwich is done when cheese is melted and both sides are brown.
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