Chef John's Cuban Sandwich

Here’s how I build a Cuban, or Cubano, sandwich. I like to use pulled pork. Carnitas would work too. These ingredients and amounts are open to your own personal preferences, but here’s the general idea.

Step: 1

Mix mayonnaise, mustard, and cayenne together in a bowl to make the sauce.

Step: 2

Trim off ends of bread. Cut loaf in half and evenly split bread to make tops and bottoms of 2 sandwiches. Spread each half on both sides generously with the mayo/mustard sauce.

Step: 3

Divide sandwich ingredients between the two bottom halves in this order: 2 slices Swiss cheese, 3 slices ham, hot cooked pork, pickle slices, and 2 more slices of Swiss cheese. Place tops on sandwiches.

Step: 4

Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and press down with a heavy weight (such as another skillet or foil-wrapped bricks). Toast sandwiches until bread is crisp and filling is heated through, 3 or 4 minutes per side.

Per Serving: 1473 calories; protein 88.2g; carbohydrates 85.4g; fat 85.2g; cholesterol 287.1mg; sodium 4076.6mg.